Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

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

17 reviews

rainbopagn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-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? Yes

4.75

This is a book that will make you rethink everything you feel and know about the American justice system. This should be required reading. The way you go back and forth between perspectives and the way they come together in the final pages... its beautiful storytelling. It is also vicious and violent, much like the real life justice system. The way the author pulls in real people and real statistics is an homage to those who have been unfairly and unjustly treated.  


SPOILERS in
3

2

1

I am more than a little pissed that Thurwar killed Staxxx. I had expected them to go out together, mortally wounding each other. I understand the meaning of the full circle moment but it still annoyed me.     

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Police brutality, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime

Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Ableism, Rape, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Infidelity

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Cursing

hspooner8's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Classism, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, and Slavery

lisacanteven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

4.0

This book was way out of my comfort zone, but I think I did well with it. CGAS is a character driven story that takes us through an alternate future (or is it?) of what the beast of the prison industrial system becomes, where inmates fight each other gladiator style to the death for three years to earn their early freedom. The reader is left with the question, does prison really reform a person if they are forced to kill others for sport? This book just proves that prison is not about reforming a person; it never has been. In this future, prison evolves to be about entertainment for the masses. Prison is no longer just about slave labor and capital punishment- now there is sport about it. 

Each chapter is aptly named instead of numbered- most chapters are pretty short. Each chapter also contains a specific POV, one that takes a little bit of reading into the chapter before you figure it out. I felt like the first half of the book I was being introduced to new characters every few chapters just to never hear from them again. This is the reason I couldn't give CGAS a perfect rating. I just felt lost sometimes. Even at the end of the book, I had to read the ending a few times just to make sure I had a solid grasp on how it ended. 

As far as character development goes, this was brilliantly done. I felt like I was there with the characters at times, and because of this I feel like a sequel would be great. There is much more to do in this alternate future (hopefully) to do to make things right. 

What I did find very unique to this book was the footnotes. The author included footnotes, some related to the story, while some were plucked from our reality and given as facts to educate the reader on just how close this is to becoming our future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Blood, Grief, Racial slurs, Classism, Death, Murder, Gore, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Torture, Body horror, Racism, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Hate crime, Misogyny, and Racism

pamelamoreno's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Gore, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Blood, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Gun violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Racism, Death, and Forced institutionalization

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

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

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Confinement, Self harm, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Mental illness, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Classism, Hate crime, Transphobia, Car accident, Gun violence, Infidelity, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Ableism

kevsunblush's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Hate crime, Child death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, and Suicide

biobeetle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Confinement, Suicide, Blood, Torture, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Racism

Moderate: Classism, Gore, Cursing, Slavery, Hate crime, and Grief

Minor: Cancer

maevedora's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Classism, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Slavery, Racism, Suicide, Torture, and Violence