Kate’s 2¢: “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead

“The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

“The Nickel Boys”, written and read by Colson Whitehead is an impelling condemnation of our judicial system. Although, this is a work of fiction, it is based on researched facts, so, it could be classified as Creative Non-Fiction.

I remember a unit we did in high school called: Man’s Inhumanity To Man. “The Nickel Boys” fits into  that category and should be read and discussed with racial sensitivity, comparative perspective, and analysis of progress (if any) since 1962.

Whitehead read the version I listened to, which added to its authenticity.

From time to time, NLS/LOC sends me random cartridges and I’m glad to have received and read “The Nickel Boys”. The way the plot twisted at the end, I’m wondering if there won’t be a sequel.

From his website:

Colson Whitehead was born in 1969, and was raised in Manhattan.

After graduating from Harvard College, he started working at the Village Voice, where he wrote reviews of television, books, and music.

He has received a MacArthur Fellowship, A Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Writers Award, the Dos Passos Prize, and a fellowship at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers.

He has taught at the University of Houston, Columbia University, Brooklyn College, Hunter College, New York University, Princeton University, Wesleyan University, and been a Writer-in-Residence at Vassar College, the University of Richmond, and the University of Wyoming.

He lives in New York City.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The Nickel boys DB95925

Whitehead, Colson. Reading time: 6 hours, 48 minutes.

Read by Colson Whitehead; JD Jackson.

Historical Fiction

Bestsellers

1962. Elwood Curtis lives with his grandmother, works when not in school, and admires Dr. Martin Luther King. But one innocent mistake sees him sentenced to reform school–the Nickel Academy. There he meets Turner, whose skepticism challenges Elwood. Their friendship has repercussions in the sadistic school. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2019.