The Reformatory

Reviews

“…Set during the Jim Crow era and inspired by the real-life Florida School for Boys in Marianna, The Reformatory is a terrifying, nerve-wracking novel, steeped in ugly truths about racism and American history. Narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratt manages to heighten the considerable tension with her heartfelt interpretations of the shifting, powerful emotions of Robert and Gloria: their anguish, fear, longing, sorrow, and, eventually, furious determination. She never lets you forget that they’re children facing the unthinkable, like so many children before them…Abbott-Pratt’s precise vocal inflections also bring to life the secondary characters, among them Redbone, a boy who befriends Robert at the school; Boone, a corrupt prison guard obsessed with haints; Miss Lottie, the elderly church lady who doesn’t leave home after dark without her pistol; and the warden himself, whose soul is a murderous black hole. It’s a tour de force performance, a worthy enhancement to Due’s vision.” "Narrator Joniece Abbot-Prat voices Gloria’s strength and despair alongside her chilling performance of Robbie’s terror." "Joniece Abbott–Pratt masterfully re-creates a 1950s Florida reformatory in this story based on a relative of author Tananarive Due and other actual people and events. Listeners meet 12-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., and Gloria, his 16-year-old sister, after Robbie is arrested for defending her from a white boy. While in the segregated reform school, Robbie experiences and witnesses unfathomable punishment for tiny infractions. As Gloria attempts to free him, Abbott–Pratt’s finest creations emerge: 83-year-old Miss Lottie and her ancient pickup truck. Abbott–Pratt expertly portrays the story’s crushing atmosphere, as well as fearless Gloria, terrified boys, and, most movingly, the “haints”—ghosts of dead boys—who assist Robbie with his escape. Although painful, this is essential listening about a shameful blot on American history." Expand reviews