Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

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

11 reviews

dominiq_ec's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I mean, this is just one of the best books I've read in a while. Considering another dystopian / apolalyptic favorite of mine, Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin, its so rooted in human rights issues in the United States, and is just dystopian enough to convince you that we may not see this come to fruition. But what if we do? How will you think? 

Spoiler

I thought that Thurwar and Staxxx both died at the end, but I was wrong and now my heart is broken.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Suicide, Cancer, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, Cursing, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Blood, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Torture, and Self harm

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Hate crime, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Car accident

I mean, this book does force you to take a relatively deep look at the United States penal system, which does include reading about the crimes some of these characters committed, as well as how they are (mis)treated by those that are responsible for their care. At the same time, these incarcerated folks are fighting to the death for entertainment's sake, so there's a lot of gory, violent descriptions. There is mentions of rape, but no graphic details. There is torture, and loss of life. It's a troubling book, so read with caution.

literaryintersections's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

“But, as always, the massive violence of the state was “justice”, was “law and order,” and resistance to perpetual violence was an act of terror. It would have been funny if there weren’t so much blood everywhere.”

If I could give this book 100 stars I would. 

I brought Chain Gang All-Stars with me to Scotland not knowing how timely this book would be. Yes this book highlights a dystopian America that feels like it could be right around the corner - a privatized system that pairs corporal punishment with entertainment, pitting incarcerated people against each other in weekly “Death Matches” where only one can survive. This doesn’t feel too far off and Adeji-Brenyah confirms that with key footnotes highlighting the horrific ways our current system strips people of their humanity. But what struck me, especially reading this book during the humanitarian crisis in Palestine was the idea of freedom and if we can ever be free when our governments, systems, policies and practices can take our rights, our families, our lives at a moment.

The quote above really struck me - I actually put the book down and had to take a visible breath because this is happening right now. A state engaging in immense violence in the name of murdered citizens being looked at as justified while any type of resistance or protest is condemned. And we are witnessing this. We are watching it unfold, maybe not as entertainment but it’s everyday, consistent violence, gaslighting, us vs them rhetoric. A complete loss of humanity.

I never want to get to the world that is described in Chain Gang All-Stars. But I fear that in many ways we are already there. And there is so much blood everywhere.

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Do yourself a favor and read it. You will learn something. Your ideas of punishment and criminal justice will be challenged or nurtured. And you will feel deep empathy and sadness: for the people in these pages (Loretta and Hamara and Hendrix and Simon and Sunset and Mari and Razor and Bells and…..) and for the people in our world currently being stripped of their humanity every second of every day. And you will be sad for yourself - being complicit in the systems that make this horrible world turn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death, Gore, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Slavery

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

sarahbeydoun's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Grief, Cursing, Sexual content, Murder, Gore, Body horror, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, and Medical content

lanid's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Suicide, Body horror, Gore, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Racism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, and Rape

poppers's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Torture, Violence, Death, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Racism

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Blood, Sexism, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Misogyny, and Colonisation

Minor: Rape and Self harm

nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

wow. one of those rare books that echoes way beyond an initial read and begs to be read again. brilliant and painful and hopeful. so much brutality and violence that it overwhelmed and numbed me by the end.

there were many, many layers and themes spinning and converging in this one and I’m not sure they were given the same space to unfold. the introduction of each of them in a dystopian sci-fi world that doesn’t seem very far away or fictional at all was awe-inspiring.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Murder, Death, and Blood

alexijai98's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I can’t say I enjoyed this book, because enjoyed isn’t the right word. But I couldn’t put it down. It broke my heart and made me laugh and made me cry. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Police brutality, Violence, Cursing, Death, Racism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery

hawk_just_hawk's review against another edition

I know it’s an important topic and is working is all towards abolition, but I couldn’t handle all of the sinking despair this was bringing up in me. I felt like even the winners would be losing somehow. 💔😰

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Toxic friendship, Torture, Confinement, Body horror, Gore, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Murder, War, Racism, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

sarahyjackson's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A vivid, visceral narrative that has just enough dystopian elements to make it speculative, and way more actuality to make the realism inescapable. 

If I were still a high school teacher, I’d assign this book. It manages to be both a condemnation of the American  prison industrial complex and a poem about violence, repair, suffering, & ethics. 

As comprehensive a story about abolition as I have read in a while. I’ll be thinking of Loretta & Hamara for a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Blood, Torture, Body horror, Racism, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Death, and Body shaming

Moderate: Antisemitism and Rape

Minor: Adult/minor relationship