Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

62 reviews

jainnyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Dementia, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence

remainsofabook's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

4.0

The Nickel Boys is a remarkable book that packs so much into 200+ pages. So much history and realities of Black Americans but there was something lacking that stopped me from rating the book higher or want to put another Whitehead book on my tbr. I don't think it is Whitehead's writing style, like some wrote in their reviews that his writing approach is too journalistic. In my opinion, the ending was really well-written. Even though I'm on the fence about the plot twist. This made me realised that the reason I couldn't rate it higher was the lack of depth in the exploration of the boys' psyche. Elwood is a very interesting character and so much more could have been written on him. If I wanted history, facts and realities to educate myself, I would have picked up a non-fiction. I expect something more from a fiction, especially one that won the Pulitzer Prize. Regardless, The Nickel Boys is still worth a read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Racism

Minor: Pedophilia and Adult/minor relationship

jhartsoe's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

Minor: Gun violence and Rape

patch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense

• Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture

julied's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• 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

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Violence

siiriainen's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Elwood Curtis is a black teenager living in the Deep South during the civil rights era of America. A driven and strong willed boy, he is accepted to begin college level classes early despite his age. However, the summer before he is set to begin, he gets arrested by the police for a crime he did not commit and is sent to a juvenile “reform school” for troubled youth called the Nickel Academy. At the school he befriends a delinquent named Turner and together they scheme to survive their time at the school which is characterized by beatings, cruel punishment, indentured servitude, and murders by their guards and caretakers. Based on an actual school which was only closed in 2011 after operating for 111 years and where hidden gravesites were discovered on its property shortly afterward, this novel captured Whitehead’s second Pulitzer Prize (the other being for The Underground Railroad), making him one of only 4 repeat winners of the prize. And its success is well deserved as The Nickel Boys is a fantastic novel of the cruelty of the Jim Crow era and its continued legacy today in America told through rich language and a captivating story. Highly recommended.    

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, and Child abuse

Minor: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Rape

cabuff's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

lake's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Death, Cursing, and Racism

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pedophilia, and Homophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Medical content, and Drug abuse

charlotte03's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

I picked up this book because after a year on from reading the Underground Railroad I  still remember the strong imagery it created. Reading Whitehead's writing is like watching a film, but doesn't feel boggy with description. He creates beautiful depth and layers  in his characters and narratives.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Child abuse

Minor: Pedophilia and Rape

bodiesinbooks's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence