The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Set in the 1960s, this book follows the story of two African-American boys, Elwood and Turner, who are sent to a brutal reform school, the Nickel Academy, in Florida. The narrative explores their struggle to maintain their humanity in the face of physical and emotional abuse, systemic racism, and injustice. The book is a searing indictment of the horrific realities of racism and the long-lasting effects of trauma and dehumanization, based on the real story of a reform school in Florida that operated for 111 years and warped the lives of thousands of children.
The 4583rd greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 2019
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Short
- Pages
- 210-224
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.1)
- Alternate Titles
-
- De Jongens Van Nickel
- I Ragazzi Della Nickel
- O Reformatório Nickel
- Os Rapazes De Nickel
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 12 lists:
- 11th on Top 10 Fiction Books of the Decade(2010) (Entertainment Weekly)
- 16th on 25 Essential High School Reads From the Last Decade (Edutopia)
- 37th on Readers Pick Their 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (NY Times)
- 59th on Truelit's 100 Best Books of the Quarter Century (/r/truelit)
- 67th on 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (Book Enthusiast Substack)
- 1745th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- An Updated Canon: 72 Books Every Man Should Read (InsideHook)
- Barack Obama's Reading Lists (Barack Obama)
- Best Books of the Decade(2010-2020) (Chicago Tribune)
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (Pulitzer Prize)
- The Best Fiction Books of the 2010s (Time)
- The Orwell Prize for Political Writing (The Orwell Foundation)