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PBS News Hour

Colson Whitehead on 'The Nickel Boys,' fantasy vs. realism

Pulitzer-winning author Colson Whitehead’s latest novel, “The Nickel Boys,” is based on the true story of a boys’ reform school in the Florida Panhandle that became notorious for horrific abuse. Jeffrey Brown sat down with Whitehead recently to discuss why the topic drew him in, the choice between realism and fantasy in his books, his evolving career and worries about the American cultural moment.