Reviews tagging 'Violence'

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

567 reviews

corsetedfeminist's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

virtualdragonkitty's review against another edition

challenging dark funny informative 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

A really interesting story commenting on the American prison system

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder

semicolon42's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Very tough, and entertaining and reflective.  Great characters.  Fun and horrifying. Very well written

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Violence

Minor: Child abuse and Rape

macintasha's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Police brutality

crusoe's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Sexual harassment

raiimundo97's review against another edition

adventurous 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

trapdorr's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual assault and Murder

elho's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

Minor: Suicide

aceofmine's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

Moderate: Sexual violence and Blood

raichoreads's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Torture, and Murder

Moderate: Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence

Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Blood, and Sexual harassment