The Nickel Boys

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Winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this story unfolds in the segregated enclave of Frenchtown, Tallahassee, during the Civil Rights movement. Elwood Curtis, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King’s belief that he is “as good as anyone,” navigates life as a high school senior, raised by his grandmother after being abandoned by his parents. However, one innocent mistake leads to his sentencing at the Nickel Academy, a juvenile reformatory that claims to provide “physical, intellectual and moral training” to help boys become “honorable and honest men.” In reality, it is a nightmarish institution. Faced with the brutality of his surroundings, Elwood clings to Dr. King’s message of love in the face of oppression. His friend Turner, however, views Elwood’s optimism as naive, believing that survival in their world requires cunning and avoidance of trouble. This clash of ideals culminates in a decision with long-lasting consequences. The boys' destinies are shaped by the horrors of Jim Crow and the traumas they endure at the Nickel Academy, a real-life reform school in Florida that operated for over a century, leaving a legacy of suffering for countless children.