Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Exciting Great Gatsby reboot with queer, Black characters.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When THE GREAT DISILLUSIONMENT OF NICK AND JAY begins, Nick is a 17-year-old Black teen living in Oklahoma. His father writes for a Black newspaper. After the Tulsa race massacre, Nick wants to leave town, so he heads to New York where his cousin Daisy lives. Upon arriving, he applies for entry into a private school known for its commitment to integration, hoping to study journalism. He finds that Black students are mostly tracked into blue-collar and service training, but a friendship with the co-founder's son, Jay, who has a Black mother, creates new possibilities for him.
Is It Any Good?
This is a fun journey, whether or not a reader knows The Great Gatsby. In The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay, author Ryan Douglass paints characters who are both sympathetic and admirable. He expands on Fitzgerald's theme of how wealth and power can lead to corruption by exploring heterosexual privilege, racism, colorism, and tokenism in addition to money and class. The author occasionally slips into language that feels like it belongs in the 2020s and not the 1920s, but aside from that, this inspired retelling will enchant readers who like historical fiction, classics, and queer romance.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the theme of privilege in The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay. What privileges do the main characters enjoy? What privileges are not available to them? How do the characters maintain their integrity while navigating the way the world treats their class, skin color, race, geographic difference, and sexuality?
What are some of the different ways the main characters show courage—physically, socially, and emotionally? What kind of courage do you think is hardest to muster?
How does gratitude influence the characters' choices and self-concept? What are you grateful for?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Activism ( Racial justice ) , Friendship , History
- Character Strengths : Courage , Gratitude , Integrity
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Harper Collins Publishers
- Publication date : January 27, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 18
- Number of pages : 384
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : February 27, 2026
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