Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

90 reviews

megscott88's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, and Murder

jessalex610's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.5

Apparently this only took me two days to finish, but it felt so much longer than that. This is a hard hard read. Whitehead has such a good way with words and Griff’s story will always stick with me. There’s just something about the way he painted the scene, described the surroundings, the desperation for a second chance. Oh i’m gonna cry again.  It’s a fictional story, but the inspiration is all too real. The Dozier School, the horrid, putrid racism of Jim Crow, the corrupt predators in power who help keep each other in power. To think that similar stories actually exist in real life…it’s almost too much to think about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

annabulkowski's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

scarlettiscrying's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Racial slurs and Sexual assault

globetrotta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Police brutality

babieyunie's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

aegireads's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Police brutality

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.5

It's so hard to articulate my feelings about a book like this, not just because it's harrowing (and our experiences are so far removed from those in the book), but because it is a story borne out of history and based in truth. That a reform school like Nickel existed, and so many lives were taken in secret, is almost beyond comprehension. But as with so many books of this nature, they're such important stories to keep telling.

The writing is incredible, and seeing how Elwood carries Nickel with him through the rest of his life is beautifully and devastatingly described. What he is able to make of his life always seems to come second to the trauma he suffered so many years before.

This is a brilliant story of survival, friendship and injustice that I couldn't stop reading. It's so powerful and haunting, it'll stay with me for a long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Rape, and Murder

ekmoore11's review against another edition

dark informative 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

k04j1's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Abandonment

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape