Service95 Recommends is the home of the books we love and reviews from our contributors. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead...
What We Say: “A powerful and devastating critique of the wrongdoings of the American education and justice systems in the era of the civil rights movement, Colson Whitehead’s Nickel Boys is an intense rollercoaster… It follows Elwood, an idealistic teenager inspired by the words of Martin Luther King, who is sent to The Nickel Academy – a so-called reform facility which claims to train boys up to become honest, honorable members of society. But behind this façade of morality lies abuse, torture and corruption. There, Elwood meets Turner – a sceptical boy who believes the only way to survive cruelty is by retaliating with even greater force – and their friendship forms the heart of this brilliant, bloodcurdling novel.”
What They Say: “[Whitehead] is a splendidly talented writer, with more range than any other American novelist currently working – he can be funny, lyrical, satirical, earnest – whatever is needed by the work.” – George Saunders
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