The Reformatory: A Novel

Written by Tananarive Due

Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

A New York Times Notable Book
“You’re in for a treat. The Reformatory is one of those books you can’t put down. Tananarive Due hit it out of the park.” —Stephen King

A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead.

Gracetown, Florida

June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.

The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Oct 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797160139

Tananarive Due

Tananarive Due (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is an award-winning author who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA. She is an executive producer on Shudder's groundbreaking documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, The Good House, and The Reformatory. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, coauthored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She is married to author Steven Barnes, with whom she collaborates on screenplays. They live with their son, Jason. 

Reviews for The Reformatory

[Nina Quartuccio · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You can not knock the writing and narration of this audiobook. There is not 1 moment that is lacking nor a miss. It is what it is, horrors brought to the black community thru prejudice and human stupidity. What is represented here is the worst kind of horror, the kind that is man made and bred thru generations of heretics to further a belief of inhumanity and injust causes that boggle the mind. Sad... but true, and probably mildly depicted, even at this level...it can rip you up. Ug...I'm exhausted... the word human is so meaningless when it comes to prejudice. Excellent audiobook...thank you to the author and an incredible job by the narrator. Horror has many forms but this is the worst.

[Rita Flowers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! I caught myself holding my breath in anticipation of what would come next. A sad moment in history.

[Abigail Lenz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wanted a Horror Book and I got just that. Only I was more afraid of Haddock then the ghosts.

[Donna Blackmon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely adore this author! I'm reading everything of hers - this is haunting, heart pounding & reflective. Will read again!!

[Pablem Roberts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love this book. Heart breaking and beautiful both at once

[luke.eigelbach · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. What a story. What a novel. Due's writing is as well orchestrated as a piano sonata, never hitting a sour note, and wound as taught as a piano wire. I devoured this book and when I wasn't actively listening to it I was looking forward to when I could next listen to it, desperate to find out what would happen to Robbie, Gloria, and the boys of the Reformatory.

[spamalam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One hell of a great story! Very well written and the reader was a perfect match.

[Barry Moorman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting and informative. Many twists and turns throughout and the characters (both heroic and villainous) were clearly drawn.

[cris · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, what a book. Narration was great and the story unforgettable.

[Charlette McRay Green · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent from start to finish! Well done! Well written. Five stars!

[Christa Schopf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Historical and suspenseful wonderful writing.
Along with heartwarming and a little bit scary

[The Opinionated Virgo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my first thriller/mystery/horror novel. I'm a bit of a chicken, and for that reason it took longer to get through than it otherwise would. But wow did it keep me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The writing was so right, the kind that makes you feel like you're right there with the characters along for every twist and turn. And the backdrop of the Jim Crow south made the horrors of the main story that much more horrendous. I highly recommend!

[Shantell Sugarfoot Turner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome read! Author and narrator bring these characters to life so vividly! After years of reading mostly self help and non fiction books, this was a great way to find my way back to fiction and it felt like balance. The ugly racist history of my own home state of Florida that doesn’t feel as much like history as it should and an amazingly descriptive fictional tale that snatches you up and keeps you as a willing captive. I finished in three days. I grew to love these characters. I knew them and I rooted for Robbie and Gloria and even Ms.Lottie in this troubling coming of age ghost story. Being all too familiar of Northern Fl where I’ve always felt the spirits of my own ancestors in the eerie trees… this story was so believable but I thank God it isn’t real. From the very beginning I wanted to burn the place down! Lol! Robbie and Gloria won’t soon leave my mind and heart! So excited to move on to the African Immortals series by Ms.Due! You have a life long fan!

[lyn Himes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book, I absolutely loved it. Couldn’t put down. Author’s description was best I have read in a long time.

[Katherine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is by far one of the best books I have ever had the privilege of reading. It’s breadth scope of the story take the reader to places unexpected. The narrator did an amazing job. I won’t forget this one!

[Jean Skillern · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such amazing writing. All emotions engulfed me listening to this book. I was so angry and sad. I was rooting for him. The fact that things like this actually happened had me enraged. I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book.

[Russell Walker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I could not stop listening! This story was very sad,happy, angering and hopeful. Works of fiction can educate and entertain….”The Reformatory” is proof!!

[Denise Peraza · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it!!! Tananarive Due does it again!! Amazing book! Highly recommend.

[Kelly Swainson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely incredible. I have chills now that I’m finished. If you’re debating starting, I’m here to tell you that you won’t regret it. A heavy, yet ultimately hopeful story. I can’t do it justice.

[Michele Roseland · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best I have read in a very long time. Captivating, emotional and exciting, this is a story that you just can’t put down.

[Melissa Knox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is how it was and still is. No justice.

[dan harrald · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What a horrible, whiney book. Such an interesting premise with a meaningless ending.