Elwood Curtis has taken the words of Dr Martin Luther King to heart: he is as good as anyone. Abandoned by his parents, brought up by his grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But one innocent mistake is enough to destroy his future, and so Elwood arrives at The Nickel Academy, which claims to provide physical, intellectual and moral training. A devastating novel - based on true events - of a hellish American reform school.