The Nickel Boys (Winner 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction): A Novel
When Elwood Curtis, a black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee, is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, he finds himself trapped in a grotesque chamber of horrors. Elwood’s only salvation is his friendship with fellow “delinquent” Turner, which deepens despite Turner’s conviction that Elwood is hopelessly naive, that the world is crooked, and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble. As life at the Academy becomes ever more perilous, the tension between Elwood’s ideals and Turner’s skepticism leads to a decision whose repercussions will echo down the decades.
Based on the real story of a reform school that operated for 111 years and warped the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative that showcases a great American novelist writing at the height of his powers and “should further cement Whitehead as one of his generation's best" (Entertainment Weekly).
Look for Colson Whitehead’s bestselling new novel, Harlem Shuffle!
In the acclaimed novel "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Underground Railroad," we are transported back to the Jim Crow South of the 1960s.
The story takes place at the Nickel Academy, a notorious reform school in Florida. Here, young African American boys are subjected to brutal physical and psychological abuse at the hands of the administration. Among them are Elwood Curtis, a promising student who dreams of a better life beyond the walls of Nickel, and Turner, a streetwise charmer who finds himself caught in a web of violence and despair.
As Elwood and Turner navigate the horrors of Nickel, they form a powerful bond of friendship that helps them survive the unimaginable. Together, they witness the dehumanizing treatment inflicted upon their fellow inmates, the corruption that permeates the institution, and the devastating consequences of systemic racism.
Drawing inspiration from true events, Whitehead delves into the dark history of reform schools in the United States, exposing the systemic abuse and injustice that continue to plague our society. "The Nickel Boys" is a powerful and haunting tale that challenges us to confront the legacy of racial oppression and the urgent need for change.
With its evocative prose and unflinching portrayal of injustice, "The Nickel Boys" serves as a poignant reminder of the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity and the enduring power of hope.
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