The Nickel Boys

Synopsis: Elwood Curtis is a black teenager growing up in segregated Tallahassee in the early 1960’s. Abandoned by his parents, but kept on the strait and narrow by his grandmother, Elwood has plans to attend the local black college. Unfortunately, Elwood was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and one innocent mistake was enough to get sent to the Nickel Academy, a reform school. The Nickel Academy turned out to be a chamber of horrors where boys were terrorized and abused, and society turned a blind eye. Colson Whitehead based his novel on the true story of the Dozier School in Florida that operated for over 100 years.

Review: Horrifying, infuriating….. those don’t sound like the words for a rave review, but this short novel packs a punch. I had previously read Underground Railroad by Whitehead, so was a little surprised at the relatively strait forward narrative structure of this book. It is perhaps not as unique or inventive as Underground Railroad, but the story is one that has as much or more to say. This novel is not about the abuse of children as much as it is about Elwood’s reaction to that. Elwood is an admirer of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and struggles with his admonition to love your oppressor, and tries to make sense of that. In spite of adversity, Elwood continues to imagine that if he does the right thing he will survive, and even flourish. Elwood’s naïveté will cost him, and it leaves the reader wondering how to reconcile American idealism with it’s tragic history.

Rating: 5/5

Recipe: No kind of food or beverage makes this story go down easy. With that acknowledgement, Food52 does highlight a “virtual pot luck” each February for Black History Month. This has introduced me to chefs and food bloggers that I didn’t know before. This recipe for Pimento Cheese comes from Immaculate Bites.

Ingredients:

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 cup grated sharp cheddar

1 cup grated Gouda

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 seeded diced jalapeno (optional)

4 oz diced pimentos, drained

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Mix thoroughly to combine. Serve with crackers, veggies, on sandwiches or burgers.