The Nickel Boys, Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Nickel Boys.

This section was different since there were chapters about Elwood after Nickel Academy. Did his life seem like the life you would have imagined he would have after he left the school? 

At the beginning of this section, Elwood is in the hospital ward, trying to recover from his beating. I couldn't believe how long it took him to be able to rejoin his peers. I don't know how he survived such a beating. Then, he's assigned to community service with Turner and is able to leave campus for a few hours a week. I can't imagine how freeing that was to him. It was really upsetting that during the community service, he had to unload things that were meant for the students at Nickel, but it seemed like he genuinely enjoyed being out in the world. 

The chapter about Griff, the boy who was the boxer, was really hard to read. I couldn't believe that they killed him because he wouldn't throw the fight. At first, it seemed like he didn't throw the fight on purpose, but I really think he just got mixed up and had planned to lose. I really can't believe that they killed him. It just seems to unbelievable that grown men could be so violent towards these young men, but obviously, it really did happen. It's just so unsettling. 

Near the end of Part 2, the boys band together to give horse medicine to someone on staff. They decide on Earl, and surprisingly, they aren't punished for what happens to him. I was just sick the whole time I was reading, afraid that the boys were going to be caught. I can't believe they would take such a risk. They were lucky that Earl didn't die. 

In Part 3, we learn that Elwood now lives in NYC and runs his own moving company. He seems really successful. I'm glad that he was able to move past his time at Nickel. Aren't you curious, though, how he ended up leaving? It seems like there is more to the story. It was so hard to read the chapter where he describes how the one boy who tried to escape, Clayton, ended up being brought back to the school where he died. 

The section ends with Elwood knowing that his appeal isn't going to happen and that the lawyer took advantage of his grandmother. Elwood says that he is going to "get rid of Nickel." How do you think he is going to do that? Do you think that's how he makes it out of the school? What do you think is going to happen in the last section? Are you interested to keep reading? 

Before you go, check out the video clip below in which the director of photography from the movie version talks about how they made the movie. Don't you think that looks like a really innovative camera technique? 

Thanks for reading along with me this week! I hope you leave a comment to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Make sure to finish the book for next week!