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banned_book's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Torture, Slavery, Rape, Racial slurs, Grief, Emotional abuse, Child death, Violence, Confinement, Classism, Blood, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Murder, Hate crime, Death, Racism, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Forced institutionalization
dreamofbookspines's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Child abuse, Child death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence
boywonder's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, and Violence
maritzasolo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Racism, Torture, and Violence
tigerkind's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Confinement, Child death, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Murder, Bullying, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Rape, Medical content, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Slavery, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, War, and Excrement
writingcaia's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Children discarded like rotten fruit, beaten, raped, murdered for sport and no one cared. No graves, no memorials. Sad but true. The reality that humans are capable of such evil, but also, of such courage and resilience.
The writing is a bit dense and hard to get into, especially with this theme of abuse, racism, and murder. However, as soon as the decent, educated, polite, super smart, compassionate and revolutionary Elwood accidentally lands in the reformatory school things start getting heavier and harder to let go off.
What happened in the fictional The Nickel school was inspired by a true story, and we all know so many. I know I do. The catholics were responsible for so many similar abusive and murderous orphanages and schools of the type, where the most vulnerable were always the most hurt.
Racism obviously plays a huge part in the story with Elwood being so inspired by MLK and those being the times of JFK and the civil rights movement.
It’s also a story of friendship and standing up for the other.
The finale was especially heart wrenching, with a twist I saw coming, and still made me cry.
Love will always conquer even death.
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Racial slurs, and Child abuse
Moderate: Murder and Child death
Minor: Rape
reading_robyn's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Racial slurs, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Rape
ablotial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
For those of you who don't know, this is a work of fiction but it is based on a real "school" for juvenile delinquents that existed called the Dozier Boys School. I guess it was in the news a few years ago but it was a first-heard-about for me, although sadly I was unsurprised by the conditions and injustices faced by Elwood and his fellow students. It's so sad how someone like Elwood, with so much promise and a future that indicated he was going to get OUT of there, ended up as a result of racial profiling (he committed no crime!) and the ineptitude of anyone caring about the boys at the school. Of course, Elwood's exact situation was fictional -- who knows if there really was such a promising boy who ended up there on such crap charges? -- but sadly it is fully believable that it absolutely could have happened.
When the book flipped back to section 3, I didn't love it. After the intro section in the present day, I thought we would only return to find him going to visit and call it good. But then it was going on, with his relationship and his job and the guy he ran into on the street and I just ... it was hard for me to find it in me to care about these kind of crappy adults, aside from feeling bad that they ended up this way through no real fault of their own. I wanted to get back and hear about the kids, come to a resolution! But of course, I kept reading, and it all became clear. I'm not sure all that's really possible this day and age but I like the idea of it. And maybe it is, given the circumstances and timing of when it all went down.
Overall, good book, although not five stars for me. I enjoyed it and was invested in Elwood and Turner and their situation. I went back and forth on the formality of the writing style given the setting. And I kind of felt like he tried to cram *too* much in... I'm sure all these things happened in one way or another, but probably not all to the same person. Or maybe they did. But I suppose it makes for a better novel to be able to throw it all in. It did inspire me to add We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys to my TBR.
Graphic: Racism and Child abuse
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
wabisabigio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence and Torture
scenic92's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence