The Reformatory

by Tananarive Due

Set in Jim Crow Florida, follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead.

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.

The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Historical, Audiobook, Mystery

576 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2023

About the author

TANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is the award-winning author of The Wishing Pool & Other Stories and the upcoming The Reformatory ("A masterpiece"--Library Journal). She and her husband, Steven Barnes, co-wrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. Due and Barnes co-host a podcast, "Lifewriting: Write for Your Life!"

A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She and her husband live with their son, Jason.

Reviews

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE REFORMATORY may be one the most fd up book I've ever read. This is my first venture into Tananarive Due's storytelling but it will absolutely not be my last. THE REFORMATORY takes place in Florida during Jim Crow, so that alone should warn you about the triggers this book has. Racism, child abuse, massive amounts of racial slurs, severe violence, just to name some. Go into this book knowing that it'll be a lot for many readers to stomach.

THE REFORMATORY starts off in Gracetown, Florida in 1950 with 12 year old Robbie Stephens Jr and his sister Gloria. Robbie is sentences to six months at Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory school, after kicking the son of Red McCormick, a powerful landowner in town, after his son Lyle tried to make advances towards his sister. After Robbie is arrested and sentenced to spend six months at the reformatory, Gloria realizes that this is all a set up to destroy Robbie and her family and tries to act swiftly to save him. When Robbie arrives to the reformatory, he starts seeing the horrors that were rumored to be true. Robbie has the ability to see ghosts (or in this case, they're called haints) and sees the torture that these haints endured. It isn't long before Robbie sees these horrors firsthand.

I had a very big mix of emotions while reading this book. Yes, it's a ghost story, but the horror really came from Jim Crow South being portrayed so explicitly. WE CANNOT FORGET THIS HAPPENED IN THE UNITED STATES. Books like THE REFORMATORY are powerful reminders that we need to always need to remember and I'm sure Florida has already banned this book. As I mentioned above, this book has lots of triggers and in fact at times felt that it was tough for me to even read (I can read a lot of fd up stories). As I was reading, I told my husband in real time "this book is fd up!" That being said, the power from Tananarive's storytelling is bar none one of the strongest depictions of this horrendous time period in American history. I am shocked at how fast I read this book—at almost 600 pages, you may be intimidated by the length, but everything moves very fast and the author needed this amount of content to accurately characterize and strengthen the story. I'll never forget this book.

[Sydney Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally incredible. I’m honestly speechless.

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: The Between, Ghost Summer, The Good House, The Wishing Pool

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978198218...

Release Date: October 31, 2023

General Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror

Sub-Genre/Themes: coming-of-age, racism, social injustice, African Americans, trauma, siblings, family, ghosts (haints), hoodoo magic, segregation, small-town

Writing Style: Multiple POVs, Character-Driven, Suspenseful, Child narrator,

What You Need to Know: This book is inspired by true events (The Dozier School for Boys) “...grief is the reason it has taken me this long to write this book. But grief is also the reason it exists.”
Be prepared, emotionally, for a harrowing, heart-wrenching journey.

My Reading Experience: In the tradition of King’s Derry or Castle Rock, Due’s novel is set in Gracetown, her fictional small town in Florida that shows up in most of her novels and short stories. It’s 1950, Jim Crow-era. A young white man from an influential, prominent family puts hands on twelve-year-old Robert Stevens’ sister Gloria so he kicks him in the shin.
This action ultimately sends Robbie to The Reformatory, a “school” for boys that everyone knows is a prison sentence because of the school’s reputation. Some boys sent there never come home.

The book alternates between Robbie’s experience at the Reformatory and Gloria’s mission to advocate for her brother by any means necessary.

I’ve never read anything like it and I likely never will again. It is one of the most memorable reading experiences I’ve ever had.
I kept marveling at how the story was perfectly plotted and paced. Due hits every beat. Sometimes, the danger in a story having two timelines is that there’s usually a stronger one that I will invest in more, emotionally, so every time there’s a switch back to the weaker of the two, I feel a little disappointed.

Robbie’s experiences at The Reformatory are more intense and suspenseful, but Gloria’s journey to advocate for her brother is equally compelling. The characters that come alongside her or against her are vibrant and memorable. Both Robbie and Gloria run up against dangerous adversaries that drive up the stakes and they both find powerful allies that make your reader’s heart burn with complex emotions.
My heart felt like a wood-burning stove and every chapter fueled that fire until it was burning so hot, there were times I almost couldn’t read anymore–I was genuinely terrified to turn the page. The different sections have titles and some of the titles are like a neon sign of what’s to come–the danger that awaits.
I was thankful for my friend who already read it so I could message her during all the intense scenes–my emotions all flared up and tears in my eyes.
Books this good don’t come around all the time.
Not only is this the best Horror book of 2023, but it’s also one of the best books of all time, period. In any genre.


Final Recommendation: As soon as I read several chapters I knew it was special. A masterpiece. It’s perfect in every way imaginable leaving nothing to be desired. Crafted with a remarkable gift of storytelling perfected over time and Due’s personal connection to the story, The Reformatory stands with the best of the best–right next to King’s IT as iconic coming-of-age horror.
Quintessential horror not to be missed.


Comps: The Nickle Boys by Colson Whitehead (I haven’t read this one yet), The Bone Weaver’s Orchard by Sarah Read, When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen, These Bones by Kayla Chenault (on my TBR)

[Peach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m so conflicted about this one because I wanted to love it so much and there were parts that I definitely did. From the moment I saw the cover and read the synopsis I was so looking forward to reading it. The setting is impeccably crafted. And I really enjoyed the supernatural elements. It’s quite an emotional read, as the characters and community have so many injustices and travesties to overcome. My biggest issue with this story is the pacing. It is a long book (576 pages) and I just didn’t feel like it really needed to be. I enjoyed Robbie’s storyline much more so than Gloria’s. Honestly, for the majority of the book Gloria’s parts felt really unnecessary to the plot as a whole. I think if the majority of her chapters had been cut from the book, it would have greatly improved my reading experience. The things that Robbie and the other boys have endured and are still enduring are truly terrible and heart-wrenching. But much of this book really dragged for me, it was very slow. I just think the story would have been a much more impactful read for me if I hadn’t felt as bogged down and bored for so much of it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my feedback. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Abbie Konnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH a great book!!! Ghosty, important, heart-wrenching, allllllll the things. Perfect for fall (but good for always!!!)

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning

Possibly my book of the year

I'm not sure I can find the words to describe reading this book. Horrifying and heartwarming in equal measures

It reminded me of reading to kill a mockingbird and how angry I was that this probably happened and is still happening (racism not haints)

[Laura Lovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly a masterpiece

I am TELLING YOU NOW... This book will most definitely be in my Top 5 book of 2024, without a shadow of doubt.
I am in such awe and disbelief with how much this book captivated me. This is one of those unputdownable books, that when it was time to put it down, I literally had to switch to audiobook format because I couldn't part away from the story. (The audiobook by the way is PHENONMENAL).
I spent a good chunk of the book big puddle crying and holding my chest, because I genuinely could feel my heart breaking for Robbie, Gloria and the boys in The Reformatory.
I could picture EVERYTHING! Tananarive writes in such an effortless way that the book really comes alive in your head. A movie adaptation must surely be granted for this novel.
This is a LONG book but I promise you the premise starts immediately and doesn't slow down till the very last page.
You will go through the 5 stages of grief and it really will leave its mark on you.
I am triggered.

INFINITY STARS♾️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐♾️

[Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - tired of sickness! · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Many thanks to Edelweiss, Gallery/Scout, and Tananarive Due for a DRC of this book! Now available as of 10.31!!**

"The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends on the oppression of others, that for some to have good lives there must be others whose lives are truncated and brutal."- Dorothy Allison

The Reformatory: the sort of reform school that makes Miss Trunchbull's Crunchem Hall look like an amusement park. The year is 1950, and Gracetown School for Boys is the name of the reform school. Despite its 'angelic' sounding name, it is home to unspeakable brutality and terrifying horror. As is the norm, the school is segregated, and the ugliness of the Jim Crow south is in full force.

Robbie and Gloria's father has been forced to stay in Chicago after being accused of raping a white woman, and the two kids are trying to get by on their own in Florida without him and their mother, who has passed away. Robbie is incredibly protective of his sister, so when the son of a white wealthy landowner makes an unwanted pass at her, Robbie doesn't hesitate and clocks the jerk in the jaw. Though he and others implore the judge to spare him, he is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School.

When Robbie arrives, he makes fast friends with two of the other residents of the school, Redbone and Blue, and learns the TRUE punishments: everything from whipping to rape to torture is on the table. The trio try to band together to stay out of the 'Fun House' (where the worst atrocities take place) and Robbie discovers that a special gift he has always had could spare him. He has always been able to sense 'haints' (ghosts) and apparently the Gracetown School is rife with spirits. The warden sees Robbie as his sort of golden goose who can rid the property of the vengeful spirits of boys and others who have lost their lives on this very spot. But can Robbie trust his two pals to help him in his quest...and not leave him hanging? Can Gloria and his other friends on the outside (with the help of lawyers) shorten or end his sentence entirely? Or will the angry ghosts seize this opportunity to add one more soul to their haunted, vengeful ranks?

I can't say that I've ever read a book I'd classify both as a verifiable horror book AND an authentic historical fiction before grabbing this one...and my first question after finishing this one was "Why did I wait SO LONG?" This book works effectively and efficiently on BOTH levels, and that in and of itself is quite a feat. At over 500 pages (!) I figured it would probably take me at LEAST a week to get through, but Due kept the narrative moving at just a steady enough pace to keep me invested from beginning to end, with equal parts Gloria and Robbie. I also appreciated that there was no dual timeline to deal with, like a rehashing of Robbie's dad and his mother's past, for example. SO many other historical fiction authors have a tendency to throw in so much extraneous detail, and even during the slightly slower portions of the book, Due never resorted to an exhaustive retelling of the family's past or too much emphasis on side characters that weren't important to the plot.

And then there's the horror angle. The haints in this one were spooks through and through...the kind that have you looking over your shoulder and give you that uneasy chill down your spine. Robbie had the perfect amount of interaction with them and there was enough mystery surrounding the entire situation to keep me guessing. And to my twist loving horror/thriller friends---there is one WHOPPER of a twist that had my mouth hanging open for a SOLID minute or so! Not only did I not predict it, but in a book like this I wasn't even expecting to have my mind blown. If you're going to only have one twist, make it count...and Due DEFINITELY did.

This book also manages to weave in truth: the story is based on the Florida’s Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys and the conditions there, and this reality is the most horrific aspect of this book, period. The fact that so many suffered in these circumstances is a brutal reality, and is far more terrifying than any 'haint' could be, in any context. The allegorical subtext shines throughout the novel, but never overtakes the narrative itself.

Although the third act of the book started to drag a bit for me when it came to Robbie's potential for escape (and you're going to have to read to find out whether or not he makes it out!), the ending itself was the perfect finale and gives you as a reader what you need to hear about the future of this family, while still leaving room for you to fill in the blanks.

The Reformatory is a dark, emotional, scary, powerful and thrilling read...and if you take anything at all from this review?

You should absolutely give Tananarive Due...her due.

😉

4 stars

Nominated for Best Horror in the Goodreads Choice Awards!

[Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, devastating, and horrifying - yet also, somehow, hopeful. This was one of the best books I read in 2023.

The Reformatory is incredibly engaging, with well-drawn characters that make you root for them and worry for their safety from the first page. Robbie and Gloria were fantastic protagonists, and all I wanted was for them to be safe and together. Due doesn't shy away from the horrors of prisons for children masquerading as boarding schools, nor does she shy away from the realities of life in the South for Black people during the Jim Crow era.

While there is a supernatural element to this story, it is not the haints who are the true villains - it is humanity, the depravity of people who value power over other's lives, people who get pleasure from other's pain and suffering, and not just the evil among us - as Due states in the author's note, "The Reformatory has a central villain, but the actual villain is a system of dehumanization." While there are certainly truly villainous characters in his novel, and there are people in history who were horrible human beings who hurt people and are not without responsibility for what they've done, the true villain is the system of dehumanization that upholds a culture of violence. We even have a haunting moment in the novel where the villain thinks about how he would never have treated his dog the way he treated the boys at The Reformatory. It's devastating to think about the systemic dehumanization of groups of people, allowing not only truly monstrous human beings to perpetrate violence freely without punishment but also otherwise average people, people who do horrible things because society has brainwashed them into believing that certain people don't deserve as much respect as others, that some lives don't mean as much as others, aren't worth as much as others. And this isn't something that only happened historically, it's happening right now. There are groups of people who are so viciously dehumanized that their pain is not worth as much as others' pain; their deaths don't matter as much as other people's deaths; their lives don't have the same value as other lives, and it's heartbreaking watching it continue to happen. This book feels very timely in that aspect - bystanders and regular people are as much to blame for these systems of abuse and oppression as the sadistic monsters revelling in the power they give them over others.

An exhausting, gruelling, intense, and terrifying journey that moved me to tears more than once, The Reformatory will stay with me for a very long time.


Watch me read and review this book (& other nominees in the horror category) here: https://youtu.be/dVOamSxBvnk

Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, racial slurs, sexual harassment, sexual assault, antisemitism, fire death, child abuse, pedophilia, child pornography, murder, child and infant murder, torture, parental abandonment, bullying



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[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really is 10 stars. I really don't even know what to say. The story was just that good. WOW

[JJtheBookNerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Gracetown, Florida, amongst the segregation of the 1950s, we follow 12-year-old Robbie, who at the start of the story lives with his older sister Gloria; their Mama has passed, and their Papa has fled from the lynch mob to Chicago after a false accusation of rape but tries to stay in touch as best he can.

When Robbie kicks one of his white neighbours in defence of his sister, things quickly spiral out of control when, as punishment, he gets sent to the reformatory for 6 months. Almost immediately upon Robbie's arrival, you feel how unnerving and sinister the place is. Here poor Robbie is subjected to some atrocious treatment. All the boys live in fear of a beating for the slightest wrongdoing. The shed where the punishments take place is cruelly known as 'The Funhouse'.

There is a ghost story wrapped up in here too. Robert can see the 'haints', or ghosts, that roam about the buildings and grounds of the reformatory; they are the spectral remnants of a previous fire at the building that killed all inside. It was a compelling way to give a voice to those from the past who had also suffered.

It explores racial injustice and the systemic abuse and cruelty which unfolds within an institutional establishment, so therefore be aware it contains racism, racist language, child abuse and violence. Rape is also alluded to. Make no mistake, it isn't the ghost story that makes this unsettling to read; it's some of the sadistic people in it. It was incredibly hard to read in places.

The period in which it was set was a truly dark time in history. As the Author states in their notes at the end of the book, it is a work of fiction, but the subject matter it is based on was not; they wrote it to honour a real-life relative—Robert Stephens—who died at the Dozier School for Boys in Florida in the 1930s.

Whilst the prose was elegantly descriptive, and the messages contained therein important, I found, from a literary point of view, portions of the book were quite slow-paced, which made it feel drawn out. It would certainly have benefited from being trimmed down a little, which would have kept the plot much tighter and made the story flow better. Some of the characters could also have been fleshed out more.

For horror fans coming into this looking for a gory, super scary tale, I would say it's heavier on the historical fiction side with elements of the supernatural rather than full-on grisly horror.

It's good, but as stated, it's a little slow-paced in parts. I'm going to rate this one 3.5/5.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reformatory is magnificent; historical fiction at its finest. Tananarive Due is a master of horror, but this goes way beyond what I have ever read by her. A personal story of her real life great uncle Robert Stephen's death at fifteen was her inspiration. He had been sent to The Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida. His murder there was Due's impetus for a retelling of the actual horror made by the white men who ran the school and the dead boys who haunted them.

The fictional account goes back and forth between Robert's story, who is twelve in this version, and his sister Gloria, his teenaged sister, who takes care of him after their mom died of cancer and their dad fled to Chicago. Their dad had to leave because the law and the Klan in Florida were after him. A stupid encounter with a white teen, who likes Gloria, sends Robert to the Reformatory, a hell here on earth for white and especially for the black boys sent there. Gloria and Robert have a strength and tenacity beyond their years and an ability to commune with the dead that will help them when they have no one left to turn to.

[Brooke 𝜗𝜚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

╰┈➤ 𝟺.𝟻 ★ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ

❝𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎.❞

📚┆𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐞
📖/🎧/📱┆𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: 𝙿𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜, 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎
🏷️┆𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝙷𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝙵𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝙷𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛
📆┆𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝟷𝟷/𝟽/𝟸𝟻 - 𝟷𝟷/𝟷𝟸/𝟸𝟻
📃┆𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
「 “A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he's sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it's too late.”」

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

❝ “𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚋’𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 ‘𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕’ 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜,” 𝙼𝚒𝚣 𝙻𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍. “𝙸 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕, 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚂𝚊𝚝𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚔𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 ‘𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕.’
𝙼𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚕 𝚎𝚟’𝚛𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗’ 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚓𝚘𝚋.” ❞

ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ★★★★ ½
ɢᴏᴏᴅʀᴇᴀᴅꜱ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 𝟺.𝟺𝟺 ☆ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ
ᴡᴇᴀᴛʜᴇʀ: ☀️
ᴘᴀɪʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ: ᴀɴ ɪᴄᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴅ ᴄᴏᴋᴇ🥤
ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ?: 👍🏼
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: 🎶 ꜰʀᴇᴇᴅᴏᴍ — ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴄé (ꜰᴇᴀᴛ. ᴋᴇɴᴅʀɪᴄᴋ ʟᴀᴍᴀʀ)
1:47 ———♡——— 4:49

⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

╭───
┆
╰⪼ ❛I'ma wade, I'ma wave through the waters, tell the tide “don’t move.” I'ma riot, I'ma riot through your borders, call me bulletproof. lord, forgive me, I've been runnin', runnin' blind in truth.❜

⊱ ────── {⋆ ‧₊˚♪𝄞 ⋆} ────── ⊰

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
🌾 ɢʜᴏꜱᴛ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ
🐦‍⬛ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ
🌾 ᴀᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀɴ ʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ
🐦‍⬛ ꜰʟᴏʀɪᴅᴀ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ 1950’ꜱ
🌾 ᴘᴀʀᴀɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ᴇʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛꜱ
🐦‍⬛ ʟᴏᴏꜱᴇʟʏ ʙᴀꜱᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ
⚠️TW: child abuse, racism, racial slurs, animal abuse, death, rape (off page), murder, child pornography, pedophilia, sexual assault, torture

❝𝙶𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝙴𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑.❞

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💬┆𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
⟢ What a gripping story. While I didn’t expect this book to be so long (the physical book was 800 pages!), The Reformatory is worth it. I couldn’t put this book down, & when I did put it down, I wanted to go back to reading it. It’s one of those gut wrenching, eye opening, heartbreaking books that is going to stay with me for a while. I don’t even have the words to properly articulate everything I would like to say, but if you are able to handle the trigger warnings, go read it. And I highly recommend the audiobook. 🎧

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❝𝙷𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚕𝚢.❞

[John (JC) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was an incredible ride. I had forgotten how evil the old South could be. My heart just broke with the way they treated Robert. He is sent to Reformatory School for a justified kick to the knee of bully. Being a child is tough enough but having racial oppression shaping your life is not only wrong but a travesty.
Robert had the gift of seeing and communicating with the “Haints”. I could not figure out initially whether to cheer or fear the “haints” until toward the end of the book.
His older sister has the gift of visions of the future. She and her Godmother fight hard to get Robert released from the Reformatory but again they are beaten back with prejudice. Gloria and Robert’s father was a big advocate against injustice, spending time organizing meetings, helping people stand up for themselves. This reputation caused even more pain for little Robert’s predicament. The father barely escapes to Chicago and is still sought by authorities after being falsely accused of a crime.
I had to put this book down several times to catch my breath and calm the anger that was consuming me. I do not see how anyone can read this book without torn feelings.
The ending made the anguish, caused by the events Robbie had to go through, more tolerable but still it left a residue of aching in my heart. This novel is a must read but it is not for the faint of heart.

[Shawnaci Schroeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️
- This book was so gripping! Was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end and learned so much from this book. The writing was really easy to follow, but I definitely found myself needing to take breaks because it was such a tough read.
- Could literally visualize this book in my head! Felt like I was watching a movie while reading it. Definitely will be picking up more books by this author.
- Wish that this story didn’t have such a heavy storyline that was focused on ghosts, but can totally see why it needed to be included to share the stories of the boys that weren’t alive. Such a great read!

[Kaylah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was tempted to give this no rating because 6 stars wasn’t an option. I’m gonna let myself sleep on it but I can safely say this is my favorite book of the year (MAYBEEEE of all time) this is a masterpiece

[Richard Alex Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stars for what this book represents, but only three stars for reading enjoyment and engagement.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me lie down in green pastures". These are the profound words of Psalm 23 and many of the sentiments throughout this book. Black people historically wanted for a lot and were constantly oppressed, harassed and mistreated due to the colour of their skin.

This is the essential message from The Reformatory.

We are born this way and live in the same skin for a lifetime, yet judged and discriminated against because of past events that are out of our control.

This book focuses on that injustice and how black people, especially young boys, were taken from their homes and set to hard labour until legally released by the age of 21. Some of them made it, others did not.

Tananarive Due writes in a clear and inviting style that's accessible and easy to digest and it's easy to see why people enjoy her work so much.

It's full of wonderments, but how do I really feel?

God damn it, the overuse of the 'horror' tag these days gets on my John Wick!

How many people see that tag and tick it off as their next possible read, only to find 'horror' is probably the fourth of fifth most important element of a book?

It's historical fiction first and foremost, classified as "black horror" due to the terror experienced over centuries by black people and the authors who write about it. There's a supernatural element to it and a good dose of thriller and mystery too, but it's hardly horror. I associate horror as dark, sinister and brooding, instead of what feels like young-adult fiction for a mainstream audience.

And then there's how long winded The Reformatory is, using three-hundred words when half that amount would suffice, as gossipy and incidental in gathering steam for more piquant parts. For example, Gloria goes in search of a black lawyer to defend her brother, overhearing meandering dialogue with another client that's of no relevance to the story, but as a reader, you're forced into overhearing it as well as it distracts and slows down the pace. The entire book feels like that. Like passive listening sequestered against your will instead of being put to good use, through many needless and excessive conversations that fail to engage.

Maybe I was looking for heavy horror, splatterpunk and some really graphic content - it has potential - so perhaps this is my peculiar aversion to lack of writing grit and coming across as so nice!

The book is decent and predictable with few twists or surprises, while more about the injustice experienced by black people over the centuries. Pick something else if you're looking for dark horror. It's too mainstream for that.

[inciminci · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is wonderful to see Tananarive Due quickly becoming a household name for the horror reader – she deserves it. The Reformatory, which is based on the events of the Dozier School for Boys and follows little Robert Stephens unjustly landing in this hell, as well as his sister Gloria's sturdy efforts to get him out of there, is just further proof of her writing talent and narrative aptitude.
Due does everything right in this utterly moving book.

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.” - Stephen King

Gracetown, Florida -June 1950

The true horror of this book is what happens at the Gracetown School for Boys, a Reformatory where terror await. A place where twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced after defending his sister, Gloria, from the son of a wealthy man in town. Robbie has seen haints (ghosts) throughout his young life. Seeing them never bothered him until he arrived at the reformatory, a place where boys were worked hard, and sent to the 'funhouse' for breaking the "rules" and sometimes disappeared. Robbie is scared and lonely when he arrives, but soon makes friends with Redbone and Blue. They tell him how to survive and follow the rules. Haints are present at the reformatory, but the true horror lies with the leadership. The horrors endured are horrific, brutal, and sadistic.

Gloria tries her best to get Robbie out of the school for boys. She is desperate to help her brother get out of the notorious reformatory. She is courageous and tenacious. She is determined to never give up until her brother is free.

Descriptive, well written, atmospheric, haunting, and gripping. The Reformatory is the perfect blending of historical fiction and horror. There is a sense of foreboding and unease flowing throughout the book.

I listened to the audiobook and Tananarive Due's writing along with the narrator depicted the fear and desperation of the characters who are up against power, evil, inhumanity, and viciousness. I worried for both Gloria and Robbie throughout the book. I was on the edge of my seat fearing the worst but holding onto hope as they were both coming up against the worst the Jim Crow South had to offer. I found this book to be gripping, heart wrenching and well written.


*The author had a relative who was in the infamous Florida Dozier School for boys.

Gripping, haunting, and hard to read at times.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per usual I put a hold at the library for Tananarive Due’s newest release without knowing anything about it. I previously read and really dug The Between, so it was a no-brainer. And let me tell you – this one????



Twelve year old Robbie attempts to defend his sister’s honor after witnessing the neighbor kid trying to get fresh with her, but that is simply something that is not done by a black kid in the South when said neighbor is not only white, but also from a family who kind of owns the town. Robbie finds himself sent to The Reformatory – known for not only its brutality, but also its haints. As Robbie’s sister tries to devise a plan to get Robbie out, he is simply trying to survive.

I don’t have any words for this other than read it. Every Star.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you find more terrifying - the ghosts of the dead or the cruelty of the living? In Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory, the answer is a bone chilling, unforgettable masterpiece that lingers in your soul.

Set in the oppressive world of 1950s Jim Crow Florida The Reformatory tells the harrowing story of 12 year old Robert Stephens Jr. Unjustly sentenced to a reform school steeped in cruelty he is haunted by the restless dead. But the ghosts lurking in its halls are not the only terror. Through Robert’s fight for survival and his sister Gloria’s relentless determination to save him, Due delivers a searing indictment of systemic racism wrapped in an electrifying tale of resilience and redemption.

Everything about this novel is unmissable. Due’s painstaking attention to historical detail paints a vivid, heartbreaking picture of a past many would prefer to forget. Her characters leap off the page, full of grit and heart from Robert’s innocence to Gloria’s fierce love, and the otherworldly 'haints' all leave a mark with each story. The supernatural is woven seamlessly into the story amplifying the very real horrors of injustice with an eerie, unforgettable edge.

Due's prose is gripping and razor sharp, few authors can balance dread and humanity this skillfully keeping your pulse racing at every turn. Confronting readers with themes of oppression, hope, and the generational scars of racism this is more than just another ghost story. Its a story of the resilience of the human spirit. Read it. Share it. Let it haunt you in the best way possible.

[Zain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not My Last.

The Reformatory is the first book by Tananarive Due, that I have read. It definitely won’t be my last.

This book is based on the good ol’ days of America. The days that normal, intelligent, people don’t want to see returned. Especially black people.

The good old Jim Crow days that my ancestors had to unfortunately endure, and fortunately survive, else I wouldn’t be here.

The Stephens family is having a bit of bad luck. A lot of it, actually. It appears Robert Stephens Senior is ruffling up some feathers the wrong way.

His attempts to unionize members of the neighborhood factory (northern ideas in a Deep South community in Florida), don’t go down well with the white members of the town.

So they fix him up with the raping of the town slut. He leaves town. His son Robbie Stephens Junior, gets arrested (he kicked a teenager—a white boy). And everything would be going hunky-dory except that his sister Gloria won’t let go of the cat.

Tananarive Due is giving us small town life with big town issues. What she has in store for us is a reckoning.

Five beautiful stars. 💫💫💫💫💫

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a powerful and gut-wrenching read! It's dark and definitely hard to read at times, but Tananarive Due is the master of her craft. Shout out to Bre for hosting Blackoween and allowing me to be a part of the amazing group of humans who participated and read this book. There were moments in this book where I had to take a step away, but at some moment I had reckon with the horror that is the history of my people. Bre and I had thoughtful and very real conversation about this one that you can check out here: https://www.youtube.com/live/BJU_-39k...

[Sara (sarawithoutanH) · Rating 2 out of 5]

pros
- the setting was vivid and felt very real. you could tell that tananarive due did a ton of research.
- i really liked robert and his story.
- it's an important story that reflects real things that happened to people.

cons
- this could EASILY have been 200 pages shorter.
- gloria's POV felt very repetitive and it dragged. i was way more interested in robert.
- it was boring.... the pacing was so slowww. i just simply wasn't all that interested because not only is it incredibly slow but it's also just tough subject content. so the combination made it hard to get through.

Booktube | Instagram

[NZLisaM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Stars! Six Stars! Ten Stars! Twenty Stars!

It was the tiniest of infractions, the equivalent of a school yard kick, but in this small Florida town in 1950 it was enough to get twelve-year-old Robert Stephens arrested and brought before a racist judge, in a corrupt system. Charged with assaulting the son of a wealthy white planter, Robert is harshly sentenced to spend six months at the Gracetown Boys Reformatory, a ‘school’ rumoured to be so terrible that some boys don’t survive.

The Reformatory was a literary fiction epic masterpiece combining a mix of genres – historical, horror, gothic horror, thriller, paranormal, spiritual – to create a phenomenal, unforgettable, terrifying, hard-hitting, heartbreaking, powerful, fast-paced, race-against-the-clock, magical, compelling, read. The scope of this story, depth of research, and attention to detail was astounding. Tananarive Due expertly crafted immersive setting descriptions, imagery, and sensory detail to fit what the POV character was experiencing at the time. The first 31% of the book took place over a 24-hour period which included ‘the incident’, Robert’s arrest, and his first day at the Reformatory so we got to experience every horrific moment, and injustice alongside him. I’ve included trigger warnings in spoiler tags below, and given the atrocities contained within these pages, I’m sure it will come as no surprise that there were a lot of them.

The two main narrators were Robert of course, and his seventeen-old-sister Gloria, desperately fighting to free her brother, while unwittingly drawing unwanted attention, and placing her own life in danger. Gloria’s chapters were a reprieve from the horrors within the walls of the Reformatory, even though they were still bleak and harsh. Both characters were resilient, brave, strong, and empathetic. Robert cared about, and wanted to help all the boys, living or dead. I was on the edge of my seat hoping against hope that Robert and Gloria would be reunited by the end and there would be retribution and punishment for the evil characters.

Then there were the Haints, (a Southern expression for ghosts or restless spirits) dead children whose lives were cut short so violently, brutally, and suddenly that their traumatised souls remained trapped in the Reformatory, bound to haunt its rooms and grounds forever, unable to move on. Robert and Gloria were both born with the gift of premonitions and visions, although Gloria tried to suppress/ignore hers. Robert’s unique ability allowed him to communicate with the Haints, making me ache for their situation. Through Robert, the spirits were able to share their memories of who they had been in life, what they had endured, and how they had died, so that someone would remember them.

Even though the Gracetown Boys Reformatory, and the town of Gracetown were fictional, the torture, cruelty, and abuse that was inflicted upon children in real life institutions by soulless evil psychopaths throughout history unfortunately was not. The same applies to the racism, ignorance, simplemindedness, and police brutality that existed in Gracetown.

Listing the many trigger warnings and while completely agreeing that the content of this novel will be too triggering for some readers, at the same time I’m determined not to put people off, as the story of these unforgettable characters is 100% worth your time. The Reformatory is my top read of 2025 so far, will definitely make my top list for this year, and I’ve just added it to my Goodreads profile as one of my favourite reads of all time.

Trigger Warnings: Explicit - Child Abuse – physical, verbal, emotional, neglect - child death, bullying, violence, racism, police brutality, and inequality,

Past Mentions of (meaning these were all brief) – Child rape, paedophilia, necrophilia, murder of a baby, slavery and hangings, explicit pornographic images of children, animal cruelty/animal death

[Smitty1423 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I said I was going to diversify my genres and I’m so glad I did it with this Historical/Horror Fiction masterpiece. This story was one of the most heartbreaking and devastating stories I’ve ever read. The writing in this was chefs kiss especially when it comes to describing Jim Crow era times. The characters were so well written too Robbie and Gloria will always be thought about.

I’m writing this at midnight so I’m sure I’m missing something but wow, this was phenomenal.

[Aubrei K (earlgreypls) · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCUSE ME WHAT???? THIS WAS SO GOOD. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF 2023

[Scott Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. It’s a historical fiction about a 12 year old boy, Robbie, living in Florida in 1950 when he is sent to a reformatory school for a crime that is not actually a crime… but Robbie is poor and black and that’s why he’s sentenced. It’s a very eye opening experience to read about the horrific conditions in which black people were (and are) treated and especially how these reformatory schools were run. The other aspect of this book which was pretty interesting is that there’s a paranormal theme of the boys who were killed at the reformatory and still haunt their halls. But the horror of the ghosts is no where close to the horror of the men who run the school.

Very good book! If I had any complaint it would be that the book was a little long… but it’s an important read and I’m so glad I read it!

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The worst of the worst of the worst.

This was hard to read, but harder still to put down. Imagine The Nickel Boys meets The Sixth Sense . . .

1950's Florida was not a safe place to live if you were black. The Klan ran wild, and law enforcement did not stand in their way.

For the most minor of infractions. twelve-year-old Robbie is sent to a reputedly haunted reformatory.

"This school is stinking with haints."

Sadly, Robbie quickly discovers that,

"There's worse things to worry about than haints. Way worse."

Meanwhile, his older sister Gloria works tirelessly to get Robbie released. But time may be running out as he finds he can't please both the living . . . and the dead.

What a tense, mesmerizing read, and undoubtedly one of the best books of this or any year.

[Kurryreads (Kerry) · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOD TIER - Definitely check trigger warnings.

Full Review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRTjLVuC/