Reviews

I understand how/why this book won a Pulitzer Prize. This is the second book by this author that I’ve attempted to read and the first one that I didn’t abandon. The story, a fictional account of some real life events based on a youth detention center in the south in the late sixties this book is a actually a beautiful character study and work of historical fiction. The author’s characterization of a young Black boy growing up in Florida in the late sixties felt authentic, vulnerable, and honest. The story was long but it didn’t drag, it was just detailed and the devil really is in the details for this one. The writing facilitates the pacing in a way that strums the bass for the rhythm of the book. This one took me a little longer because I found myself stopping to do my own research on the place and experiences because the author made me really care about the characters and their issues. As a teacher recommendation I would say to strongly resist the urge to read this with older middle graders. In fact, the earliest I’d introduce this is 11th grade but even then only as a part of a thematic unit study focused on the time and cultural period. It’s a nice coming of age or perhaps redemption story, but it’s one that is quite complex and as a whole I’d question if it was developmentally appropriate for due to the multiple layers of analysis required to get the weight of the story. Otherwise I’d worry the youngers would satisfactorily dwell in the surface, or that teachers would overscaffold it so much that the students wouldn’t benefit from the mental exercising this book demands and deserves.

wee_eck_m's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I just finished this on audiobook and I feel like I have been punched in the gut. What an emotional read. It's the fictional telling of a boys reform school, but you know the things that happened, did happen to many bits in real lifr and it's heartbreaking. An emotive read/listen that I highly recommend

lucyyoungblood1717's review against another edition

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4.0

I cried on the bus after finishing this

ekh27's review

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challenging dark 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

meadowlarked's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a very good historical fiction novel, set in the 1960s, about a black teenager who is unfairly thrown into a racist reform school and the horrors he faces while living there. The prose is well written, but in a quiet way — it’s simple without coming off as juvenile, which isn’t an easy balance to strike. Elwood and Turner are interesting foils of each other, though I almost wish I could have seen them butt heads a bit more over their different perspectives on life, survival, and the civil rights movement. Overall, this was a good read and I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read more about this period of US history.

marticlar's review against another edition

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5.0

Touching in so many ways. Beautifully written!

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