A review by duckoffimreading
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

5.0

Very long but very well written fictional story set in 1950s Jim Crow era Florida - 12 year old Robert Stephens is sentenced to a boys reform school with a literally haunting history. Robert can see the haints that are held to the land due to unimaginable cruelties inflicted by superintendent Haddock. With pieces of true history woven throughout (Dozier School for Boys, the Groveland Four, NAACP and Harry T. Moore), this story is told in vivid color. A little bit supernatural and a lot racist injustice in the deep south, Due’s novel held my attention rapt, with me swiftly covering 500+ pages in a handful of days. Very impressed by the story writing, heartbroken for the characters and glad to see the finale, I could see this easily being turned into a movie. 5 stars all the way through. Extra interesting is that author Tananarive Due wrote this in honor of her family member, the original Robert Stephens, who was actually imprisoned and subsequently murdered at the Dozier School for Boys in Mariana, Florida in the 1930’s. Her commentary is not directed at any one person being responsible (like a Haddock type person) but society at large for allowing the system that hurt so many young boys and men. If you are interested in reading more in this rabbit hole, Colson Whitehead’s fictional The Nickel Boys and non-fiction We Carry Their Bones are other books I’ve read that follow the same central storyline (and both great reads!)