The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

 

The Nickel Boys

by Colson Whitehead

 

The Nickel Boys follows an intelligent young African American boy named Elwood Curtis in the 1960s who was bound for university, but instead is sent to the Nickel Academy after being falsely accused of a crime. His stay at the reformatory is marked by violence, enacted towards him and the other boys living there. Elwood befriends another inmate named Jack Turner who gives him the idea for escape. The two flee together, but only one makes it to freedom alive.

The Nickel Academy is based on a real historical location, a reform school with allegations of beatings, rape, torture, and murder of its "students." Over 50 graves have been found on its premises, and a forensic investigation of the site continues.

Whitehead's book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2020.

I liked the story, but I'm not sure why exactly it won a Pulitzer. Though I've read the judges' reasons, the book didn't really do it for me on that level. The writing was spare and swift and the characters were interesting, but the violence and abuse descriptions didn't leave me with a lasting impression that I had read something profound. The twist at the end was the best part of the book for me, which I can honestly say took me by surprise. I would like to have seen more of the seedier elements of the story to make me feel more invested in the eventual escape of Jack and Elwood.

I probably wouldn't read it again, but I did enjoy the story overall. I was fascinated by the real story it's based on and would like to delve into that some more. This book was 3 stars for me.