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We Carry Their Bones
We Carry Their Bones: The Search for Justice at the Dozier School for Boys | Erin Kimmerle
15 posts | 18 read | 25 to read
"With We Carry Their Bones, Erin Kimmerle continues to unearth the true story of the Dozier School, a tale more frightening than any fiction. In a corrupt world, her unflinching revelations are as close as we'll come to justice." Colson Whitehead, Pulitzer-Prize Winning author of The Nickel Boys and The Underground Railroad Forensic anthropologist Erin Kimmerle investigates of the notorious Dozier Boys Schoolthe true story behind the Pulitzer Prizewinning novel The Nickel Boysand the contentious process to exhume the graves of the boys buried there in order to reunite them with their families. The Arthur G. Dozier Boys School was a well-guarded secret in Florida for over a century, until reports of cruelty, abuse, and mysterious deaths shut the institution down in 2011. Established in 1900, the juvenile reform school accepted children as young as six years of age for crimes as harmless as truancy or trespassing. The boys sent there, many of whom were Black, were subject to brutal abuse, routinely hired out to local farmers by the schools management as indentured labor, and died either at the school or attempting to escape its brutal conditions. In the wake of the schools shutdown, Erin Kimmerle, a leading forensic anthropologist, stepped in to locate the schools graveyard to determine the number of graves and who was buried there, thus beginning the process of reuniting the boys with their families through forensic and DNA testing. The schools poorly kept accounting suggested some thirty-one boys were buried in unmarked graves in a remote field on the schools property. The real number was at least twice that. Kimmerles work did not go unnoticed; residents and local law enforcement threatened and harassed her team in their eagerness to control the truth she was uncoveringone she continues to investigate to this day. We Carry Their Bones is a detailed account of Jim Crow America and an indictment of the reform school system as we know it. Its also a fascinating dive into the science of forensic anthropology and an important retelling of the extraordinary efforts taken to bring these lost children home to their familiesan endeavor that created a political firestorm and a dramatic reckoning with racism and shame in the legacy of America.
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Nebklvr
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Pickpick

Trying to bring peace to families of the boys, the author and anthropologist names names. Peace was on the table but justice was not. There were many humans behaving badly and years of injustice. I enjoyed the information about the families and I am thankful at least some of them found closure.

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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

The Dozier School for Boys was essentially a juvenile detention center in Florida‘s panhandle. It ran from 1900 to 2011. During that time many boys were buried on site on Boot Hill in unmarked graves. Many died of mysterious circumstances. Boys who were released from the school reported abuse and neglect, yet the school kept operating.

The author is a forensic anthropologist asked by families to find the truth and get their boys‘ remains home.

Soubhiville I first heard of Dozier School in 7mo
Bookbuyingaddict Yes I read about this in the nickel boys I was horrified 😱and I believe none of the men who ran it were ever brought to justice ? The died of old age I believe , comfortably in their own beds 🛏️ so with any luck they are forever burning in hell for what they did to those poor babies 7mo
See All 9 Comments
AmyG Oh right…I thought it was from The Nickel Boys. 7mo
Hooked_on_books I thought this book was really good. I was appalled at the amount of pushback they faced in trying to do their work. 7mo
Soubhiville @Hooked_on_books I agree, it was so frustrating hearing about all the local officials blocking their attempts to investigate. 7mo
Soubhiville @Bookbuyingaddict You are correct, the perpetrators were I believe all dead before the dig began. There had been a previous investigation by the state, but they said there wasn‘t enough evidence and dropped it. 7mo
Soubhiville @TheAromaofBooks this was my April #bookspin! 🙂📚 I started my DS this afternoon. 7mo
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 7mo
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Kristy_K
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Pickpick

This focuses on many things: history, anthropology, sociology, true crime. All of which revealed something heartbreaking and angering.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Librarybelle On my to read list 7mo
Soubhiville I‘m reading this right now. 7mo
See All 9 Comments
Hooked_on_books This one is really good. 7mo
Kristy_K @Librarybelle I hope you like it! It was an important book about something I didn‘t know much about. (edited) 7mo
Kristy_K @Soubhiville How are you liking it? 7mo
Kristy_K @Hooked_on_books Agreed! I didn‘t know most of these details. 7mo
Soubhiville All of the red tape the families and authorities had to wade through to finally get to the dig was frustrating! I have just read about the first grave they exhumed. It‘s so well written, and incredibly sad that this place operated for so long. 7mo
Kristy_K @Soubhiville Completely agree! 7mo
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Soubhiville
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#Bookspin has spoken, and these are the two I‘ll be reading in addition to my bookclub and #authoramonth books for April. Thanks @TheAromaofBooks ! I‘m looking forward to both, even though they are both bound to be sad.😔📚🥰

TheAromaofBooks I'm not sure if my usual “Yay! Enjoy!“ is entirely appropriate 😂 But I do hope you enjoy them nonetheless haha 7mo
Megabooks I loved Sad Janet! I hope you like it too. 7mo
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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
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Mehso-so

An incredibly important subject, but I‘m not sure this is the best vehicle for educating others about it. Florida‘s Dozier School for Boys was a cruel place, and Kimmerle is a forensic anthropologist that assisted with exhuming graves and reuniting remains with families. While gutting and fascinating, the structure of this book often left me confused. Too bogged down with the bureaucracy of the work, the impact of this place gets lost. 3⭐️

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jackilynn
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Why does she do this to me?!! While an excellent book Nickel Boys was not the easiest read. Now she wants me to read a nonfiction book about it for book club?! 🤔😥 #cocktailsandcrimesbookclub

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FelinesAndFelonies
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Pickpick

This is the factual account of the grave recovery at the Dozier School for Boys by the archeologist that oversaw the excavation team. Her relationship with the victim's families & the survivors of the Dozier School added a unique depth. I thought the technical aspect was interesting as well but she mentions a lot of names & I felt like a lot of the accolades could have been saved for the acknowledgement section. ⭐⭐⭐💫

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catiewithac
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Pickpick

Kimmerle is the forensic anthropologist who led the excavations of unmarked graves at Florida‘s reform school for boys. For more than a century boys entrusted to the state were abused, exploited for labor, and sometimes murdered by their would-be caregivers. This is a grisly read. And it has haunted me. If you want to know the depths that slave cultures will descend to to protect their own give this a read. It‘s a page-turner!

JamieArc Hey Catie. Did my package make its way to you? I‘m nervous it didn‘t, and can‘t find the tracking receipt 😟 2y
catiewithac @JamieArc It did!!! I‘m working on thank you and return package! It was so thoughtful and beautifully wrapped. That book looks amazing! 2y
JamieArc @catiewithac Oh good! Glad the book looks good to you! 2y
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Forensic anthropologist Kimmerle worked with families of boys who died at the Dosier School for Boys in Florida to gain access to the property to try to find and return their remains to their families. This details her work toward this, including the numerous road blocks thrown up by the state. Heart-wrenching, but a terrific book. (This is the school that inspired Colson Whitehead‘s The Nickel Boys, I believe.)

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WorldsOkayestStepMom
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Pickpick

Heavy subject matter, but it needs to be talked about more. This is the second book I've read about the Dozier School & I'm still mad about how these boys were treated.

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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

The Dozier School for Boys was a horrific institution, located in Southern Florida, where boys were sent for all manner of reasons. From minor infractions or maybe just because they were disabled, many suffered at the hands of cruel staff and unjust practices which amounted to torture in many cases. In this book, Kimmerle documents her attempt to find some of the missing boys who died at the school under suspicious circumstances. Continued ⬇️

Chelsea.Poole The tagged book is based on this institution, scenes from which I remembered while reading the nonfiction title. Would be a great pairing together 2y
Christine OMG I was longing for a book like this after Nickel Boys! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. ❤️ 2y
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actualdisneyprincess
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I think I‘m going to regret reading this at work, because I know it‘s going to break my heart. But I‘ve got what are probably going to be a quiet few hours as I cover Children‘s, so. I‘m just going to have Kleenex nearby and my iced coffee to soothe me. #wecarrytheirbones #erinkimmerle #thedozierschoolforboys #history

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MaggieCarr
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Pickpick

This was my third book about a heinous school that destroyed the lives of so many children for over a century- all three will make you rage at the injustice of it all. I'll tag them in the comments for stacking. This one is written by the lead forensic anthropologist to begin reuniting the boys to their families through DNA testing.

MaggieCarr Against fierce opposition, a forensic anthropologist investigates the notorious Dozier School for Boys, revealing the true history of the events behind the Pulitzer prize winning novel The Nickel Boys. 2y
MaggieCarr A pictorial account of the disaster that was The Dozier School for Boys 2y
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Addison_Reads
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Pickpick

#NetGalley

Books like this need to be read, they need to be talked about, and we as humans need to do better. Places like the Dozier School for Boys should have never existed, and people shouldn't still be defending why they were "necessary." I'm thankful for those who fought to expose these terrible acts and bring some closure to the families of all the boys whose lives were taken from them.

This book is very informative and emotional.

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DrexEdit
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I know many people here admired Colson Whitehead's book The Nickel Boys. I saw this book in some promotional piece this past weekend. It's the real story of the Dozier School that Colson Whitehead's book is based on. Told by the forensic anthropologist investigating the deaths and identifying the bodies. Pub day is supposed to be tomorrow. #NewBook #PubDay

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