Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

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

9 reviews

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. 

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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

ribbenkast's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is not subtle. It blends harrowing real live statistics about the (American) prison system, racism and general bigotry with extremely well done speculative fiction of where this might lead us in the future. It makes its point loud and it makes its point wel.

On top of this, the book is just so well written. The characters are lifelike and complicated, the plot fits tightly together, the prose is strong. Everything is just done right. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

ember13's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Trafficking, and Abandonment

taracloudclark's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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

Just Mercy and Hunger Games had a baby and Handmaid’s Tale and Unwind looked on at the christening. Beloved looks down from heaven in approval. 

What an action-packed, hard truth story! And a fantastic depiction of what might actually come about if current societal sins go unchecked. 

Narrators were incredible, giving even more humanness to these already hyper human characters, a rawness that is felt in the core. 

May God have mercy on our souls. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

5.0

In a near future dystopia, America has now monetized 'hard action sports' wherein incarcerated people participate in battle royal style murdering to be released from their sentences early. It intersperses real historical facts against this jarring dystopian world of societal failure. The absurdity of society in this book highlights how truly not far off we are from it. In this world, Americans watch and cheer on their favorite incarcerated competitors as they murder each other in sports stadiums broadcasted on TV behind a paywall. It highlights how many people in prisons could be in there for something as simple as having weed, to a mistaken sentence, to murdering their rapist but they are all treated equally horribly in the eyes of the prison. It shows how the prison reform system is not helping communities or addressing route problems but instead tears apart families and essentially exploits incarcerated people for forced labor.

This book should be a must-read for everyone, not only is it extremely well written and truly leaves you feeling a large range of emotions while exploring different perspectives but it is also educational and thought-provoking. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

glammster's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

jennaviolet's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship

jakobmarleymommy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, and Murder

readsandsuch's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault