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The Reformatory
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Horror (2023)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.
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.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2023
About the author
Tananarive Due
105 books4,419 followersTANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is the award-winning author of The Wishing Pool & Other Stories and the upcoming The Reformatory ("A masterpiece"--Library Journal). She and her husband, Steven Barnes, co-wrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. Due and Barnes co-host a podcast, "Lifewriting: Write for Your Life!"
A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She and her husband live with their son, Jason.
A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She and her husband live with their son, Jason.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,790 reviews
September 18, 2023
THE REFORMATORY may be one the most fd up book I've ever read. This is my first venture into Tananarive Due's storytelling but it will absolutely not be my last. THE REFORMATORY takes place in Florida during Jim Crow, so that alone should warn you about the triggers this book has. Racism, child abuse, massive amounts of racial slurs, severe violence, just to name some. Go into this book knowing that it'll be a lot for many readers to stomach.
THE REFORMATORY starts off in Gracetown, Florida in 1950 with 12 year old Robbie Stephens Jr and his sister Gloria. Robbie is sentences to six months at Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory school, after kicking the son of Red McCormick, a powerful landowner in town, after his son Lyle tried to make advances towards his sister. After Robbie is arrested and sentenced to spend six months at the reformatory, Gloria realizes that this is all a set up to destroy Robbie and her family and tries to act swiftly to save him. When Robbie arrives to the reformatory, he starts seeing the horrors that were rumored to be true. Robbie has the ability to see ghosts (or in this case, they're called haints) and sees the torture that these haints endured. It isn't long before Robbie sees these horrors firsthand.
I had a very big mix of emotions while reading this book. Yes, it's a ghost story, but the horror really came from Jim Crow South being portrayed so explicitly. WE CANNOT FORGET THIS HAPPENED IN THE UNITED STATES. Books like THE REFORMATORY are powerful reminders that we need to always need to remember and I'm sure Florida has already banned this book. As I mentioned above, this book has lots of triggers and in fact at times felt that it was tough for me to even read (I can read a lot of fd up stories). As I was reading, I told my husband in real time "this book is fd up!" That being said, the power from Tananarive's storytelling is bar none one of the strongest depictions of this horrendous time period in American history. I am shocked at how fast I read this book—at almost 600 pages, you may be intimidated by the length, but everything moves very fast and the author needed this amount of content to accurately characterize and strengthen the story. I'll never forget this book.
THE REFORMATORY starts off in Gracetown, Florida in 1950 with 12 year old Robbie Stephens Jr and his sister Gloria. Robbie is sentences to six months at Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory school, after kicking the son of Red McCormick, a powerful landowner in town, after his son Lyle tried to make advances towards his sister. After Robbie is arrested and sentenced to spend six months at the reformatory, Gloria realizes that this is all a set up to destroy Robbie and her family and tries to act swiftly to save him. When Robbie arrives to the reformatory, he starts seeing the horrors that were rumored to be true. Robbie has the ability to see ghosts (or in this case, they're called haints) and sees the torture that these haints endured. It isn't long before Robbie sees these horrors firsthand.
I had a very big mix of emotions while reading this book. Yes, it's a ghost story, but the horror really came from Jim Crow South being portrayed so explicitly. WE CANNOT FORGET THIS HAPPENED IN THE UNITED STATES. Books like THE REFORMATORY are powerful reminders that we need to always need to remember and I'm sure Florida has already banned this book. As I mentioned above, this book has lots of triggers and in fact at times felt that it was tough for me to even read (I can read a lot of fd up stories). As I was reading, I told my husband in real time "this book is fd up!" That being said, the power from Tananarive's storytelling is bar none one of the strongest depictions of this horrendous time period in American history. I am shocked at how fast I read this book—at almost 600 pages, you may be intimidated by the length, but everything moves very fast and the author needed this amount of content to accurately characterize and strengthen the story. I'll never forget this book.
February 14, 2024
Literally incredible. I’m honestly speechless.
November 26, 2023
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: The Between, Ghost Summer, The Good House, The Wishing Pool
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978198218...
Release Date: October 31, 2023
General Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror
Sub-Genre/Themes: coming-of-age, racism, social injustice, African Americans, trauma, siblings, family, ghosts (haints), hoodoo magic, segregation, small-town
Writing Style: Multiple POVs, Character-Driven, Suspenseful, Child narrator,
What You Need to Know: This book is inspired by true events (The Dozier School for Boys) “...grief is the reason it has taken me this long to write this book. But grief is also the reason it exists.”
Be prepared, emotionally, for a harrowing, heart-wrenching journey.
My Reading Experience: In the tradition of King’s Derry or Castle Rock, Due’s novel is set in Gracetown, her fictional small town in Florida that shows up in most of her novels and short stories. It’s 1950, Jim Crow-era. A young white man from an influential, prominent family puts hands on twelve-year-old Robert Stevens’ sister Gloria so he kicks him in the shin.
This action ultimately sends Robbie to The Reformatory, a “school” for boys that everyone knows is a prison sentence because of the school’s reputation. Some boys sent there never come home.
The book alternates between Robbie’s experience at the Reformatory and Gloria’s mission to advocate for her brother by any means necessary.
I’ve never read anything like it and I likely never will again. It is one of the most memorable reading experiences I’ve ever had.
I kept marveling at how the story was perfectly plotted and paced. Due hits every beat. Sometimes, the danger in a story having two timelines is that there’s usually a stronger one that I will invest in more, emotionally, so every time there’s a switch back to the weaker of the two, I feel a little disappointed.
Robbie’s experiences at The Reformatory are more intense and suspenseful, but Gloria’s journey to advocate for her brother is equally compelling. The characters that come alongside her or against her are vibrant and memorable. Both Robbie and Gloria run up against dangerous adversaries that drive up the stakes and they both find powerful allies that make your reader’s heart burn with complex emotions.
My heart felt like a wood-burning stove and every chapter fueled that fire until it was burning so hot, there were times I almost couldn’t read anymore–I was genuinely terrified to turn the page. The different sections have titles and some of the titles are like a neon sign of what’s to come–the danger that awaits.
I was thankful for my friend who already read it so I could message her during all the intense scenes–my emotions all flared up and tears in my eyes.
Books this good don’t come around all the time.
Not only is this the best Horror book of 2023, but it’s also one of the best books of all time, period. In any genre.
Final Recommendation: As soon as I read several chapters I knew it was special. A masterpiece. It’s perfect in every way imaginable leaving nothing to be desired. Crafted with a remarkable gift of storytelling perfected over time and Due’s personal connection to the story, The Reformatory stands with the best of the best–right next to King’s IT as iconic coming-of-age horror.
Quintessential horror not to be missed.
Comps: The Nickle Boys by Colson Whitehead (I haven’t read this one yet), The Bone Weaver’s Orchard by Sarah Read, When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen, These Bones by Kayla Chenault (on my TBR)
Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: The Between, Ghost Summer, The Good House, The Wishing Pool
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978198218...
Release Date: October 31, 2023
General Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror
Sub-Genre/Themes: coming-of-age, racism, social injustice, African Americans, trauma, siblings, family, ghosts (haints), hoodoo magic, segregation, small-town
Writing Style: Multiple POVs, Character-Driven, Suspenseful, Child narrator,
What You Need to Know: This book is inspired by true events (The Dozier School for Boys) “...grief is the reason it has taken me this long to write this book. But grief is also the reason it exists.”
Be prepared, emotionally, for a harrowing, heart-wrenching journey.
My Reading Experience: In the tradition of King’s Derry or Castle Rock, Due’s novel is set in Gracetown, her fictional small town in Florida that shows up in most of her novels and short stories. It’s 1950, Jim Crow-era. A young white man from an influential, prominent family puts hands on twelve-year-old Robert Stevens’ sister Gloria so he kicks him in the shin.
This action ultimately sends Robbie to The Reformatory, a “school” for boys that everyone knows is a prison sentence because of the school’s reputation. Some boys sent there never come home.
The book alternates between Robbie’s experience at the Reformatory and Gloria’s mission to advocate for her brother by any means necessary.
I’ve never read anything like it and I likely never will again. It is one of the most memorable reading experiences I’ve ever had.
I kept marveling at how the story was perfectly plotted and paced. Due hits every beat. Sometimes, the danger in a story having two timelines is that there’s usually a stronger one that I will invest in more, emotionally, so every time there’s a switch back to the weaker of the two, I feel a little disappointed.
Robbie’s experiences at The Reformatory are more intense and suspenseful, but Gloria’s journey to advocate for her brother is equally compelling. The characters that come alongside her or against her are vibrant and memorable. Both Robbie and Gloria run up against dangerous adversaries that drive up the stakes and they both find powerful allies that make your reader’s heart burn with complex emotions.
My heart felt like a wood-burning stove and every chapter fueled that fire until it was burning so hot, there were times I almost couldn’t read anymore–I was genuinely terrified to turn the page. The different sections have titles and some of the titles are like a neon sign of what’s to come–the danger that awaits.
I was thankful for my friend who already read it so I could message her during all the intense scenes–my emotions all flared up and tears in my eyes.
Books this good don’t come around all the time.
Not only is this the best Horror book of 2023, but it’s also one of the best books of all time, period. In any genre.
Final Recommendation: As soon as I read several chapters I knew it was special. A masterpiece. It’s perfect in every way imaginable leaving nothing to be desired. Crafted with a remarkable gift of storytelling perfected over time and Due’s personal connection to the story, The Reformatory stands with the best of the best–right next to King’s IT as iconic coming-of-age horror.
Quintessential horror not to be missed.
Comps: The Nickle Boys by Colson Whitehead (I haven’t read this one yet), The Bone Weaver’s Orchard by Sarah Read, When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen, These Bones by Kayla Chenault (on my TBR)
April 28, 2024
Absolutely stunning
Possibly my book of the year
I'm not sure I can find the words to describe reading this book. Horrifying and heartwarming in equal measures
It reminded me of reading to kill a mockingbird and how angry I was that this probably happened and is still happening (racism not haints)
Possibly my book of the year
I'm not sure I can find the words to describe reading this book. Horrifying and heartwarming in equal measures
It reminded me of reading to kill a mockingbird and how angry I was that this probably happened and is still happening (racism not haints)
February 6, 2024
**Many thanks to Edelweiss, Gallery/Scout, and Tananarive Due for a DRC of this book! Now available as of 10.31!!**
"The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends on the oppression of others, that for some to have good lives there must be others whose lives are truncated and brutal."- Dorothy Allison
The Reformatory: the sort of reform school that makes Miss Trunchbull's Crunchem Hall look like an amusement park. The year is 1950, and Gracetown School for Boys is the name of the reform school. Despite its 'angelic' sounding name, it is home to unspeakable brutality and terrifying horror. As is the norm, the school is segregated, and the ugliness of the Jim Crow south is in full force.
Robbie and Gloria's father has been forced to stay in Chicago after being accused of raping a white woman, and the two kids are trying to get by on their own in Florida without him and their mother, who has passed away. Robbie is incredibly protective of his sister, so when the son of a white wealthy landowner makes an unwanted pass at her, Robbie doesn't hesitate and clocks the jerk in the jaw. Though he and others implore the judge to spare him, he is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School.
When Robbie arrives, he makes fast friends with two of the other residents of the school, Redbone and Blue, and learns the TRUE punishments: everything from whipping to rape to torture is on the table. The trio try to band together to stay out of the 'Fun House' (where the worst atrocities take place) and Robbie discovers that a special gift he has always had could spare him. He has always been able to sense 'haints' (ghosts) and apparently the Gracetown School is rife with spirits. The warden sees Robbie as his sort of golden goose who can rid the property of the vengeful spirits of boys and others who have lost their lives on this very spot. But can Robbie trust his two pals to help him in his quest...and not leave him hanging? Can Gloria and his other friends on the outside (with the help of lawyers) shorten or end his sentence entirely? Or will the angry ghosts seize this opportunity to add one more soul to their haunted, vengeful ranks?
I can't say that I've ever read a book I'd classify both as a verifiable horror book AND an authentic historical fiction before grabbing this one...and my first question after finishing this one was "Why did I wait SO LONG?" This book works effectively and efficiently on BOTH levels, and that in and of itself is quite a feat. At over 500 pages (!) I figured it would probably take me at LEAST a week to get through, but Due kept the narrative moving at just a steady enough pace to keep me invested from beginning to end, with equal parts Gloria and Robbie. I also appreciated that there was no dual timeline to deal with, like a rehashing of Robbie's dad and his mother's past, for example. SO many other historical fiction authors have a tendency to throw in so much extraneous detail, and even during the slightly slower portions of the book, Due never resorted to an exhaustive retelling of the family's past or too much emphasis on side characters that weren't important to the plot.
And then there's the horror angle. The haints in this one were spooks through and through...the kind that have you looking over your shoulder and give you that uneasy chill down your spine. Robbie had the perfect amount of interaction with them and there was enough mystery surrounding the entire situation to keep me guessing. And to my twist loving horror/thriller friends---there is one WHOPPER of a twist that had my mouth hanging open for a SOLID minute or so! Not only did I not predict it, but in a book like this I wasn't even expecting to have my mind blown. If you're going to only have one twist, make it count...and Due DEFINITELY did.
This book also manages to weave in truth: the story is based on the Florida’s Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys and the conditions there, and this reality is the most horrific aspect of this book, period. The fact that so many suffered in these circumstances is a brutal reality, and is far more terrifying than any 'haint' could be, in any context. The allegorical subtext shines throughout the novel, but never overtakes the narrative itself.
Although the third act of the book started to drag a bit for me when it came to Robbie's potential for escape (and you're going to have to read to find out whether or not he makes it out!), the ending itself was the perfect finale and gives you as a reader what you need to hear about the future of this family, while still leaving room for you to fill in the blanks.
The Reformatory is a dark, emotional, scary, powerful and thrilling read...and if you take anything at all from this review?
You should absolutely give Tananarive Due...her due.
😉
4 stars
Nominated for Best Horror in the Goodreads Choice Awards!
"The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends on the oppression of others, that for some to have good lives there must be others whose lives are truncated and brutal."- Dorothy Allison
The Reformatory: the sort of reform school that makes Miss Trunchbull's Crunchem Hall look like an amusement park. The year is 1950, and Gracetown School for Boys is the name of the reform school. Despite its 'angelic' sounding name, it is home to unspeakable brutality and terrifying horror. As is the norm, the school is segregated, and the ugliness of the Jim Crow south is in full force.
Robbie and Gloria's father has been forced to stay in Chicago after being accused of raping a white woman, and the two kids are trying to get by on their own in Florida without him and their mother, who has passed away. Robbie is incredibly protective of his sister, so when the son of a white wealthy landowner makes an unwanted pass at her, Robbie doesn't hesitate and clocks the jerk in the jaw. Though he and others implore the judge to spare him, he is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School.
When Robbie arrives, he makes fast friends with two of the other residents of the school, Redbone and Blue, and learns the TRUE punishments: everything from whipping to rape to torture is on the table. The trio try to band together to stay out of the 'Fun House' (where the worst atrocities take place) and Robbie discovers that a special gift he has always had could spare him. He has always been able to sense 'haints' (ghosts) and apparently the Gracetown School is rife with spirits. The warden sees Robbie as his sort of golden goose who can rid the property of the vengeful spirits of boys and others who have lost their lives on this very spot. But can Robbie trust his two pals to help him in his quest...and not leave him hanging? Can Gloria and his other friends on the outside (with the help of lawyers) shorten or end his sentence entirely? Or will the angry ghosts seize this opportunity to add one more soul to their haunted, vengeful ranks?
I can't say that I've ever read a book I'd classify both as a verifiable horror book AND an authentic historical fiction before grabbing this one...and my first question after finishing this one was "Why did I wait SO LONG?" This book works effectively and efficiently on BOTH levels, and that in and of itself is quite a feat. At over 500 pages (!) I figured it would probably take me at LEAST a week to get through, but Due kept the narrative moving at just a steady enough pace to keep me invested from beginning to end, with equal parts Gloria and Robbie. I also appreciated that there was no dual timeline to deal with, like a rehashing of Robbie's dad and his mother's past, for example. SO many other historical fiction authors have a tendency to throw in so much extraneous detail, and even during the slightly slower portions of the book, Due never resorted to an exhaustive retelling of the family's past or too much emphasis on side characters that weren't important to the plot.
And then there's the horror angle. The haints in this one were spooks through and through...the kind that have you looking over your shoulder and give you that uneasy chill down your spine. Robbie had the perfect amount of interaction with them and there was enough mystery surrounding the entire situation to keep me guessing. And to my twist loving horror/thriller friends---there is one WHOPPER of a twist that had my mouth hanging open for a SOLID minute or so! Not only did I not predict it, but in a book like this I wasn't even expecting to have my mind blown. If you're going to only have one twist, make it count...and Due DEFINITELY did.
This book also manages to weave in truth: the story is based on the Florida’s Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys and the conditions there, and this reality is the most horrific aspect of this book, period. The fact that so many suffered in these circumstances is a brutal reality, and is far more terrifying than any 'haint' could be, in any context. The allegorical subtext shines throughout the novel, but never overtakes the narrative itself.
Although the third act of the book started to drag a bit for me when it came to Robbie's potential for escape (and you're going to have to read to find out whether or not he makes it out!), the ending itself was the perfect finale and gives you as a reader what you need to hear about the future of this family, while still leaving room for you to fill in the blanks.
The Reformatory is a dark, emotional, scary, powerful and thrilling read...and if you take anything at all from this review?
You should absolutely give Tananarive Due...her due.
😉
4 stars
Nominated for Best Horror in the Goodreads Choice Awards!
February 29, 2024
Heartbreaking, devastating, and horrifying - yet also, somehow, hopeful. This was one of the best books I read in 2023.
The Reformatory is incredibly engaging, with well-drawn characters that make you root for them and worry for their safety from the first page. Robbie and Gloria were fantastic protagonists, and all I wanted was for them to be safe and together. Due doesn't shy away from the horrors of prisons for children masquerading as boarding schools, nor does she shy away from the realities of life in the South for Black people during the Jim Crow era.
While there is a supernatural element to this story, it is not the haints who are the true villains - it is humanity, the depravity of people who value power over other's lives, people who get pleasure from other's pain and suffering, and not just the evil among us - as Due states in the author's note, "The Reformatory has a central villain, but the actual villain is a system of dehumanization." While there are certainly truly villainous characters in his novel, and there are people in history who were horrible human beings who hurt people and are not without responsibility for what they've done, the true villain is the system of dehumanization that upholds a culture of violence. We even have a haunting moment in the novel where the villain thinks about how he would never have treated his dog the way he treated the boys at The Reformatory. It's devastating to think about the systemic dehumanization of groups of people, allowing not only truly monstrous human beings to perpetrate violence freely without punishment but also otherwise average people, people who do horrible things because society has brainwashed them into believing that certain people don't deserve as much respect as others, that some lives don't mean as much as others, aren't worth as much as others. And this isn't something that only happened historically, it's happening right now. There are groups of people who are so viciously dehumanized that their pain is not worth as much as others' pain; their deaths don't matter as much as other people's deaths; their lives don't have the same value as other lives, and it's heartbreaking watching it continue to happen. This book feels very timely in that aspect - bystanders and regular people are as much to blame for these systems of abuse and oppression as the sadistic monsters revelling in the power they give them over others.
An exhausting, gruelling, intense, and terrifying journey that moved me to tears more than once, The Reformatory will stay with me for a very long time.
Watch me read and review this book (& other nominees in the horror category) here: https://youtu.be/dVOamSxBvnk
Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, racial slurs, sexual harassment, sexual assault, antisemitism, fire death, child abuse, pedophilia, child pornography, murder, child and infant murder, torture, parental abandonment, bullying
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | TikTok
You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
The Reformatory is incredibly engaging, with well-drawn characters that make you root for them and worry for their safety from the first page. Robbie and Gloria were fantastic protagonists, and all I wanted was for them to be safe and together. Due doesn't shy away from the horrors of prisons for children masquerading as boarding schools, nor does she shy away from the realities of life in the South for Black people during the Jim Crow era.
While there is a supernatural element to this story, it is not the haints who are the true villains - it is humanity, the depravity of people who value power over other's lives, people who get pleasure from other's pain and suffering, and not just the evil among us - as Due states in the author's note, "The Reformatory has a central villain, but the actual villain is a system of dehumanization." While there are certainly truly villainous characters in his novel, and there are people in history who were horrible human beings who hurt people and are not without responsibility for what they've done, the true villain is the system of dehumanization that upholds a culture of violence. We even have a haunting moment in the novel where the villain thinks about how he would never have treated his dog the way he treated the boys at The Reformatory. It's devastating to think about the systemic dehumanization of groups of people, allowing not only truly monstrous human beings to perpetrate violence freely without punishment but also otherwise average people, people who do horrible things because society has brainwashed them into believing that certain people don't deserve as much respect as others, that some lives don't mean as much as others, aren't worth as much as others. And this isn't something that only happened historically, it's happening right now. There are groups of people who are so viciously dehumanized that their pain is not worth as much as others' pain; their deaths don't matter as much as other people's deaths; their lives don't have the same value as other lives, and it's heartbreaking watching it continue to happen. This book feels very timely in that aspect - bystanders and regular people are as much to blame for these systems of abuse and oppression as the sadistic monsters revelling in the power they give them over others.
An exhausting, gruelling, intense, and terrifying journey that moved me to tears more than once, The Reformatory will stay with me for a very long time.
Watch me read and review this book (& other nominees in the horror category) here: https://youtu.be/dVOamSxBvnk
Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, racial slurs, sexual harassment, sexual assault, antisemitism, fire death, child abuse, pedophilia, child pornography, murder, child and infant murder, torture, parental abandonment, bullying
You can find me on...
Youtube | Instagram | TikTok
You can join our book club over on Patreon...
PBB Book Club
December 12, 2023
The Reformatory is magnificent; historical fiction at its finest. Tananarive Due is a master of horror, but this goes way beyond what I have ever read by her. A personal story of her real life great uncle Robert Stephen's death at fifteen was her inspiration. He had been sent to The Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida. His murder there was Due's impetus for a retelling of the actual horror made by the white men who ran the school and the dead boys who haunted them.
The fictional account goes back and forth between Robert's story, who is twelve in this version, and his sister Gloria, his teenaged sister, who takes care of him after their mom died of cancer and their dad fled to Chicago. Their dad had to leave because the law and the Klan in Florida were after him. A stupid encounter with a white teen, who likes Gloria, sends Robert to the Reformatory, a hell here on earth for white and especially for the black boys sent there. Gloria and Robert have a strength and tenacity beyond their years and an ability to commune with the dead that will help them when they have no one left to turn to.
The fictional account goes back and forth between Robert's story, who is twelve in this version, and his sister Gloria, his teenaged sister, who takes care of him after their mom died of cancer and their dad fled to Chicago. Their dad had to leave because the law and the Klan in Florida were after him. A stupid encounter with a white teen, who likes Gloria, sends Robert to the Reformatory, a hell here on earth for white and especially for the black boys sent there. Gloria and Robert have a strength and tenacity beyond their years and an ability to commune with the dead that will help them when they have no one left to turn to.
November 9, 2023
I’m so conflicted about this one because I wanted to love it so much and there were parts that I definitely did. From the moment I saw the cover and read the synopsis I was so looking forward to reading it. The setting is impeccably crafted. And I really enjoyed the supernatural elements. It’s quite an emotional read, as the characters and community have so many injustices and travesties to overcome. My biggest issue with this story is the pacing. It is a long book (576 pages) and I just didn’t feel like it really needed to be. I enjoyed Robbie’s storyline much more so than Gloria’s. Honestly, for the majority of the book Gloria’s parts felt really unnecessary to the plot as a whole. I think if the majority of her chapters had been cut from the book, it would have greatly improved my reading experience. The things that Robbie and the other boys have endured and are still enduring are truly terrible and heart-wrenching. But much of this book really dragged for me, it was very slow. I just think the story would have been a much more impactful read for me if I hadn’t felt as bogged down and bored for so much of it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my feedback. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my feedback. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
March 2, 2024
This story was an incredible ride. I had forgotten how evil the old South could be. My heart just broke with the way they treated Robert. He is sent to Reformatory School for a justified kick to the knee of bully. Being a child is tough enough but having racial oppression shaping your life is not only wrong but a travesty.
Robert had the gift of seeing and communicating with the “Haints”. I could not figure out initially whether to cheer or fear the “haints” until toward the end of the book.
His older sister has the gift of visions of the future. She and her Godmother fight hard to get Robert released from the Reformatory but again they are beaten back with prejudice. Gloria and Robert’s father was a big advocate against injustice, spending time organizing meetings, helping people stand up for themselves. This reputation caused even more pain for little Robert’s predicament. The father barely escapes to Chicago and is still sought by authorities after being falsely accused of a crime.
I had to put this book down several times to catch my breath and calm the anger that was consuming me. I do not see how anyone can read this book without torn feelings.
The ending made the anguish, caused by the events Robbie had to go through, more tolerable but still it left a residue of aching in my heart. This novel is a must read but it is not for the faint of heart.
Robert had the gift of seeing and communicating with the “Haints”. I could not figure out initially whether to cheer or fear the “haints” until toward the end of the book.
His older sister has the gift of visions of the future. She and her Godmother fight hard to get Robert released from the Reformatory but again they are beaten back with prejudice. Gloria and Robert’s father was a big advocate against injustice, spending time organizing meetings, helping people stand up for themselves. This reputation caused even more pain for little Robert’s predicament. The father barely escapes to Chicago and is still sought by authorities after being falsely accused of a crime.
I had to put this book down several times to catch my breath and calm the anger that was consuming me. I do not see how anyone can read this book without torn feelings.
The ending made the anguish, caused by the events Robbie had to go through, more tolerable but still it left a residue of aching in my heart. This novel is a must read but it is not for the faint of heart.
February 19, 2024
This was truly a masterpiece
I am TELLING YOU NOW... This book will most definitely be in my Top 5 book of 2024, without a shadow of doubt.
I am in such awe and disbelief with how much this book captivated me. This is one of those unputdownable books, that when it was time to put it down, I literally had to switch to audiobook format because I couldn't part away from the story. (The audiobook by the way is PHENONMENAL).
I spent a good chunk of the book big puddle crying and holding my chest, because I genuinely could feel my heart breaking for Robbie, Gloria and the boys in The Reformatory.
I could picture EVERYTHING! Tananarive writes in such an effortless way that the book really comes alive in your head. A movie adaptation must surely be granted for this novel.
This is a LONG book but I promise you the premise starts immediately and doesn't slow down till the very last page.
You will go through the 5 stages of grief and it really will leave its mark on you.
I am triggered.
INFINITY STARS♾️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐♾️
I am TELLING YOU NOW... This book will most definitely be in my Top 5 book of 2024, without a shadow of doubt.
I am in such awe and disbelief with how much this book captivated me. This is one of those unputdownable books, that when it was time to put it down, I literally had to switch to audiobook format because I couldn't part away from the story. (The audiobook by the way is PHENONMENAL).
I spent a good chunk of the book big puddle crying and holding my chest, because I genuinely could feel my heart breaking for Robbie, Gloria and the boys in The Reformatory.
I could picture EVERYTHING! Tananarive writes in such an effortless way that the book really comes alive in your head. A movie adaptation must surely be granted for this novel.
This is a LONG book but I promise you the premise starts immediately and doesn't slow down till the very last page.
You will go through the 5 stages of grief and it really will leave its mark on you.
I am triggered.
INFINITY STARS♾️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐♾️
January 4, 2024
It is wonderful to see Tananarive Due quickly becoming a household name for the horror reader – she deserves it. The Reformatory, which is based on the events of the Dozier School for Boys and follows little Robert Stephens unjustly landing in this hell, as well as his sister Gloria's sturdy efforts to get him out of there, is just further proof of her writing talent and narrative aptitude.
Due does everything right in this utterly moving book.
Due does everything right in this utterly moving book.
January 7, 2024
“Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.” - Stephen King
Gracetown, Florida -June 1950
The true horror of this book is what happens at the Gracetown School for Boys, a Reformatory where terror await. A place where twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced after defending his sister, Gloria, from the son of a wealthy man in town. Robbie has seen haints (ghosts) throughout his young life. Seeing them never bothered him until he arrived at the reformatory, a place where boys were worked hard, and sent to the 'funhouse' for breaking the "rules" and sometimes disappeared. Robbie is scared and lonely when he arrives, but soon makes friends with Redbone and Blue. They tell him how to survive and follow the rules. Haints are present at the reformatory, but the true horror lies with the leadership. The horrors endured are horrific, brutal, and sadistic.
Gloria tries her best to get Robbie out of the school for boys. She is desperate to help her brother get out of the notorious reformatory. She is courageous and tenacious. She is determined to never give up until her brother is free.
Descriptive, well written, atmospheric, haunting, and gripping. The Reformatory is the perfect blending of historical fiction and horror. There is a sense of foreboding and unease flowing throughout the book.
I listened to the audiobook and Tananarive Due's writing along with the narrator depicted the fear and desperation of the characters who are up against power, evil, inhumanity, and viciousness. I worried for both Gloria and Robbie throughout the book. I was on the edge of my seat fearing the worst but holding onto hope as they were both coming up against the worst the Jim Crow South had to offer. I found this book to be gripping, heart wrenching and well written.
*The author had a relative who was in the infamous Florida Dozier School for boys.
Gripping, haunting, and hard to read at times.
Gracetown, Florida -June 1950
The true horror of this book is what happens at the Gracetown School for Boys, a Reformatory where terror await. A place where twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced after defending his sister, Gloria, from the son of a wealthy man in town. Robbie has seen haints (ghosts) throughout his young life. Seeing them never bothered him until he arrived at the reformatory, a place where boys were worked hard, and sent to the 'funhouse' for breaking the "rules" and sometimes disappeared. Robbie is scared and lonely when he arrives, but soon makes friends with Redbone and Blue. They tell him how to survive and follow the rules. Haints are present at the reformatory, but the true horror lies with the leadership. The horrors endured are horrific, brutal, and sadistic.
Gloria tries her best to get Robbie out of the school for boys. She is desperate to help her brother get out of the notorious reformatory. She is courageous and tenacious. She is determined to never give up until her brother is free.
Descriptive, well written, atmospheric, haunting, and gripping. The Reformatory is the perfect blending of historical fiction and horror. There is a sense of foreboding and unease flowing throughout the book.
I listened to the audiobook and Tananarive Due's writing along with the narrator depicted the fear and desperation of the characters who are up against power, evil, inhumanity, and viciousness. I worried for both Gloria and Robbie throughout the book. I was on the edge of my seat fearing the worst but holding onto hope as they were both coming up against the worst the Jim Crow South had to offer. I found this book to be gripping, heart wrenching and well written.
*The author had a relative who was in the infamous Florida Dozier School for boys.
Gripping, haunting, and hard to read at times.
December 8, 2023
EXCUSE ME WHAT???? THIS WAS SO GOOD. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2023
August 19, 2024
I was tempted to give this no rating because 6 stars wasn’t an option. I’m gonna let myself sleep on it but I can safely say this is my favorite book of the year (MAYBEEEE of all time) this is a masterpiece
May 2, 2024
Per usual I put a hold at the library for Tananarive Due’s newest release without knowing anything about it. I previously read and really dug The Between, so it was a no-brainer. And let me tell you – this one????
Twelve year old Robbie attempts to defend his sister’s honor after witnessing the neighbor kid trying to get fresh with her, but that is simply something that is not done by a black kid in the South when said neighbor is not only white, but also from a family who kind of owns the town. Robbie finds himself sent to The Reformatory – known for not only its brutality, but also its haints. As Robbie’s sister tries to devise a plan to get Robbie out, he is simply trying to survive.
I don’t have any words for this other than read it. Every Star.
Twelve year old Robbie attempts to defend his sister’s honor after witnessing the neighbor kid trying to get fresh with her, but that is simply something that is not done by a black kid in the South when said neighbor is not only white, but also from a family who kind of owns the town. Robbie finds himself sent to The Reformatory – known for not only its brutality, but also its haints. As Robbie’s sister tries to devise a plan to get Robbie out, he is simply trying to survive.
I don’t have any words for this other than read it. Every Star.
March 2, 2024
I said I was going to diversify my genres and I’m so glad I did it with this Historical/Horror Fiction masterpiece. This story was one of the most heartbreaking and devastating stories I’ve ever read. The writing in this was chefs kiss especially when it comes to describing Jim Crow era times. The characters were so well written too Robbie and Gloria will always be thought about.
I’m writing this at midnight so I’m sure I’m missing something but wow, this was phenomenal.
I’m writing this at midnight so I’m sure I’m missing something but wow, this was phenomenal.
January 20, 2024
The worst of the worst of the worst.
This was hard to read, but harder still to put down. Imagine The Nickel Boys meets The Sixth Sense . . .
1950's Florida was not a safe place to live if you were black. The Klan ran wild, and law enforcement did not stand in their way.
For the most minor of infractions. twelve-year-old Robbie is sent to a reputedly haunted reformatory.
"This school is stinking with haints."
Sadly, Robbie quickly discovers that,
"There's worse things to worry about than haints. Way worse."
Meanwhile, his older sister Gloria works tirelessly to get Robbie released. But time may be running out as he finds he can't please both the living . . . and the dead.
What a tense, mesmerizing read, and undoubtedly one of the best books of this or any year.
This was hard to read, but harder still to put down. Imagine The Nickel Boys meets The Sixth Sense . . .
1950's Florida was not a safe place to live if you were black. The Klan ran wild, and law enforcement did not stand in their way.
For the most minor of infractions. twelve-year-old Robbie is sent to a reputedly haunted reformatory.
"This school is stinking with haints."
Sadly, Robbie quickly discovers that,
"There's worse things to worry about than haints. Way worse."
Meanwhile, his older sister Gloria works tirelessly to get Robbie released. But time may be running out as he finds he can't please both the living . . . and the dead.
What a tense, mesmerizing read, and undoubtedly one of the best books of this or any year.
November 13, 2023
“Florida’s soil is soaked with so much blood, it’s a wonder the droplets don’t seep between your toes with every step, Mama used to say.”
I had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Tananarive Due days before this masterpiece hit bookstore shelves, and I have to tell you, it made my reading experience all the more special after having listened to her go into detail about how important this book was for her to write. Due spent 10 long years working on The Reformatory (give this woman her flowers) and readers will sense the blood, sweat, tears and heart that went into every page.
Inspired by real events as well as her personal family history with the Civil Rights movement, Due introduces readers to two protagonists—Robbie, a young Black boy who is sent to a segregated reform school after getting into an altercation with a white boy, and Gloria, the older sister who is working desperately to have her brother set free. This book is a genre-blend of social horror, southern gothic and historical fiction, meaning our heroes’ battles are with evils both human and supernatural.
While captivating in its storytelling, this will be a heavy book for readers to push through as Due herself said it might be her darkest story written—many of the awful things experienced in this book are happening to young Black boys in the Jim Crow South. Systemic racism, the separation of Black families, and the incarceration and abuse of Black men are all prevalent. There were so many moments that had me feeling tense with anxiety for the characters. You will encounter ghosts and hauntings in these pages, but you will also be confronted with human monsters enacting violence and justifying hate. (Be prepared for triggers.) But know that this book masterfully balances the fear, cruelty, heartache, and anger with retribution, resilience and hope.
I loved it as I have loved all of Tananarive Due’s books and it’s simple for me as a reader and fan to say The Reformatory is a triumph. If you’re a lover of multi-perspective storytelling, haunting histories, and books inspired by real events, this book should be on your shelves.
I had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Tananarive Due days before this masterpiece hit bookstore shelves, and I have to tell you, it made my reading experience all the more special after having listened to her go into detail about how important this book was for her to write. Due spent 10 long years working on The Reformatory (give this woman her flowers) and readers will sense the blood, sweat, tears and heart that went into every page.
Inspired by real events as well as her personal family history with the Civil Rights movement, Due introduces readers to two protagonists—Robbie, a young Black boy who is sent to a segregated reform school after getting into an altercation with a white boy, and Gloria, the older sister who is working desperately to have her brother set free. This book is a genre-blend of social horror, southern gothic and historical fiction, meaning our heroes’ battles are with evils both human and supernatural.
While captivating in its storytelling, this will be a heavy book for readers to push through as Due herself said it might be her darkest story written—many of the awful things experienced in this book are happening to young Black boys in the Jim Crow South. Systemic racism, the separation of Black families, and the incarceration and abuse of Black men are all prevalent. There were so many moments that had me feeling tense with anxiety for the characters. You will encounter ghosts and hauntings in these pages, but you will also be confronted with human monsters enacting violence and justifying hate. (Be prepared for triggers.) But know that this book masterfully balances the fear, cruelty, heartache, and anger with retribution, resilience and hope.
I loved it as I have loved all of Tananarive Due’s books and it’s simple for me as a reader and fan to say The Reformatory is a triumph. If you’re a lover of multi-perspective storytelling, haunting histories, and books inspired by real events, this book should be on your shelves.
March 17, 2024
GOD TIER - Definitely check trigger warnings.
Full Review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRTjLVuC/
Full Review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRTjLVuC/
January 3, 2024
While reading, this thought continually returned to me, “1950 was not so long ago.” The Reformatory is based on actual history, and I know that is why the thought was so strong. Tananarive Due wrote from a deep, personal connection to this history – if you read the book, you can follow her thoughts in the afterward: why she took additional time to write, or how a character's plight tied directly to her own family history and name. It is certainly a remembrance. I say that not meaning she could possibly forget what she had learned, but that the children of these reformatory “schools” will not be forgotten. Like Gracetown School for Boys (based on the Dozier School in Florida), children were beaten, buried and covered over – so they could not be remembered.
It sounds weighty, and how could it not? But what I love about an author like Due, and fiction created from truth, is finding hope in the hardest of places. The character of Robbie finds this hope in the expected places: friendship, a sister's love, and he also finds it an unexpected place: the supernatural. The author shapes a beautiful balance between these two worlds by blending them. I thought it gave the book a unique and poignant take on Robbie's character and his plight. This supernatural side became real to me as the reader, and I realized that this side of the story, a huge portion of that hope and poignancy inherent to this book would be missing.
It sounds weighty, and how could it not? But what I love about an author like Due, and fiction created from truth, is finding hope in the hardest of places. The character of Robbie finds this hope in the expected places: friendship, a sister's love, and he also finds it an unexpected place: the supernatural. The author shapes a beautiful balance between these two worlds by blending them. I thought it gave the book a unique and poignant take on Robbie's character and his plight. This supernatural side became real to me as the reader, and I realized that this side of the story, a huge portion of that hope and poignancy inherent to this book would be missing.
October 28, 2023
THE REFORMATORY is a tale that blends American history, racism, ghost stories, and phenomenal writing and results in a heartbreaking story that is unfortunately mostly true.
Robbie and his older sister Gloria are walking one day, not long after the death of their mother. On their walk they run into the son of one of the most powerful, (white), men in their Florida town. The boy makes a move towards Gloria, and Robbie kicks him in the shin. Before you know it, Robbie is dragged before a judge and sentenced to 6 months at the reformatory. Robbie's life will never be the same. Robbie can see ghosts, you see, and the reformatory is full of them. (Though he calls them haints.) Will Robbie get out of the school/prison alive? Will the ghosts there leave Robbie alone? Will Gloria succeed in her strenuous efforts to get him released? You will have to read this to find out!
Based on the story of the Dozier School for Boys, this book is set in Florida and partially details the events that went on there that resulted in the death of dozens upon dozens of boys and young men. Boys in dryers, boys beaten to death, buried in the dead of night, and so on.
Tananarive Due takes all of this horrible truth and weaves into it a type of ghost story. Several ghost stories, in fact. I mean, just imagine how many ghosts there would be in a place like that. Robbie's story broke me many times over, but Gloria's story was also compelling. Her efforts to free her brother end up drawing attention to their family, even more attention than the fact that her father had to flee the area because he was trying to organize a union. Gloria's family isn't loved by the rich whites and businessmen of the area and these people make that fact known. Over and over again.
Due's writing is extraordinary. I couldn't be further away from such an experience, (being born white in the northeast), but she brought it home to me. I felt Gloria's and Robbie's feelings as if they were my own. Gloria's desperate fight to bring her brother home. Robbie's panic, fear and desperation when he sees the warden heading his way. I felt these emotions deep down in my very soul. This book left me shook. I'm still shook a week after finishing this haunting tale.
Other than the fact that I think this book was just a smidge too long, I enjoyed it for many reasons. These stories need to be told, these events have to be dragged out of the darkness and examined, lest we make the same mistakes in the future. (Though sometimes I wonder if we will EVER learn.) With racial hatred making a rise in this country yet again, (or maybe it never went away), books like this are important. The fact that it's so effortlessly weaved into a ghost story makes it more palatable for some, but I was drawn to it because of Due's writing. It's evocative, it's emotional and it's downright appalling.
As such, I highly recommend THE REFORMATORY. Just brace yourself because the picture it paints is not pretty. Available this Halloween, what a perfect date for this important, compelling tale!
*Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
Robbie and his older sister Gloria are walking one day, not long after the death of their mother. On their walk they run into the son of one of the most powerful, (white), men in their Florida town. The boy makes a move towards Gloria, and Robbie kicks him in the shin. Before you know it, Robbie is dragged before a judge and sentenced to 6 months at the reformatory. Robbie's life will never be the same. Robbie can see ghosts, you see, and the reformatory is full of them. (Though he calls them haints.) Will Robbie get out of the school/prison alive? Will the ghosts there leave Robbie alone? Will Gloria succeed in her strenuous efforts to get him released? You will have to read this to find out!
Based on the story of the Dozier School for Boys, this book is set in Florida and partially details the events that went on there that resulted in the death of dozens upon dozens of boys and young men. Boys in dryers, boys beaten to death, buried in the dead of night, and so on.
Tananarive Due takes all of this horrible truth and weaves into it a type of ghost story. Several ghost stories, in fact. I mean, just imagine how many ghosts there would be in a place like that. Robbie's story broke me many times over, but Gloria's story was also compelling. Her efforts to free her brother end up drawing attention to their family, even more attention than the fact that her father had to flee the area because he was trying to organize a union. Gloria's family isn't loved by the rich whites and businessmen of the area and these people make that fact known. Over and over again.
Due's writing is extraordinary. I couldn't be further away from such an experience, (being born white in the northeast), but she brought it home to me. I felt Gloria's and Robbie's feelings as if they were my own. Gloria's desperate fight to bring her brother home. Robbie's panic, fear and desperation when he sees the warden heading his way. I felt these emotions deep down in my very soul. This book left me shook. I'm still shook a week after finishing this haunting tale.
Other than the fact that I think this book was just a smidge too long, I enjoyed it for many reasons. These stories need to be told, these events have to be dragged out of the darkness and examined, lest we make the same mistakes in the future. (Though sometimes I wonder if we will EVER learn.) With racial hatred making a rise in this country yet again, (or maybe it never went away), books like this are important. The fact that it's so effortlessly weaved into a ghost story makes it more palatable for some, but I was drawn to it because of Due's writing. It's evocative, it's emotional and it's downright appalling.
As such, I highly recommend THE REFORMATORY. Just brace yourself because the picture it paints is not pretty. Available this Halloween, what a perfect date for this important, compelling tale!
*Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
November 25, 2023
A powerful work of historical fiction about a reform school in Florida run by a psychopath. What is done to the boys unfortunate enough to be sent there is horrifying to read about and even more so when one realizes it is based on facts that have been learned about the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida. The story kept me riveted but sometimes I had to close the book and walk away; it was that emotionally charged. Tananarive Due is one excellent storyteller. Stories like this reveal who we have been as a community, a nation, when places like this were allowed to exist and most people knew but turned away and did nothing.
A big thank you to author Stephen Graham Jones for recommending this book during a recent Illinois Libraries Present program.
A big thank you to author Stephen Graham Jones for recommending this book during a recent Illinois Libraries Present program.
March 20, 2024
Gripping, haunting, brilliant, heart wrenching and yet inspiring. This story set in post WW2 Jim Crow Florida about a reformatory for juvenile boys may be one of the most terrifying books I’ve read in a while. And the most frightening monsters aren’t the ghosts. Tananarive Due has crafted a *masterpiece* that brings us face to face with a shameful and disturbing past.
January 21, 2024
Incredible, gut-wrenching, riveting novel. I knew it would be good and it did not disappoint. The Reformatory is a horror novel about a boys reform school in Jim Crow era Florida, based on a lot of real history of things that went on at schools like this. It follows a 12 year old who is given six months at the Reformatory after kicking a white boy who made advances on his sister. Meanwhile she is doing everything she can to free him from this abusive institution haunted with the ghosts of boys who died there. The writing is top notch and emotionally intense with a narrative you can't look away from. I do appreciate though that some of the worst kinds of abuse are only alluded to and talked about rather than graphically depicted. Because what we do see graphically is bad enough, as is the information we get that makes it all too clear what else has been going on. Be prepared, but I cannot recommend this enough.
Content warnings include graphic physical and psychological abuse, racism and slurs, sexual harassment, references to sexual abuse, death.
Content warnings include graphic physical and psychological abuse, racism and slurs, sexual harassment, references to sexual abuse, death.
May 30, 2023
STAR review in June 2023 issue of Library Journal
Three Words That Describe This Book: engrossing, 360 degrees of fear, nuanced
Knew this book would be a star because I stopped taking notes and just read it. Every character is implicated in the racism of Jim Crow and really our country right now as well. She brilliantly does this but makes is effortless. The fear is there in the story but also, stays with you in the real world. Brilliant. This book is The Only Good Indians good.
Draft Review:
Jim Crow Florida, 1950 and Gloria and Robbie Stephens Jr, 16 and 12 respectively, are left behind after their mother dies from cancer and their activist father is forced to flee North to Chicago. Life is hard for every black person in the county, but for Gloria and Robbie, their presence reminds every white person, especially those with power, of their “troublemaker” father. When Robbie kicks a local white boy in the knee to protect his older sister, he is sentenced to 6 months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory with a notorious history. Told in the alternating perspectives of Gloria and Robbie, readers follow the action, set over 2 weeks, as Goria works to set Robbie free. The timeline may be short but the history of the horror that imprisons Robbie has a long tail and the ghosts who live on the school’s grounds are unwilling to wait for justice any longer. The writing here is spectacular, the pacing is engrossing, the setting heartbreaking but honest, and the characters, all of them, are allowed a nuance and depth rarely seen. This is Horror– a story where the fear actively surrounds its readers, purposefully crafted to be impossible to avoid and confronting it will require the reader to take a long, hard look at themselves.
Verdict: Due worked on this novel for 10 years, but it was worth the wait. A masterpiece of fiction in any genre, The Reformatory speaks to all situations where injustice occurs and compels its readers to act. For fans of Nickel Boys by Whitehead, The Trees by Everett, and The Only Good Indians by Jones.
Three Words That Describe This Book: engrossing, 360 degrees of fear, nuanced
Knew this book would be a star because I stopped taking notes and just read it. Every character is implicated in the racism of Jim Crow and really our country right now as well. She brilliantly does this but makes is effortless. The fear is there in the story but also, stays with you in the real world. Brilliant. This book is The Only Good Indians good.
Draft Review:
Jim Crow Florida, 1950 and Gloria and Robbie Stephens Jr, 16 and 12 respectively, are left behind after their mother dies from cancer and their activist father is forced to flee North to Chicago. Life is hard for every black person in the county, but for Gloria and Robbie, their presence reminds every white person, especially those with power, of their “troublemaker” father. When Robbie kicks a local white boy in the knee to protect his older sister, he is sentenced to 6 months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory with a notorious history. Told in the alternating perspectives of Gloria and Robbie, readers follow the action, set over 2 weeks, as Goria works to set Robbie free. The timeline may be short but the history of the horror that imprisons Robbie has a long tail and the ghosts who live on the school’s grounds are unwilling to wait for justice any longer. The writing here is spectacular, the pacing is engrossing, the setting heartbreaking but honest, and the characters, all of them, are allowed a nuance and depth rarely seen. This is Horror– a story where the fear actively surrounds its readers, purposefully crafted to be impossible to avoid and confronting it will require the reader to take a long, hard look at themselves.
Verdict: Due worked on this novel for 10 years, but it was worth the wait. A masterpiece of fiction in any genre, The Reformatory speaks to all situations where injustice occurs and compels its readers to act. For fans of Nickel Boys by Whitehead, The Trees by Everett, and The Only Good Indians by Jones.
December 11, 2023
Another 5⭐ Tananarive Due for me! The Between didn't quite work for me as well as The Good House, which is always in my list of fav horrors. This was a harrowing read (understatement of the year). A thick, slow paced book that you need to take your time with. You know those books that you don't wanna end because it's written so well? This was that for me. Many times I had whole body chills and my heart was racing along with the characters. And what fleshed out characters were they! A beautiful tribute to the children lost to dehumanized incarceration.
November 21, 2023
I would like to put a realistic perspective on some of the high ratings given Tananarive Due's book The
Reformatory. Although the book is gripping while taking place in Jim Crow era Florida, it is not without fault.
My first thought is that this book struggles to find its genre: Is it horror, historical fiction, or straight literary fiction? Yes, it matters. While life at a Southern reformatory during this time period was often horrific (The Nickel Boys), is that enough to put the book in the horror category? The author seems to suggest that it is not, injecting ghosts, or "haints" into the plot. In the horrific backdrop of the story, beatings, confinement, torture, rape, and murder, the ghost aspect cain't hold a candle to the real thing. It's simply not necessary. The ghost perspective detracts from the real horror which is man's inhumanity, the psychopathic need to seek personal enjoyment from the pain of others.
Most of the book is well-written. However, there are some information dumps. The author seems not able to resist showing off some of her research by referencing real people and the problems they faced and the fates that lay in store. It's not necessary. A few continuity problems are also apparent: follow the satchel from beginning to end. When did the main character have it? When didn't he? The Reformatory needed another brutal edit. It's too long. The author gleefully postpones the climax. I'm a patient reader, but I had to skim material to get to the parts that really mattered.
I read all of the book, but I would not read it again. And...I'm not sure I would recommend it to a friend.
Reformatory. Although the book is gripping while taking place in Jim Crow era Florida, it is not without fault.
My first thought is that this book struggles to find its genre: Is it horror, historical fiction, or straight literary fiction? Yes, it matters. While life at a Southern reformatory during this time period was often horrific (The Nickel Boys), is that enough to put the book in the horror category? The author seems to suggest that it is not, injecting ghosts, or "haints" into the plot. In the horrific backdrop of the story, beatings, confinement, torture, rape, and murder, the ghost aspect cain't hold a candle to the real thing. It's simply not necessary. The ghost perspective detracts from the real horror which is man's inhumanity, the psychopathic need to seek personal enjoyment from the pain of others.
Most of the book is well-written. However, there are some information dumps. The author seems not able to resist showing off some of her research by referencing real people and the problems they faced and the fates that lay in store. It's not necessary. A few continuity problems are also apparent: follow the satchel from beginning to end. When did the main character have it? When didn't he? The Reformatory needed another brutal edit. It's too long. The author gleefully postpones the climax. I'm a patient reader, but I had to skim material to get to the parts that really mattered.
I read all of the book, but I would not read it again. And...I'm not sure I would recommend it to a friend.
April 14, 2024
Heart-breaking ...
December 21, 2023
I'd like to lead a digital slow clap for Tananarive Due. She knows how to tell a story.
“Florida soil is soaked with so much blood, it’s a wonder the droplets don't seep between your toes with every step.”
This is only my second book by this author, but I think its safe to say that her genius is not necessarily in the details of sentence structure or wording, but in the crafting of the story as a whole. No. Her words individually are still poignant, but she's a big picture thinker and a natural storyteller. She knows how to describe characters in a way that makes us want to fight for them. She knows which scenes to sink into a little deeper, just to twist the knife and pull at our heartstrings. As the reader, your hand is held the entire way through, guiding you over every rock and crevasse, assuring your exact journey and experience. It is precise. It is intentional. And it is effective.
This novel has a higher page count than my normal read, but I was captivated throughout. I was rooting SO HARD for Gloria and Robert. There was a twist midway that I saw coming (intentional on the author's part in my opinion) which nevertheless was extremely satisfying. The moment I started to think my interest may be waning, we got a new POV and suddenly the story took on darker, and more disturbing meaning.
They say black history is black horror. This is just a peak into the ocean of horror so many have lived through. It's hard to reconcile that this is a horror story, but also just another story for someone, somewhere. Even if parts of it are fictionalized. Even if it's it's only inspired by real life. For some, horror IS life. And for reasons completely out of their control. The terror runs deep.
“Florida soil is soaked with so much blood, it’s a wonder the droplets don't seep between your toes with every step.”
This is only my second book by this author, but I think its safe to say that her genius is not necessarily in the details of sentence structure or wording, but in the crafting of the story as a whole. No. Her words individually are still poignant, but she's a big picture thinker and a natural storyteller. She knows how to describe characters in a way that makes us want to fight for them. She knows which scenes to sink into a little deeper, just to twist the knife and pull at our heartstrings. As the reader, your hand is held the entire way through, guiding you over every rock and crevasse, assuring your exact journey and experience. It is precise. It is intentional. And it is effective.
This novel has a higher page count than my normal read, but I was captivated throughout. I was rooting SO HARD for Gloria and Robert. There was a twist midway that I saw coming (intentional on the author's part in my opinion) which nevertheless was extremely satisfying. The moment I started to think my interest may be waning, we got a new POV and suddenly the story took on darker, and more disturbing meaning.
They say black history is black horror. This is just a peak into the ocean of horror so many have lived through. It's hard to reconcile that this is a horror story, but also just another story for someone, somewhere. Even if parts of it are fictionalized. Even if it's it's only inspired by real life. For some, horror IS life. And for reasons completely out of their control. The terror runs deep.
November 26, 2023
In the past I've started a few of my rambling reviews with: Let me tell you why I read.
This review may also get rambley, but alternatively I'm starting this one with:
These are not the reasons I read:
I don't care about an author's skin colour or gender.
I will not read a novel only because it addresses an important issue, or that it's extra special important as it's an "own voice" novel.
If this makes me sound like a selfish reader, well you're only partly right. I value my reading time highly and all I care about is good writing, great characters, and a good story.
I don't need to be preached to, because frankly you're preaching to the choir and any heavy-handedness will come across as contrived to me.
I know there are many readers out there who are conscientious about their reading lives. They have their reading bingo cards and for sure this novel will check at least three squares. Heck, Goodreads even has a Race genre tagged to it.
But to put Tananarive Due's latest novels into one of those squares targeting a person of colour, a female writer, a novel about race in America's South in the 50's, is an enormous disservice to her.
And I'm terribly afraid that my even mentioning this is an awful insult to her. But it happens. Podcasters talk about it all the time and I'm sure their hearts are in the right place about it. But man, it just seems so condescending.
Because Tananarive Due doesn't need it. She is one terrific writer who satisfied all of my selfish reader demands.
I don't even know where to go from here. Stream of consciousness writing coming up. This may get messy.
Tananarive Due (now that I know how to spell her name, it's fun to do.) wrote this novel based on an actual reform school in Florida in the 1950s, during the despicable Jim Crow era.
She writes this from the heart as her great-uncle was a prisoner (there is no other word for it) at the actual school and lost his life there at age 15.
The story follows Robert Stephens' experience as a 12 year old boy sentenced to six months for defending her sister with one kick to a white teen, and his family's efforts to get justice for him.
I could barely put the book down. Due is a terrific storyteller whose writing reminded me of Stephen King at his peak. There were some parts that were agony to get through and this is a testament to her skill as a writer. As a white Canadian man, it should go without saying that I couldn't possibly understand the black experience during the Jim Crow years. But in this novel I could feel it. I could feel white eyes on me as a black person and I have such a hard time accepting that. I don't think I'll ever shake it now. As a white man I can also say I can't for the life of me understand the hate these white people had, and the hate a lot of them still have to this day.
Anyway, I didn't mention the ghosts. There are ghosts in this story as well, and in a way that is totally acceptable to the story.
How can there not be ghosts with the amount of black blood soaked into Florida soil (paraphrasing her) and the lives lost at the Reformatory?
This was an exceptional read and the suspense of the last hundred pages or so drove me crazy.
I've had Tananarive Due on my reading list forever, for The Good House, which was ridiculously expensive for Kindle ($28 a few years ago!) and now that it is at a reasonable price I'll read that very soon. Although after reading The Reformatory, I'm less hesitant to pay a lot of money for her.
Heck, I have to read all of her books.
Five stars don't do it justice at all. Best book of the year.
This review may also get rambley, but alternatively I'm starting this one with:
These are not the reasons I read:
I don't care about an author's skin colour or gender.
I will not read a novel only because it addresses an important issue, or that it's extra special important as it's an "own voice" novel.
If this makes me sound like a selfish reader, well you're only partly right. I value my reading time highly and all I care about is good writing, great characters, and a good story.
I don't need to be preached to, because frankly you're preaching to the choir and any heavy-handedness will come across as contrived to me.
I know there are many readers out there who are conscientious about their reading lives. They have their reading bingo cards and for sure this novel will check at least three squares. Heck, Goodreads even has a Race genre tagged to it.
But to put Tananarive Due's latest novels into one of those squares targeting a person of colour, a female writer, a novel about race in America's South in the 50's, is an enormous disservice to her.
And I'm terribly afraid that my even mentioning this is an awful insult to her. But it happens. Podcasters talk about it all the time and I'm sure their hearts are in the right place about it. But man, it just seems so condescending.
Because Tananarive Due doesn't need it. She is one terrific writer who satisfied all of my selfish reader demands.
I don't even know where to go from here. Stream of consciousness writing coming up. This may get messy.
Tananarive Due (now that I know how to spell her name, it's fun to do.) wrote this novel based on an actual reform school in Florida in the 1950s, during the despicable Jim Crow era.
She writes this from the heart as her great-uncle was a prisoner (there is no other word for it) at the actual school and lost his life there at age 15.
The story follows Robert Stephens' experience as a 12 year old boy sentenced to six months for defending her sister with one kick to a white teen, and his family's efforts to get justice for him.
I could barely put the book down. Due is a terrific storyteller whose writing reminded me of Stephen King at his peak. There were some parts that were agony to get through and this is a testament to her skill as a writer. As a white Canadian man, it should go without saying that I couldn't possibly understand the black experience during the Jim Crow years. But in this novel I could feel it. I could feel white eyes on me as a black person and I have such a hard time accepting that. I don't think I'll ever shake it now. As a white man I can also say I can't for the life of me understand the hate these white people had, and the hate a lot of them still have to this day.
Anyway, I didn't mention the ghosts. There are ghosts in this story as well, and in a way that is totally acceptable to the story.
How can there not be ghosts with the amount of black blood soaked into Florida soil (paraphrasing her) and the lives lost at the Reformatory?
This was an exceptional read and the suspense of the last hundred pages or so drove me crazy.
I've had Tananarive Due on my reading list forever, for The Good House, which was ridiculously expensive for Kindle ($28 a few years ago!) and now that it is at a reasonable price I'll read that very soon. Although after reading The Reformatory, I'm less hesitant to pay a lot of money for her.
Heck, I have to read all of her books.
Five stars don't do it justice at all. Best book of the year.
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