4.2
Romans literatuur
Author of The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead, brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in 1960s Florida.
Praise for Pulitzer Prize-winning The Underground Railroad:
'My book of the year by some distance . . . luminous, furious, wildly inventive' Observer
'An engrossing and harrowing novel' Sunday Times
'Tells one of the most compelling stories I have ever read' Guardian
Whitehead is a superb storyteller . . . [he] brilliantly intertwines his allegory with history . . . writing at the peak of his game' Telegraph
Elwood Curtis has taken the words of Dr Martin Luther King to heart: he is as good as anyone. Abandoned by his parents, brought up by his loving, strict and clearsighted grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But given the time and the place, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy his future, and so Elwood arrives at The Nickel Academy, which claims to provide 'physical, intellectual and moral training' which will equip its inmates to become 'honorable and honest men'.
In reality, the Nickel Academy is a chamber of horrors, where physical, emotional and sexual abuse is rife, where corrupt officials and tradesmen do a brisk trade in supplies intended for the school, and where any boy who resists is likely to disappear 'out back'. Stunned to find himself in this vicious environment, Elwood tries to hold on to Dr King's ringing assertion, 'Throw us in jail, and we will still love you.' But Elwood's fellow inmate and new friend Turner thinks Elwood is naive and worse; the world is crooked, and the only way to survive is to emulate the cruelty and cynicism of their oppressors.
The tension between Elwood's idealism and Turner's skepticism leads to a decision which will have decades-long repercussions.
Based on the history of a real reform school in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years and warped and destroyed the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative by a great American novelist whose work is essential to understanding the current reality of the United States.
© 2019 Little, Brown Book Group (Luisterboek): 9781405542975
Publicatiedatum
Luisterboek: 16 juli 2019
4.2
Romans literatuur
Author of The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead, brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in 1960s Florida.
Praise for Pulitzer Prize-winning The Underground Railroad:
'My book of the year by some distance . . . luminous, furious, wildly inventive' Observer
'An engrossing and harrowing novel' Sunday Times
'Tells one of the most compelling stories I have ever read' Guardian
Whitehead is a superb storyteller . . . [he] brilliantly intertwines his allegory with history . . . writing at the peak of his game' Telegraph
Elwood Curtis has taken the words of Dr Martin Luther King to heart: he is as good as anyone. Abandoned by his parents, brought up by his loving, strict and clearsighted grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But given the time and the place, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy his future, and so Elwood arrives at The Nickel Academy, which claims to provide 'physical, intellectual and moral training' which will equip its inmates to become 'honorable and honest men'.
In reality, the Nickel Academy is a chamber of horrors, where physical, emotional and sexual abuse is rife, where corrupt officials and tradesmen do a brisk trade in supplies intended for the school, and where any boy who resists is likely to disappear 'out back'. Stunned to find himself in this vicious environment, Elwood tries to hold on to Dr King's ringing assertion, 'Throw us in jail, and we will still love you.' But Elwood's fellow inmate and new friend Turner thinks Elwood is naive and worse; the world is crooked, and the only way to survive is to emulate the cruelty and cynicism of their oppressors.
The tension between Elwood's idealism and Turner's skepticism leads to a decision which will have decades-long repercussions.
Based on the history of a real reform school in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years and warped and destroyed the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative by a great American novelist whose work is essential to understanding the current reality of the United States.
© 2019 Little, Brown Book Group (Luisterboek): 9781405542975
Publicatiedatum
Luisterboek: 16 juli 2019
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Fehime
4 jan 2021
Prachtig boek van Colson Whitehead. Ik werd er erg emotioneel door. Aanrader!
Tanya
26 okt 2020
Very good book enjoy it a lot
Jo
12 feb 2020
Makes a lasting impression. Very well written
K
9 nov 2020
Wel written en insightful.
Guus
6 feb 2024
Makes you wonder if this really is the same author as The Underground Railroad... boring, flat, slow. Gets amazing reviews though, so give it a try. Guess it's just not for me.
AJ
16 aug 2022
Colson Whitehead is a master of understated storytelling. The Nickel Boys tells a fictional tale around the true life atrocities which occurred at the Arthur G Dozier School for Boys through a young black "student" living out the teaching of Dr Matin Luther King. An absolutely required read 5/5
Jane
19 feb 2020
Ik word stil van de boeken die ik van deze schrijver lees. Goed geschreven kijkje in het leven van kansarme voornamelijk zwarte jongens in een Amerika in de tijd racisme daar blijkbaar nog normaal was.
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