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

Left me with a lot to think about… still in shock and awe of this book. Nana Kwame created such a dystopian world that is not far off from our own. A difficult & hard read but brilliant in it’s own way.

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sarahweyand's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative 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

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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jmaci's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

I thought this book started to shine in the second half but jumped to a bit too many POVs for my liking. Incredibly important facts and creative dystopia/reality, and really enjoyed the parts that focussed on the main Chain

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kristinmasse's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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itsmarisag92's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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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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virtualdragonkitty's review against another edition

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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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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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