Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

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

192 reviews

joensign's review

challenging dark tense slow-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Police brutality, Racism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Suicide, Child death, Murder, Torture, and Death

Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Body horror, and Domestic abuse

wormgirl's review

dark sad 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Torture

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, and Self harm

Minor: Slavery, Police brutality, Suicide, and Rape

mthay's review against another edition

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Confinement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Racial slurs, and Racism

rainbopagn's review

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.     

---

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

carlycompton22's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.0

A critical look at the dire situation of our prison system in the context of a grotesque near-future world that seems all too possible in today's entertainment and political environment. This book makes you examine your own preconceived notions about right and wrong, justice and freedom, and how our society views and treats those incarcerated for serious crimes.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racial slurs, Gore, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Police brutality, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Torture, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Homophobia, and Blood

machenn's review against another edition

dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Slavery, Murder, Cursing, Police brutality, Confinement, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

alittlegreenbean's review

dark emotional medium-paced

5.0

A MUST READ. the varying povs were great at showing how how the everyday person can become complicit in an unjust system and how easy it is to become indoctrinated. the real life statistics were a powerful addition, forcing the reader to see the parallels between this satirical society and our carceral system today.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Homophobia, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

maggieperrien's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is so complicated. But it is so well done. The anuthor has satirized  a world where death-row prisoners battle to the death to eventually be freed as Links in a Chang-Gang. And in this world the carceral system is making even more money off of inmates as they have monetized the sport, the related reality TV shows and the Links (the contestants) have sponsorships. 
This book shows the very worst that is possible from humans when we stop seeing the humanity in each other. But it does so is such a thought provoking way. The Links are all murders and/or rapists - they have done bad things but then have the opportunity to be immortalized as heros in the blood-sport matches. The book’s chapters change character POV from Links, prison owners, prisoners families, even fans - this makes the book interesting and allows the reader a varied perspective as they have to decide what is good and bad. 
This is a hard read, there is violence and it’s a grim look at the human condition but also interspersed are footnotes of real carceral system facts which makes this book so important and so sad. Although it was a tough read I still highly recommend. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, and Slavery

princess_marie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Torture, Death, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs, Suicide, and Self harm

Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse

emmaline09's review

adventurous emotional 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality and Violence

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault