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The Reformatory: A Novel
Description
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner and a New York Times Notable Book"You're in for a treat. The Reformatory is one of those books you can't put down. Tananarive Due hit it out of the park." --Stephen King A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he's sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead. Gracetown, Florida June 1950 Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie's journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory. Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it's too late. The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award-winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.
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Community Reviews
THANK YOU to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for graciously providing a free copy of this book for review at my request. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.
I've always felt that horror, true horror, is that which is based on or inspired by the truth.
The tragic events depicted in this book are not based on ancient history - there are still people alive today who carry the trauma from the Jim Crow era.
Set in 1950, in the fictitious town of Gracetown, Florida, Tananarive Due exposes her readers to the tension-filled period when hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan was founded, laws were created specifically to prevent Black Americans from getting jobs, an education or the right to vote.
THE REFORMATORY is mostly told from the perspective of 12 year old, Robert Stephens, Jr. He's been sentenced to 6 months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a segregated reform school, after striking the son of a wealthy landowner, who had been making unwanted advances on Robbie's sister, Gloria.
Tananarive Due masterfully balances the brutality experienced by the children at this "school" with the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. In all the ugly, there was always hope - which is what kept me racing through these pages, hope that Robbie would be freed somehow - whether from Gloria's efforts on the outside or someone working at the school would finally have the courage to do the right thing. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
I adored the inclusion of so many great historical figures from this time period. I would encourage you to read Zora Neale Hurston's collection of non fiction essays, YOU DON'T KNOW US NEGROES AND OTHER ESSAYS, especially the one about the trial of Ruby McCallum, for some extra insight and enjoyment of this book.
For the audiobook lovers out there, the narrator for this book is Joniece Abbott-Pratt, and she was outstanding in her own right. The only way I can put it to words is to say she sounded like "home" to me.
I know you only see the star rating, but I use a rating system based on different elements that I then average out to determine stars. This is the highest rated book I've read in 2 years. In my opinion, it's near perfect.
A full non spoiler discussion regarding my experience with THE REFORMATORY will be coming soon on my BookTube Channel!
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.
I've always felt that horror, true horror, is that which is based on or inspired by the truth.
The tragic events depicted in this book are not based on ancient history - there are still people alive today who carry the trauma from the Jim Crow era.
Set in 1950, in the fictitious town of Gracetown, Florida, Tananarive Due exposes her readers to the tension-filled period when hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan was founded, laws were created specifically to prevent Black Americans from getting jobs, an education or the right to vote.
THE REFORMATORY is mostly told from the perspective of 12 year old, Robert Stephens, Jr. He's been sentenced to 6 months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a segregated reform school, after striking the son of a wealthy landowner, who had been making unwanted advances on Robbie's sister, Gloria.
Tananarive Due masterfully balances the brutality experienced by the children at this "school" with the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. In all the ugly, there was always hope - which is what kept me racing through these pages, hope that Robbie would be freed somehow - whether from Gloria's efforts on the outside or someone working at the school would finally have the courage to do the right thing. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
I adored the inclusion of so many great historical figures from this time period. I would encourage you to read Zora Neale Hurston's collection of non fiction essays, YOU DON'T KNOW US NEGROES AND OTHER ESSAYS, especially the one about the trial of Ruby McCallum, for some extra insight and enjoyment of this book.
For the audiobook lovers out there, the narrator for this book is Joniece Abbott-Pratt, and she was outstanding in her own right. The only way I can put it to words is to say she sounded like "home" to me.
I know you only see the star rating, but I use a rating system based on different elements that I then average out to determine stars. This is the highest rated book I've read in 2 years. In my opinion, it's near perfect.
A full non spoiler discussion regarding my experience with THE REFORMATORY will be coming soon on my BookTube Channel!
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Jennifer M.
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