#6 in Historical fiction
The Nickel Boys
- 224
- Pages
- about 4 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 7 weeks on the list, peaked at #3
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
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About the book
The Nickel Boys is a 2019 novel by American novelist Colson Whitehead. It is based on the historic Dozier School, a reform school in Florida that operated for 111 years and was revealed as highly abusive. A university investigation found numerous unmarked graves for unrecorded deaths and a history into the late 20th century of emotional and physical abuse of students.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.6 across 506 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 77% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Historical fiction average of 8.0. That is how 8.5 comes out. A further +0.10 comes from the small bonus for major awards.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.8 | 13 | 3% |
| Hardcover | 8.6 | 493 | 97% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“A depressing, juvie version of Shawshank where the innocence and hopefulness of children is used against them and “twist” just makes everything that much more depressing. So hard to read stories like these and know that none of this is in the past AT ALL.…”
“Infuriating and tragic. Instant classic. The pulitzer makes sense. Best book I've read this year.”
Frequently asked
How long is The Nickel Boys?
It has 224 pages — shorter than 92% of the ranked books in Historical fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Historical fiction — and a score of 8.5, the closest to this book.
