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The Nickel Boys
by Colson Whitehead
I first learned of Colson Whitehead’s great narrative prowess with the deservedly popular [b:The Underground Railroad|30555488|The Underground Railroad|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493178362l/30555488._SX50_.jpg|48287641]. Continuing to explore themes surrounding the dehumanization of black bodies in the era of Reconstruction following slavery, Whitehead delves into the lives of [b:The Nickel Boys|42270835|The Nickel Boys|Colson Whitehead|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1539178196l/42270835._SY75_.jpg|65893762].
Based on of the true story of the Dozier School for Boys, a juvenile reform institution that operated from 1900 to 2011 in the state of Florida, this narrative opens with the discovery of bodies and secrets of the nefarious reform school coming to light. Fueled by cruelty and greed, the boys school exploited the young men in its care in numerous abusive ways. As these boys were cast off from society, it did not take much to cover up the institution’s exploits—who would believe young convicts?
Whitehead’s novel centers in the early 1960s with the idealistic young, black Elwood who truly believes that he can achieve his dreams with hard work and perseverance. A hard worker and bright student, Elwood jumps at the chance to take college courses while still in high school, and lacking means of transportation, he hitchhikes to his first class. The car is pulled over and he learns that it has been stolen. The cops care not that Elwood had no involvement in the car’s theft, and instead of college he gets sent to a juvenile correction facility Nickel Academy.
Still an optimist, Elwood aims to stay on the straight and narrow and work to better himself; he believes that good things will happen for good people who work hard. Quickly, and alarmingly, he learns that the only way to succeed (and survive) in Nickel is to keep his head down. In Nickel, exceptionalism is considered insurgence and stamped out the same as any other disruptive behavior. Keeping in line with the status quo, even if it means being complicit to nefarious systemic injustice, is the main means of survival even if to do so slowly kills the spirit. Elwood is still nevertheless affected and effected by what he sees.
”He was all of them in one black body that night in the ring, and all of them when the white men took him out back in those two iron rings… When the state of Florida dug him up fifty years later, the forensic examiner noted the fractures in the wrists and speculated that he’d been restrained before he died, in addition to the other violence attested by the broken bones.”
I would lie if I said it was easy to read about some of the atrocities that the boys faced; to be frank this book is not for the faint of heart or anyone who has a hard time reading about children suffering. That said, it is important to keep in mind that while the good characters are consistently beaten down, these events transpire to narratively build on the historic reality. All in all, this is a great book, and the story of Elwood’s life is definitely worth reading.
Based on of the true story of the Dozier School for Boys, a juvenile reform institution that operated from 1900 to 2011 in the state of Florida, this narrative opens with the discovery of bodies and secrets of the nefarious reform school coming to light. Fueled by cruelty and greed, the boys school exploited the young men in its care in numerous abusive ways. As these boys were cast off from society, it did not take much to cover up the institution’s exploits—who would believe young convicts?
Whitehead’s novel centers in the early 1960s with the idealistic young, black Elwood who truly believes that he can achieve his dreams with hard work and perseverance. A hard worker and bright student, Elwood jumps at the chance to take college courses while still in high school, and lacking means of transportation, he hitchhikes to his first class. The car is pulled over and he learns that it has been stolen. The cops care not that Elwood had no involvement in the car’s theft, and instead of college he gets sent to a juvenile correction facility Nickel Academy.
Still an optimist, Elwood aims to stay on the straight and narrow and work to better himself; he believes that good things will happen for good people who work hard. Quickly, and alarmingly, he learns that the only way to succeed (and survive) in Nickel is to keep his head down. In Nickel, exceptionalism is considered insurgence and stamped out the same as any other disruptive behavior. Keeping in line with the status quo, even if it means being complicit to nefarious systemic injustice, is the main means of survival even if to do so slowly kills the spirit. Elwood is still nevertheless affected and effected by what he sees.
”He was all of them in one black body that night in the ring, and all of them when the white men took him out back in those two iron rings… When the state of Florida dug him up fifty years later, the forensic examiner noted the fractures in the wrists and speculated that he’d been restrained before he died, in addition to the other violence attested by the broken bones.”
I would lie if I said it was easy to read about some of the atrocities that the boys faced; to be frank this book is not for the faint of heart or anyone who has a hard time reading about children suffering. That said, it is important to keep in mind that while the good characters are consistently beaten down, these events transpire to narratively build on the historic reality. All in all, this is a great book, and the story of Elwood’s life is definitely worth reading.