I’m Booked: “The Nickel Boys”
Written by Ally Abruscato. Graphic by Anna Porter.
Among the many books I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas, “The Nickel Boys” became my first completed book of 2025. This Pulitzer Prize winning book by Colson Whitehead was a captivating and intense start to the year.
Whitehead’s “The Nickel Boys” describes the story of Elwood Curtis’ time in a juvenile reformatory school in the 1960s. Although Nickel was not a real school, it was based on a the Dozier School for Boys in Florida. In the book, after being wrongly accused of a crime he did not committ, Elwood was forced into a reform school that ruins his chances of going to college. While he knew it would be tough, Elwood, and everyone else who did not have to experience it, had no idea about the true horrors that occurred there. Thankfully, Elwood befriends another student, Turner, who helps to show him the ins and outs.
Despite being short in length, this book was definitely not an easy read. With serious topics such as physical, mental and sexual abuse, “The Nickel Boys” was a heavy book with many possible triggers. On top of the awful conditions at Nickel, Elwood and Turner endured a worse fate because of their race. This book sheds light on the corruption of the criminal justice system and the common cruelties that Black men are forced to face. Even though this is a historical fiction book, the lessons taught are still very relevant today.
The book continuously flipped back and forth between the present, when unmarked graves were discovered at the site of the now-closed reform school, and the past, during Elwood’s time at Nickel. With this, the reader is taken outside of the school and its tragedies for a moment to be able to put it into a wider context. Whitehead is a talented writer that created an engaging book throughout. One of my favorite quotes was, “We must believe in our souls that we are somebody, that we are significant, that we are worthful, and we must walk the streets of life every day with this sense of dignity and this sense of somebody-ness.”
Last year, “The Nickel Boys” was made into a movie that was recently nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. I am anxious to see it, considering I have heard nothing but great reviews. I suggest that everyone add both to their “To-Read” and “To-Watch” lists of 2025.
I’ll be back soon with another book review, but until then, I’m Booked.
As Editor-in-Chief, Ally Abruscato leads and supports a talented group of staff and contributors in pursuing their creative endeavors. At SCAD, Ally majors in Photography and minors in Advertising & Branding. She regularly offers pop culture insights through movie reviews, articles and her weekly column, “I’m Booked.” When she’s not writing or taking photos, Ally’s probably outside, reading or running.
