Colson Whitehead's novel 'The Nickel Boys' comes to the big screen

The book follows Cora, a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia, who embarks on a harrowing journey to freedom using a secret network of actual tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Along with Caesar, a fellow slave, Cora faces numerous challenges and dangers, including the relentless slave catcher Ridgeway. The narrative blends historical reality with fantasy, offering a powerful meditation on the history of American slavery and its ongoing impact on society.

The Nickel Boys is a powerful and disturbing novel that delves into the horrors of Nickel Academy, a segregated juvenile reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. The story follows Elwood Curtis, a bright and idealistic young man who is falsely accused of stealing a car and sent to Nickel Academy. There, he and his friend Turner navigate the brutal and corrupt environment, marked by physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The novel explores themes of systemic injustice, human perseverance, and the lasting impact of trauma. It alternates between the 1960s and the present, as the dark history of Nickel Academy is uncovered and its survivors come forward to share their experiences.