Survivors from the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida formed support groups, which gave them the strength to contact the media about the years of abuse they’d suffered as young boys. After the media got involved the state of Florida allowed teams from the University of South Florida to investigate the school cemetery and exhume bodies for identification purposes.

Interviews, primary sources and detailed forensic techniques combine to give a view of the school that was eye opening because the town in which it was located knowingly allowed the abuse to continue over the years. To me this is similar to how towns, in which Nazi concentration camps were located, willingly allowed atrocities to happen with their full knowledge. It was interesting how the town of Marianna kept denying their culpability, when they were just as guilty in covering it all up for decades as were the school staff and the state of Florida.

Highly recommended for teens ages 14 and older, as well as for Adults.

Book review link: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2020/01/05/the-dozier-school-for-boys-f... ( )

I wanted to read something factual about the Dozier School after reading Coulson Whitehead's novel, Nickel Boys, and this book targeted at younger readers was what my local libraries had on hand. The prose is a bit dry, but there are photos and interesting sidebars throughout to break things up. And it did what I wanted, sating my curiosity on this ghastly topic.

Side note: Thanks to the one-armed school employee who participated in the student beatings, this is now the 16th book I've read this year -- the third this month -- to prominently feature an amputee. The unexpected trend continues. ( )