A review by nataliebootlah
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

What. A. Read.

Chain-Gang All Stars holds a mirror to the ugly parts of society. It centers around two women killing their way to freedom. How you ask? Through the live-action “sport” that incarcerated people can join in an attempt to regain their freedom. The catch? They’re literally fighting to death gladiator-style in an attempt to get out of prison. 

It’s a brutal, gruesome, thought-provoking, dystopian, thank-god-it’s-satirical perspective on the unchecked capitalism and systemic racism that go hand-in-hand with the prison system. Sound eerily familiar? Although it’s fiction, sometimes it feels like we’re heading towards something just as horrific. Adjei-Breyah does a brilliant job forcing us to look America’s incarceration problem directly in the face with this razor sharp novel. 
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