
Member Reviews

THE REFORMATORY
Tananarive Due
It’s not so easy to differentiate between what is real, what is psychological, and what is paranormal. That muddy water is where I swam during the duration of reading Due’s, THE REFORMATORY.
In THE REFORMATORY we are back in 1950, in a small Florida town divided by race, class, and power. We are following a young boy named Robert who was sentenced to serve time in a reformatory for boys for kicking another young boy’s leg.
THE REFORMATORY is an otherworldly place to serve time and soon we find just how horrifying the place truly is. Will Robert make it to the end of his six months?
THE REFORMATORY is as horrifying as history with characters reminiscent of Stephen King with a world just as big and with monsters so real they’ll haunt your waking hours. For the most part, I enjoyed my time reading. I was interested in the material for most of the time.
I do feel it is entirely too long. At almost 600 pages I felt it was unnecessarily repetitive and Due had a habit of toiling and lingering, perhaps staying too long in one specific area. Other than that, I enjoyed my time reading and recommend it to those willing to commit to living in the horrifying reality of our shared history.
Thanks to Netgalley, Gallery Books, and Gallery / Saga Press for the advanced copy!
THE REFORMATORY…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book. This is one of those paramount books. The ones you know will stick with you for a long time. The ones that pull you into the lives of the characters so completely you feel truly invested in their wellbeing. This genre bending masterpiece is easily one of my favorites for the year.
Narrating a book such as this one can’t be an easy task but Joniece Abbott-Pratt gave an Oscar worthy performance. There are so many emotions, many of them bleak, and you can hear each of them clearly in Joniece’s delivery. Not only is this book going to be in my favorites this year but so is the audio.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
It’s 1950 in Jim Crow Florida and twelve-year-old African American Robbie Stephens Jr. is on his way to the Reformatory for six months. Why? Because he kicked a white boy in defense of his sister, Gloria. The Reformatory is no regular “school” for boys. It’s a prison full of hidden horrors. Beatings and punishments are normal and doled out for any reason. Many boys have died but their spirits remain. Robbie can see and sense the haints which makes him a target for the warden. While Robbie is trying to survive, Gloria is doing everything she can from the outside to get Robbie released before something terrible happens to him.
WHY I LOVE IT:
Tananarive Due takes a deep dive into Jim Crow Florida and gives us the tiniest glimpse of how awful life was for blacks in that area during that time. She based one of the characters on the real life of one of her relatives and his time at a boy’s school that actually existed. Even through all of the horror the characters face, Due is able to provide a constant beam of hope in the absolute tenacity of Gloria and her family. No matter the obstacle, you can always make it through with the support and love of those you call family.

I was really looking forward to this book, having enjoyed Tananarive Due, before. Unfortunately it was a little too traumatizing for me. I likely wouldn’t have struggled with a slightly older protagonist, but experiencing these injustices through the eye of a child made my heart hurt. Very well developed, beautiful prose, the type of haunting horror writing that stick with you.

When 12-year-old Robbie is sentenced to six months in the reformatory for boys, his sister Gloria sets out to fight for his freedom. When boys start to go missing at the reformatory, Robbie turns to his friends Blue and Redbone to find out what is happening to them and provide proof to ensure his release. This was an outstanding story about the history of reform "schools" in the 1950s, mixed with local ghost tales of the Jim Crow era in Florida. I was just learning about reform schools in one of my psychology classes, so this was a great fictional horror story to keep me interested in learning more.

My favorite horror novels aren't always the ones which scare me most. They are the books with worlds that feel real to me, with characters I grow to love, books that make me cry because of the truths they tell. Due takes us back to the Jim Crow South to a juvenile prison where Robbie must stay safe despite the sadistic Warden Haddock, his crew of black lackies including the appropriately named Boone, and a building full of haints, the bitter souls of the boys who met untimely deaths at the hands of their racist jailers. When Boone and Haddock realize Robbie can see the dead, Robbie is faced with a desperate choice: help those who hurt him and his peers for the promise of freedom. This should have won the horror novel of 2023.

An excellent, page-turning ghost story set in the Jim Crow south. Great storyline, great characters, emotional, suspenseful, thrilling, and touching.
The first half of the book was riveting and then it began to drift a bit. Using alternating chapters, Due tried not to repeat herself, but she failed. Every other chapter was a re-hash of its predecessor and the final section too longer to read than it would to actually escape from the reformatory.
That being said, it's well worth the time. My SOLE problem with The Reformatory was the padding. The book was long, which is fine if it deserves the length, but the character of Marian Hamilton added almost nothing to the story and the alternating repetitive chapters were a huge distraction.

This is beyond a five star read for me. I was eagerly anticipating reading The Reformatory and exceeded all expectations. Robert Stephen’s is sent to a reformatory school for kicking the son of a prominent white man. The Reformatory is Gracetown, Florida and the sheriff of the town is out hunting for Robert’s father who was blamed for an incident. Everyone knows he didn’t do it but that doesn’t stop the sheriff from wreaking havoc on the Stephen’s. Gloria is Robert’s older sister who is incredibly brave.
This book is excellent in character development and with pace. It was difficult for me to read, I had to put the book down for a day or two to reflect and process. This is an important book to read! The Reformatory will stay with me for a very long time..
I did listen to the audiobook as well and the narrator has a gift of making this book come alive.
Thank you to netgalley and saga press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is Tananarive best work ! The way this book brilliantly balanced the historical context along with horror elements is just incredible! A masterclass in story telling !
Thank you for the arc ! I wish I could give this 10 stars !

4.25 stars! Tananarive Due did it again! Another banger! From the moment the book starts, Due brings you in to this atmosphere that is unsettling and vaguely threatening. Then it quickly ramps up and you are left hoping for the best for our protagonists, but not quite sure if it will actually turn out okay. Following Robert in 1950s Florida as he is sent to an all-boys reform school and facing the horrors in the form of restless haints and real life racism was unsettling to read about. From the moment he gets into a relatively innocuous situation with a White boy and gets unjustly punished for it, you know that nothing good can come of the situation. I was invested the entire time I read this and was sad (and glad!) when I was finished.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

When The Reformatory opens, the reader meets Robert “Robbie” Stephens, Jr. The twelve year old has been through a season of devastating losses—his father having to flee their home, his mother recently dead, and hunger and sadness ravaging his insides.
In trying to protect his older sister from the improper advances of the largest landowner’s son, Robbie kicks him. Bold action for a Black person in 1950s Florida. His life takes on a hellish quality when he’s sentenced to six months at the reformatory or the Gracetown School for Boys.
The “school” has a terrible reputation, and Robbie is about to find out in spades. Robbie's troubles multiply after he meets the superintendent because his gift of seeing ghosts or “haints” puts him in the spotlight. To say the chief warden of the school is evil personified is an understatement, and the members of his staff who help and condone his actions are even worse.
Coming from an island where slavery was the lifeblood of the economy and knowing the horrors visited on the slaves (especially after revolts) helped me identify with the oppression the Black people in Gracetown faced, even in 1950. But the severe punishment visited on children for their “crimes” and minor infractions was unthinkable and graphic as lived through Robbie’s eyes.
This story shines a light on how evil people embedded in legal systems are allowed to run rampant and do exactly as they please, unchecked. The Reformatory through the eyes of a child was harrowing, heartbreaking, and left me wrung out. I can only imagine how writing this book affected the author.
A book that should have taken me a day or so to read (it was that gripping) took me weeks. The sadistic punishment visited on the boys, Gloria’s perilous attempt to free her brother, and the anxiety that came from living in Robbie’s skin were sometimes too much when combined. And the tears that came at certain points also made me set the book aside time and again.
The Reformatory raises the question of how many young men were killed in that era, the numbers that are still unaccounted for, and the lack of closure that so many families—Black and White—would have experienced.
A riveting story, The Reformatory brings to life a shameful part of history that, sadly, is probably more widespread than we care to believe. Horror reader or not, I encourage anyone who cares to sample what life was like back then to pick up this book. It is an eye-opening look at what happens when evil people are put in positions of power.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of The Reformatory.

I adore this author!
Tananarive Due brings her own voice to the terrible atrocities that occurred at the Dozier School. In this book, the school is called the Gracetown Reformatory. The story follows a young man, Robert, sentenced to six months at the school. Robert has a unique gift; he can see haints.
This book deals more with the horrible acts of humans than the supernatural. It was a powerful read.
#NetGalley

This is my first book by this author and wow, a perfect one to start with. Her writing is exquisite and I really enjoyed this one. I was rooting for Robbie the whole time. I would definitely recommend.

Wow! What a ride! This book combines so many themes that are current today like racism and injustice with Jim Crow South as a backdrop to tell a very readable and relatable story that holds your interest throughout. I found myself racing to get to the book to find out what happens next.
The story centers around Robert Stephens Jr. and his family and community in that time period. Robert is sent to a segregated reform school for a minor infraction (today's standards) where he finds injustice and racism against his fellow inmates and the dead. Yes, we are talking about supernatural beliefs in people who haunt the living or "haints" to get justice for how they passed on.
Very timely novel as we are all learning of the horrific acts that took place in Reformatories such as these as well as the "Indian" schools in both the US and in Canada. The author took 10 years to write this novel and it was well worth it. 4.5 stars
I also listened to part of the book and want to acknowledge the Narrator Joniece Abbot-Pratt as an excellent choice. She brought the ending to life for me in a way I did not do for myself. Thank you to #Netgalley and #Saga Books for the Advanced Readers copy of this book in exchange for a honest reviews

Tananarive Due is so incredible at writing horror that's also achingly sad. I've never come across an opening dedication so heartbreaking - the fact that Due had an uncle who died at 15 at the Dozier School for Boys haunts the entire novel. This engrossing book drops you into place (Florida, 1950) and doesn't let you leave until it's done with you, where the ghosts are frightening enough but the real danger comes always from other people. The simmering terror of every tightrope walk of a conversation with racists will have you tense as hell knowing how wrong it can all go. The characters are so layered and well-drawn that you'll feel every moment of hope and heartache along with them, with each moment so realistically drawn that it's crushing to experience it all along with them.
Everyone should read this.
My thanks to Gallery/Saga Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

In June 1950 twelve year old Robbie Stephen’s has been sentenced to six months at a segregated reform school for boys. He had kicked the son (Lyle) of the largest, richest landowner. The reform school is called the Reformatory. Robbie was only protecting his sister Gloria from Lyle who had his eye on Gloria not for a good reason. Their dad is in Chicago because he had been forced to leave when the house he was building was burned down. The father was trying to improve life for his people even causing a strike that ended up becoming a riot. People were killed. He left his daughter and son under the care of an eighty three spinster with one eye blind. After three weeks they went back to their old house to live. When Robbie is at the Reformatory, he finds that he can hear the “haunts. He also thinks he can talk ro his dead mother through the pipes in the shower. Robbie is lucky that he gets assigned tp the kitchen. He is afraid he made end up there longer than six months. He sees the bodies of boys being attacked and killed.in the past. They want to be release from the reform school. Can Robbie help the haints? Will Robbie only be there for only six months? Gloria in the meanwhile is trying to get Robbie released from the reform school. Will she find a Lawer who can help her?
This novel is a haunting story to read. It is historical fiction. You will see the terrible horrors of racism and injustice for the living at the reform school. In mid-20th century, it is the Jim Crow atmosphere in the South. Friendships that are helpful for one to stay alive in the school. The supernatural-fantasy genre as well as elements of the author’s own family history (the book is dedicated in part to her great-uncle, who died at Dozier in 1937) to this vividly realized page-turner, which is at once a ghost story, a white-knuckle adventure, and an illuminating a look back at a shameful period in America.

So sad, so moving
This book was really hard to read. The dedication mentions a relative who dies in a reformatory similar to the one in the title, so I knew, although it was fiction, it could have been true. The casual racism and "spare the rod" racist- and class-based mentality was tough to take. I had to stop after 1/4 of the book was read, read something lighter, go back for another 1/4 and continue this until it was finished. I also was waylaid by some historical events mentioned, like Rosewood, which should be included in every history class in the US, especially its state of Florida. In fact, it should be on Florida high school reading lists. But, I guess I am dreaming there,
This is really excellent. I hope it gets the attention it deserves.

This book, set in Florida during the Jim Crow era, is a powerful and compelling novel. It is historical horror, but more than that, it is a haunting tale of racial injustice, resilience, and survival. The Reformatory is definitely not an "easy" read, and trigger warnings regarding abuse abound. There are elements of both supernatural and VERY real horror, and I was struck by both being unable to put it down and wanting to look away from what was on the page. All in all, a harrowing and suspenseful read.

I don't even know if I have the words to describe this book. It is searing, powerful, and painful - I had to take breaks every so often because it was so difficult to read. Knowing the author's own family history with the real-life Dozier School for Boys made it even sadder, really. It was heartbreaking and yet still ended with a sense of hope and happiness. I would highly recommend this book to anyone - it's one of the best I've read all year.

Describing this book as a historical horror novel is a little misleading for Tananarive Due’s newest title. While there are ghosts in the plot, the scary part of this book is the historical truth behind the atrocities that occurred at the real life Dozier school in the era of Jim Crow Florida. The author represents own voices by basing the story on her very personal and real life family history making the reading experience of The Reformatory a haunting tale on another level.
The story begins as Gloria and her 12 year old brother, Robbie, are living in poverty in the panhandle area of Florida after their mother’s death. Their father is forced to flee Florida in order to escape being accused of crimes he didn’t commit as the white people in the area try to silence his efforts for black rights. When Gloria and Robbie cross paths with their white, privileged neighbor,Lyle, he makes an unwanted advance at Gloria and Robbie comes to her defense. These actions cause Robbie to be charged with a crime and sent to a notorious reform school for boys known for its abusive treatment resulting in the death of many boys. As Gloria races to find a way to save Robbie from this unlawful imprisonment, he must fight for his survival without losing hope.
A heart breaking and compelling novel whose characters are believable. The reader is transported to Jim Crow Florida through the child narrator who leads us on a harrowing and bleak adventure. A powerful mix of history and fiction with elements of both supernatural and real horror. Written with themes of racial injustice, resilience and perseverance, the author shines light on continuing issues of today. The book was impossible to stop reading as suspense leads to a crescendo that stayed with me long after the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Book for the opportunity to review this title.

It took me a while to get through this one, not because it wasn't a good story told by a good storyteller, but because the story itself was so disturbing. The plot was unique and engrossing but the subject was very heavy and I almost dreaded picking it back up to read. It's an important story to tell and kudos to Ms. Due for her masterful writing. I wish I could have enjoyed it more. My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.