Haley Newlin’s Reviews > The Reformatory > Status Update

Haddock “wasn’t satisfied with beating and hunting boys who were alive: he hunted dead ones too.”

Boone turns their souls to ash and Haddock collects them in a jar. Haddock squeezes every ounce of hurt out of these children, even in death

Blue warns Robert about Haddock. Says there are worse things than the Funhouse. Things Haddock does that makes you want to curl up and die

The NCAAP lawyer says Robert’s sentence makes sense to white people.

“To sentence a child to six months over a schoolyard kick is to willfully ignore that child’s humanity. To rebuke it.”

Gloria’s faith is broken. She doesn’t think that the same Jesus “who had forsaken Mama might help them get Robbie back.”

There’s so much bad. So much fear. It makes sense that Gloria thinks God has turned his back on her and everyone else suffering. She thinks all God’s love goes to the McCormacks of the world

Papa tells Gloria that he had to walk by a hanging tree every morning on his way to school and sometimes there was still a man hanging from it

Horrific

The first time Robert ever wanted to kill anyone, even thinks it would be worth his own life, too

“If Robert were a conjurer, Haddock would be dead already. The entire shed would be burning, even if he were still inside to burn with it.”

“The dead boys were called every name except Murdered.”

It’s been awhile since a book has made me this emotional. God, this hurts and it’s so powerful

“White men talking about r*pe always led to rope.”

“Stories are dangerous. They can hurt you bad. Get you killed.”

Made me think of banned books

Ms. Lottie says there’s a sickness in Gracetown, a blood sickness, and it’s the worst at The Reformatory