"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." --
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About the author
Tananarive Due
Author
Tananarive Priscilla Due is an American author and educator. Due won the American Book Award for her novel The Living Blood (2001), and the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, and the World Fantasy Award for her novel The Reformatory (2023). She is also known as a film historian with expertise in Black horror. Due teaches a course at UCLA called "The Sunken Place: Racism, Survival and the Black Horror Aesthetic", which focuses on the Jordan Peele film Get Out.
The Reformatory
by Tananarive Due
Books Like The Reformatory
If you're looking for books similar to The Reformatory, here are some recommendations based on themes, tone, and narrative style.
The Warmth of Other Suns
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A non-fiction work documenting the Great Migration of African Americans from the South. While not fiction, it provides crucial historical context similar to the setting of 'The Reformatory', revealing the systemic racism that shaped Black experiences.
Beloved
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A haunting story of slavery's lasting trauma, featuring supernatural elements and a mother's fierce protection of her children. Set in the post-Civil War era, it shares 'The Reformatory's' themes of racial injustice, generational pain, and the supernatural as a lens for understanding historical oppression.
The Nickel Boys
Colson Whitehead
A powerful novel based on a real Florida reform school where Black boys were brutally abused. The story follows Elwood Curtis, a young Black teenager wrongfully sent to a horrific juvenile detention center. Like 'The Reformatory', it explores systemic racism, institutional violence, and a young protagonist's survival against a deeply unjust system.
Homegoing
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An epic novel tracing the descendants of two half-sisters through generations of racial trauma. Like 'The Reformatory', it explores how systemic racism impacts individual lives across time, using interconnected narratives to reveal deeper historical truths.
The Darkest Child
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A brutal exploration of racism, poverty, and family dynamics in the rural South during the 1950s. The novel follows a young Black girl navigating extreme familial and societal challenges, echoing the themes of survival and resilience in 'The Reformatory'.
Sing, Unburied, Sing
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A haunting Southern Gothic novel featuring ghosts, racial injustice, and a young protagonist's journey. The supernatural elements and exploration of generational trauma closely mirror themes in 'The Reformatory'.
The Street
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A powerful narrative about a Black single mother struggling in 1940s Harlem, facing systemic racism and personal challenges. Like 'The Reformatory', it provides a deeply personal look at African American experiences during mid-20th century racial segregation.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Mildred D. Taylor
A classic young adult novel about a Black family's struggle against racism in the Depression-era South. Like 'The Reformatory', it centers on a young protagonist confronting systemic injustice and fighting for dignity.
Ghost Boys
Jewell Parker Rhodes
A young adult novel about a Black boy killed by police, who becomes a ghost witnessing racial injustice. Similar to 'The Reformatory', it uses supernatural elements to explore racial violence and systemic racism through a young protagonist's perspective.
The Weight of Water
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A novel that interweaves historical and contemporary narratives, exploring themes of injustice and survival. While different in setting, it shares 'The Reformatory's' interest in how past traumas echo through generations.
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