The Boys from Nickel

«The Boys from "Nickel"» — this is the story of Elwood Curtis, an African American teenager who dreamed of becoming a teacher but ended up in a reform school for a crime he did not commit. Life there turns out to be more like hell, and the only salvation for Elwood becomes his friendship with another inmate — Turner. Elwood is hopelessly naive and believes in the triumph of justice, while Turner is convinced that the world was, is, and will be cruel and unjust, and that cannot be changed. The clash of Elwood's idealism with Turner's cynicism leads them to make a decision that will have catastrophic consequences.
The novel is based on real events and «confirms Colson Whitehead's leading place in contemporary American literature» (Time magazine). In 2020, it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.