Dave Davies

You know, I thought we would listen to a piece of tape from an NPR report. This is from 2012, a reporter named Greg Allen. And it's based on his conversation with a guy who survived Dozier named Jerry Cooper and what happened when he had committed some offense and was taken to the White House for some discipline. Let's listen.

You know, I thought we would listen to a piece of tape from an NPR report. This is from 2012, a reporter named Greg Allen. And it's based on his conversation with a guy who survived Dozier named Jerry Cooper and what happened when he had committed some offense and was taken to the White House for some discipline. Let's listen.

And that's from a report from NPR reporter Greg Allen about abuses at the Dozer School. The story has inspired the novel by our guest Colson Whitehead. It's called The Nickel Boys. That really is the way it happened, isn't it?

And that's from a report from NPR reporter Greg Allen about abuses at the Dozer School. The story has inspired the novel by our guest Colson Whitehead. It's called The Nickel Boys. That really is the way it happened, isn't it?

And that's from a report from NPR reporter Greg Allen about abuses at the Dozer School. The story has inspired the novel by our guest Colson Whitehead. It's called The Nickel Boys. That really is the way it happened, isn't it?

Right. And what would it do to a student's back to get 100 of those kinds of lashes delivered with that kind of force?

Right. And what would it do to a student's back to get 100 of those kinds of lashes delivered with that kind of force?

Right. And what would it do to a student's back to get 100 of those kinds of lashes delivered with that kind of force?

We're listening to my interview with Colson Whitehead. His novel The Nickel Boys has been adapted into a film of the same name, now in theaters. We'll hear more of the interview after a break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.

We're listening to my interview with Colson Whitehead. His novel The Nickel Boys has been adapted into a film of the same name, now in theaters. We'll hear more of the interview after a break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.

We're listening to my interview with Colson Whitehead. His novel The Nickel Boys has been adapted into a film of the same name, now in theaters. We'll hear more of the interview after a break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.

So a lot of kids were beaten and there are a lot of stories about this. Do we believe that kids were murdered?

So a lot of kids were beaten and there are a lot of stories about this. Do we believe that kids were murdered?

So a lot of kids were beaten and there are a lot of stories about this. Do we believe that kids were murdered?

Right, or get the flu. We should note that no one has been criminally accused of killing anybody there. Of course, a lot of this happened decades ago, and so the evidence isn't easy to acquire, and some of the perpetrators are now deceased. The kids did work and produce stuff. Was the school a source of profit for some local people?

Right, or get the flu. We should note that no one has been criminally accused of killing anybody there. Of course, a lot of this happened decades ago, and so the evidence isn't easy to acquire, and some of the perpetrators are now deceased. The kids did work and produce stuff. Was the school a source of profit for some local people?

Right, or get the flu. We should note that no one has been criminally accused of killing anybody there. Of course, a lot of this happened decades ago, and so the evidence isn't easy to acquire, and some of the perpetrators are now deceased. The kids did work and produce stuff. Was the school a source of profit for some local people?

There are quotes from Martin Luther King in the story because they come from this record that Elmwood loved to play. And one of them you quote a couple of times and it's striking. It's in which King describes the nonviolent resistance and the importance of loving your oppressors. And kind of an abridged version of the quote is he says, throw us in jail and we will love you.

There are quotes from Martin Luther King in the story because they come from this record that Elmwood loved to play. And one of them you quote a couple of times and it's striking. It's in which King describes the nonviolent resistance and the importance of loving your oppressors. And kind of an abridged version of the quote is he says, throw us in jail and we will love you.

There are quotes from Martin Luther King in the story because they come from this record that Elmwood loved to play. And one of them you quote a couple of times and it's striking. It's in which King describes the nonviolent resistance and the importance of loving your oppressors. And kind of an abridged version of the quote is he says, throw us in jail and we will love you.