Reviews

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

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rachelsonnet's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of the top three books of the year for me. This was a random pick from a library shelf and I tore through it in two days. I understand why it was categorized as horror but it read to me like historical fiction. Multiple times I stopped reading to look up people and events mentioned in the book.

The writing made Robert’s and Gloria’s world so vivid. My heart was furiously racing through most of the book. I felt very connected to all the characters and I wanted them all to make it out so badly.

This book artfully shows the horror of the Jim Crow laws, the KKK, and the over incarceration of black youth. Unchecked power corrupts absolutely and turning a blind eye to injustice perpetuates it.

The reliance on community, hope, god, and song shone through the darkness of this novel. The effects of the unjust deaths ripple through time. This book should be required reading. Not only is our nation’s history a disgrace, so is our present. Reformatory schools(now called wilderness therapy or boot camp) operate with little oversight and need to be abolished.

Content Warnings

mamadimo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

vanessacr's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

4.5

sidrabibi's review

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dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

runjohnnyrun845's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

kathleenabby's review against another edition

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5.0

This was devastating... Incredible but devastating!!

This is historical fiction with an element social horror. Set in Jim Crow Florida and based on the very real Dozier School for boys. The Dozier school for boys has a long-standing culture of violence and abuse, and wasn't shut down into 2011. The Author pieces together the life of a relative her family never spoke of bringing his tragedy and those of many other to light.

📖 We follow Robbie a twelve year old boy who is sentenced to six months at The Reformatory. He sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living and undead.

Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, but what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother soon becomes a window of truth.

We also follow Gloria, Robbie's older sister who faces her own hardships while trying to rally every connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it's to late.

✨ Review ✨
This was one of the most devastating books I've read. Knowing how very real this story is makes for a hard read. Do check your trigger warnings because the injustices they face are brutal and heartbreaking. And yet this is a story of hope and love and it's beautifully written.

I adored the social horror elements, it added a complex layer to everything this school has done. I will say those elements aren't scary it just adds to the sadness.

Although this book is brutal, I love how it's approached in such a respectful way. It's not shock for the sake of shock. Its written in a way where you really see these boys and what they are going through. It really does feel like in written in honour in all the lives lost.

This is a book that will stay with me I can't recommend it enough. It's not just an incrediblely written story it's an important one.