The Nickel Boys chronicles the story of Elwood, a black teenager from Tallahassee, Florida in the 1960s. Elwood's parents have abandoned him, and his grandmother is raising him. Elwood is smart and determined. When he is accepted into the local black college, his future is bright. Everything comes crashing down when Elwood is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up in a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy.
The black "students" are kept separate from the white, and even though the mission statement says the school provides "physical, intellectual and moral training," what it really provides is a horrific existence where students are worked hard, provided little nourishment, and beaten and sometimes even killed for small infractions.
Elwood is optimistic, being a follower of Martin Luther King, and believes he can overcome his environment and continue to love his captors. His friend, Turner, thinks Elwood is crazy, the world is out to get them, and they need to avoid trouble at all costs.
This story is all the more harrowing since it is based on a reform school that existed during that time and, of course, ruined the lives of many, many black children.
I liked The Nickel Boys. It helped that is was a short book. I still felt it dragged at the beginning, but I needed to find out what happened. The ending was a surprise, but that is all I'll say. The book makes you sad, and frustrated, and outraged, as is intended. I'm not sure I'd consider it one of The 10 Best Fiction Books of the Decade (Time Magazine), but that is just my opinion. I do think it is worth the read. Also, The Nickel Boys would be a great classroom read for high school students.
Published by Doubleday, 2019
Audiobook obtained from the library
224 pages
Rating: 4/5
