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In this Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times best-selling follow-up to The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.

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 new novel, Harlem Shuffle, coming this September! 

Delve into the compelling narrative of "The Nickel Boys," a work of historical fiction by the acclaimed author Colson Whitehead. This powerful novel, which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, transports readers to a dark chapter in American history, exposing the horrors of a segregated reform school in Florida during the Jim Crow era.

At the heart of the story are two young boys, Elwood Curtis and Turner, whose lives are irrevocably changed when they are wrongfully accused of a crime and sent to the Nickel Academy, a supposedly benevolent institution designed to reform troubled youth. However, behind the façade of rehabilitation lies a nightmarish world of cruelty, abuse, and systemic racism.

As Elwood and Turner navigate the harsh realities of Nickel, they form an unbreakable bond of friendship, finding solace and resilience in each other's company. Their stories unfold in alternating chapters, allowing readers to witness the profound impact of the Nickel Academy on their lives, as they endure physical and psychological torment, while struggling to maintain their dignity and sense of hope.

Whitehead's masterful prose vividly captures the atmosphere of fear and oppression that pervades Nickel, while also shedding light on the resilience and strength of the human spirit. The novel explores themes of racial injustice, mass incarceration, and the devastating consequences of a society that devalues and discards its most vulnerable members.

"The Nickel Boys" is a haunting and thought-provoking examination of a dark period in American history, serving as a powerful reminder of the urgent need to confront and dismantle systemic racism. It is a compelling read that will leave readers deeply moved and inspired.