Reviews with content warning for Racism - Chain-Gang All-Stars

Best book of the year, easily. Still can't stop thinking about it; maybe I never will be able to. Not the lightest read but scary, informative, and captivating. A must-read if you're in the right headspace to do so.

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corsetedfeminist's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This book ruined me.

I don't even know how to write a review of this book. Y'all just need to all go read it so we can sit around together with shattered hearts.

This story takes place in a far too recognizable future

America in which imprisoned people have been forced into televised gladiatorial combat to the death.

It is so realistic that the author studs the text with agonizing footnotes showing the facts he based his book on- the statute on torture. Real accounts of murdered Black people. The statute on the use of tear gas. The statistics on transgender people in prison.

All of the characters in this book are in depth to an endearing but painful level, but the characters who I came to love the most are definitely Thurwar and Staxxx- both black queer women. Thurwar, the strong but broken leader and Staxxx, who hides a soft heart beneath the tattooed X's marking every kill on her skin. Their romance is heartrending soft and healthy despite the circumstances and their tenderness with each other despite the harshness the world has shown to them broke my heart every chapter.

I also want to mention a somewhat minor POV character, Emily, who we watch over the course of the book as her boyfriend's love of watching the matches breaks her down from a general distaste to a careless disregard for life coupled while simultaneously being upset when Links die-but not so much as to let it keep her from enjoying watching future matches or getting distracted with her boyfriend.

In short- this should be a required read for everyone. It is a truly brilliant take down of the prison system, racism, and the police while humanizing the Black and Brown people that those systems teach us to fear.

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crusoe's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Chain-gang all-stars isn't a subtle commentary, but damn it, this is America and the train for subtlety passed ages ago. It is nuanced enough and although it takes a strong stance against incarceration, it doesn't shy away from the hurt that comes with that viewpoint.

Focusing on so many characters at once, unfortunately, does fragment the story significantly even if it's necessary to show all sides of the debate. The issue is that not all parts are equally strong.

The idea to put both real world statistics and character background information in the footnotes of the story was a brilliant find and more stories should include experimental aspects in their format like this that can enhance the story. Not only does it ground the fictional story in reality but because the format for fictional characters is the same as the factual information, your brain associates the fictional characters and their stories with reality. It raises the stakes and makes the story more real.

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trapdorr's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-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? No

3.75

I think I went in with too high of expectations. It’s an amazing premise and i thoroughly enjoyed the facts/statistics of our reality sprinkled into this not so unrealistic dystopia. However, the switching perspectives/storylines and timeline jumps pulled me out of the story and made it less enjoyable. I think maybe if I read the physical version it might have been a 4 star read. However I do think this is a concept/book I’ll think about in the future.

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fleur____'s review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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aceofmine's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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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raichoreads's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

5.0

Holy cow this was an emotional read. The earnest emotionality that came through this story and these characters was so intense for so much of this book. The strong abolitionist thread that included emphasis on forgiveness and empathy and the necessity of change brought me to tears a couple of times. I particularly appreciated the way that the author implicates the reader in being a consumer of Chain-Gang All-Stars, just like the society that we theoretically would condemn. It evoked a lot of self reflection for me and has me talking about this book with anyone who will listen. I loved the simultaneous resolution and also lack thereof.

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