Just finished this book about Elwood Curtis, a black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee. Elwood is headed for success when he is unjustly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, where boys are horribly abused. Elwood is scared constantly but friendship with Turner helps him deal with day to day survival, although what ultimately happens leaves lifetime scars. The book is based on a real “reform” school which operated for over 100 years. The writing is stellar, which is to be expected from the guy who recently won the Pulitzer.
Vivian Copeland's Best Books Of All Time 