Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

4 reviews

ashylibrarian's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book is tough. A unique, dystopian look at the flaws of criminal justice system. This book is gross and heartbreaking and frustrating and beautiful and powerful beyond words. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Suicide, and Rape

el1ie's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Child death, Death, Violence, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Sexual violence, and Religious bigotry

sarah984's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"I seen men I knew were a danger to the world and they too deserve better than this." 

I don't even know what to say about this one. Brutal and honest, great character writing. A little bit of speculative fiction to shine a light on the horrors existing right now. In some places it feels a little "abolition 101" but overall the prose sings. Phenomenal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, and Self harm

Moderate: Medical content, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Blood, Gore, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Racism, Cancer, and Suicide

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Slavery, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Religious bigotry

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thanks to Pantheon Books for the free advance copy of this book.

 - How does one even begin to review a book like CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS? I knew Adjei-Brenyah's debut novel would be something to behold, and even then all my expectations were blown away.
- This is a sci-fi novel, but it's also an abolitionist text. The way something awful will happen to a character and then there's a footnote with the U.S. law that makes the action legal...whew.
- Adjei-Brenyah makes the reader stay in uncomfortable places, both of physical brutality and of mental work. The lines we like to draw between "good" and "bad" people are smashed here, with the aim to bring the whole system down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Suicide, Grief, Child death, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Self harm, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape