PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Nickel Boys is a stunning follow-up to Colson Whitehead’s earlier work, The Underground Railroad, brilliantly dramatizing another dark chapter in American history. This novel takes readers to a haunting reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida, where two boys find themselves unjustly sentenced to a hellish existence at the Nickel Academy.
Elwood Curtis, a young black boy, goes from a hopeful dreamer to a victim of a monstrous institution. When he arrives at Nickel Academy, he meets Turner, a fellow inmate who views the world through a lens of skepticism and survival. Their journey illustrates the stark contrast between Elwood's optimistic ideals and Turner's guarded reality, as both boys navigate the perils of their surroundings.
The tension escalates between the two friends as the brutal realities of life at the Academy force them to confront the dangers they face and the choices that lie ahead. Based on the true story of a reform school that operated for 111 years, The Nickel Boys explores the impact of systemic racism and the resilience of those subjected to it. The narrative is both heartbreaking and empowering, emphasizing the strength of friendship amidst adversity.
Alongside its critical acclaim, The Nickel Boys is now a major motion picture that has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, directed by Academy Award nominee Ramell Ross. Whitehead’s masterful storytelling not only sheds light on this painful chapter of history but also solidifies his place as one of America’s finest contemporary novelists. "A great American novelist writing at the height of his powers," Whitehead's work continues to resonate deeply, capturing the audience with its compelling and poignant themes.
