jonahwhyudothis 's review for:

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

5.0

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stunning. set in Jim Crow Florida, the true horrors of this book are unsurprisingly the racist atrocities that have occurred (and continue to occur all around the world), but Due never falls into the trap of writing misery/trauma porn. was surprised to find the novel split between two main storylines, but Gloria's portions felt essential to grounding the story in reality and the wider struggle beyond Robert's deeply unjust, inhumane treatment. every awful thing is balanced out by the love that the Stephens family and their community have for each other, lending this harrowing tale a wonderfully hopeful tint that points towards the progress that has thankfully been made over time, even if we still have a long way go.

past present and future, Black lives matter!