The Reformatory by Tananarive DueMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is my first time reading a book by Tananarive Due, which is definitely going to have to change. While Stephen King trod similar ground with his book The Institute a few years back, Due goes back to 1950s Florida, taking some inspiration from a real-life ancestor of hers who perished in such a "school" as the one depicted in this book. Not only is the full scope of Jim Crow laws in effect, but the Gracetown School for Boys harbors some seriously horrible secrets, which protagonist Robbie has to learn about from talking to the haints that continue to stay bound to this place. With the warden making his sinister designs very clear from the very start, and Robbie's sister Gloria fighting to rescue him (which requires outside help from up north since all the local white folks are too fearful and racist to rely on in any way), it's as page-turning as the blurb suggests. But absolutely not for the faint of heart, as you can well imagine.
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