Nilufer Ozmekik's Reviews > The Nickel Boys
The Nickel Boys
by
by
Five stars: a blood-freezing, rage-inducing, heart-pounding, tear-jerking wake-up call to all the injustices, unacceptable acts, and unfair wrongdoings of the system!
As soon as I closed the book, I sat there for at least two hours, paralyzed—lost, confused, agitated, speechless, and overwhelmed with a deep, aching sorrow for the characters and all the suffering they endured. The most haunting part? This wasn’t fiction. It was rooted in true stories.
When you’re cocooned in your daily routine, surrounded by the comforts of your own choices, it’s easy to forget what happens beyond that bubble. This book forces you to remember—with a harsh, ugly slap across the face. It brings to light the most outrageous and shameful era in American history.
The story begins with Elwood, a bright and hard-working young man who loves comic books and is about to start college. But everything changes when he’s falsely accused of stealing a car and sent to Nickel Academy—a segregated juvenile facility rife with racism, torture, abuse, and brutality.
Elwood, despite his naivety, believes he can fight against the corruption and injustice in the school. Then he meets Turner, a cynical and pragmatic survivor who becomes his unlikely partner in navigating the academy’s horrors.
The book seamlessly blends elements reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, Fruitvale Station, Do the Right Thing, When They See Us, and The Shawshank Redemption, crafting a powerful narrative on systemic injustice.
If you have the courage to confront the raw, brutal realities the characters face, and the stomach to absorb the unflinching details, this book serves as a stark reminder of the darkest sides of human history. It urges you to raise your voice, to no longer turn a blind eye.
The ending delivers a gut-wrenching twist that knocks the wind out of you.
I want to close this review with the powerful words of Martin Luther King Jr.:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
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As soon as I closed the book, I sat there for at least two hours, paralyzed—lost, confused, agitated, speechless, and overwhelmed with a deep, aching sorrow for the characters and all the suffering they endured. The most haunting part? This wasn’t fiction. It was rooted in true stories.
When you’re cocooned in your daily routine, surrounded by the comforts of your own choices, it’s easy to forget what happens beyond that bubble. This book forces you to remember—with a harsh, ugly slap across the face. It brings to light the most outrageous and shameful era in American history.
The story begins with Elwood, a bright and hard-working young man who loves comic books and is about to start college. But everything changes when he’s falsely accused of stealing a car and sent to Nickel Academy—a segregated juvenile facility rife with racism, torture, abuse, and brutality.
Elwood, despite his naivety, believes he can fight against the corruption and injustice in the school. Then he meets Turner, a cynical and pragmatic survivor who becomes his unlikely partner in navigating the academy’s horrors.
The book seamlessly blends elements reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, Fruitvale Station, Do the Right Thing, When They See Us, and The Shawshank Redemption, crafting a powerful narrative on systemic injustice.
If you have the courage to confront the raw, brutal realities the characters face, and the stomach to absorb the unflinching details, this book serves as a stark reminder of the darkest sides of human history. It urges you to raise your voice, to no longer turn a blind eye.
The ending delivers a gut-wrenching twist that knocks the wind out of you.
I want to close this review with the powerful words of Martin Luther King Jr.:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
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Reading Progress
July 25, 2019
–
Started Reading
July 25, 2019
– Shelved
July 26, 2019
–
Finished Reading
August 4, 2019
– Shelved as:
all-time-favorites
August 4, 2019
– Shelved as:
best-ones
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Ramona
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rated it 5 stars
Jul 27, 2019 06:36AM
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“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly”
Such a great quote...
Great review, Nilufer 🙂
Be sure to read his acknowledgements before closing this book. Good chance it will draw you to research the Dozier School for Boys in FL on which novel is based.
Someday after this age of the Trump Administration, will someone write a story about the atrocities currently being committed to the immigrant children being separated from their parents as I write this?