Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

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

68 reviews

ellen_is_reading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

This book is stunning.

Through the lense of a high-action murder game show this book delivers a sharp criticism of the American penal system. By using such an extreme framing point, we are shown all of the ways that the penal system has failed, continues to fail, and could fail in the future. 

Incredibly human characters which force you to question your own complicity and limits of what kinds of punishment can be tolerated. 

Rooted in real statistics and structures of the modern justice system,  this story highlights racial disparities, harsh punishment practices, and all the ways that prisoners are seen as less-than and allowed to be harmed for it. 

I will be thinking about this book and it's message for a very long time. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Sexual content

leannanecdote's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

crazybookworm31's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book was an incredibly gripping story, I had trouble putting it down even once, I was so wrapped up in the characters and the plot, I never wanted to let it go.
The story is grueling and painful, but the short chapters and many perspectives offers a bit of reprieve that kept this from being outright depressing. The character Staxxx acts to raise the morale of the other characters within the text, but she did the same for me too, making me laugh when I wanted to cry.
The story is a scathing indictment of the American prison system, one well deserved, and the horror comes not just from the concepts of the story, but by how close it feels to being reality. The horror of knowing we could become this held me the entire way through.
The story is told in many perspectives, something I had to get used to at first, but once I had, it was a breath of fresh air, a bit of creative story telling that is hard to find in published fiction. I greatly enjoyed the author's voice and writing style, the differences between characters voice, the way I could tell who was narrating, not just by the chapter title, but by their own brand of narration. That shows a great bit of talent and skill from the author, which I absolutely applaud.
Is this book sad? Upsetting? Makes you want to be sick? Absolutely. Is it one of the best fiction books I've ever read? Abso-fucking-lutely. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Racism, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Self harm, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism

Non-linear story telling, unreliable narrator(s),

anti-black racial slurs, nazis, graphic depictions of physical and psychological torture, brain-breaking

shaynicole's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

emfass's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

I'm reviewing this months after the fact and I still don't know how to talk about this book. I was gutted and stunned and so affected by this writing and these characters and the world that Adjei-Brenyah created, which feels like it could be just a few months away. Brilliantly presenting ideas of abolition and social justice through a narrative, fictional story. I was blown away.

It took me a while to drop in to the kaleidoscope format of storytelling, but I looooooved it. How does this world affect all these different people who have different relationships to the Chain Gang All-Stars machine. 

The narrators did a phenomenal job: Shayna Small (main narrator), Aaron Goodson (Hendrix Young), Michael Crouch (Simon J. Craft), Lee Osorio (Gunny Puddles)

This is on my list of best books I've ever read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual assault, Grief, and Lesbophobia

lokes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Dysphoria

oliviainthepink's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Transphobia

Minor: Domestic abuse and Rape

obviousidentity's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Torture, and Police brutality

Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Injury/Injury detail

aducharme4's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Classism

jcreads85's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, and Police brutality

Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Toxic relationship