Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

142 reviews

lilaypad's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This book tore me apart. 5 stars, but i can't recommend this if you're looking for a fun book. While i was able to read this book in a day, the journey it took me in was one that seemed to last a lifetime. Such a sad and devastating read- in the way that you know that there is no happy ending, but hope for it anyway. Besides the absolute raw depiction of racism and injustice for black people, young black men specifically, the book is so well written. The pace, the description, the characterization (and lack-thereof), the tone, and everything else made for an immersive story. If your headspace is ready for the brutal honesty of the past of so many Americans', then Colson Whitehead can take you there.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Suicide, Violence, Child death, Murder, Medical trauma, Racism, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Pedophilia

gabthebookworm's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Violence, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Police brutality

princess_marie's review

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Confinement, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Gun violence, and Torture

Minor: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, and Murder

knitterscasket's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Devastating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Torture, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual violence and Racial slurs

lindsayvale's review

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Gun violence

ourxstorybegins's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was fantastic and gut-wrenching. A generally challenging read as the author takes us to Nickel Academy, a fictional juvenile reform school based on a very real school in Florida. I had to take this so much slower than a lot of the books that I read simply to make sure I could actually take in all of the information without any kind of overload. The story details Elwood, a black boy who was unfairly sentenced to Nickel Academy, and the abuse that he and the other boys there experienced during their time. One thing I very much didn’t expect was

for there to be a plot twist at the end, and even THAT was hard to read.

Just, all around incredible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Confinement, and Racism

thissagreads's review

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.0

A solid historical fiction, based on a reform school for boys, back in the 1960’s. It was tough to read sometimes, due to the violence and messed up, unjustifiable things that happened to the boys at the school, but the ending was a solid surprise <spoiler Turner ends up surviving the getaway/escape but Elwood dies, so Turner (once at a diner safely away from the school) takes Elwood’s name and lives for Elwood essentially. It’s really fucking sad that the both of them didn’t make it out alive. This book had me thinking and reflecting about the world and the evils in it, including the people, and and the broken and racist systems in play still today.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Racial slurs

avareadsbookss's review against another edition

emotional sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

this book has ruined me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Death, Sexual assault, Violence, Racial slurs, and Racism

m_egg_o's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.25

I’m horrified 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Death, Child death, Child abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Rape and Gun violence

gotnoculture's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Murder, Torture, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Blood, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Medical content, Sexual assault, Grief, and Addiction

Minor: Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Abandonment