Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

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

45 reviews

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

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

joanna_banana's review

challenging dark emotional informative 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

5.0

I’d give this 6 stars if I could! It’s a work of genius. To wrap abolitionist principles and facts about the prison industrial complex in a novel with powerful characters you grow to love is an incredible feat. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah paints gruesome scenes with his words that are just one step further down our current reality of extractive late stage capitalist economy and torture factories that are American prisons. The commercialization of death and the “influencer” status the Links have is not surprising but such a skewering of corporate America. The Board room scene! Ah. The contrasting relationships and chapters from different perspectives added so much. He challenges what you may think about incarcerated people. The violence made me squeamish but it’s a wake up call to realize the violence exerted on primarily BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ people every day by soldier-police and the prison system. This is a must read. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Self harm, Racism, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Gore, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Torture, Grief, Confinement, and Violence

bites_of_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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

Speculative fiction has always been a favorite genre of mine. Here we see what could happen when the private carceral system meets with sports entertainment. The US carceral system is incredibly unjust in reality, and those injustices are magnified in this novel. We follow multiple characters, from the famous Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, who fight to the death as part of the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment program, to those who are rabid fans of this new sport, and also to groups of protestors who are trying to remind everyone that they are cheering for humans to kill each other for sport. 

There are so many levels at which this novel works so well for me. The writing was really well balanced, both describing the horrors that the prisoners have to go through as well as diving into the psyche of each character. I'll be thinking about Simon J Craft for a long time. 

This novel also gives the reader snippets of the reality that people in the carceral system have to go through. From the abuse of guards and torture by isolation to signing documents that seal their fate without having proper defense. Adjei-Brenyah is one author that I'll be following closely and I definitely want to read his short story collection as well. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Grief, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

emily_koopmann's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Sexual content, Ableism, Physical abuse, Blood, Racism, and Death of parent

amalas_bookstop's review

adventurous dark informative tense fast-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? Yes

3.5

Solid 3.5⭐️ rounded up.

Quick summary about this dystopian world. Imagine a reality where prisoners are given a pathway to total freedom. Catch is they have to fight to the death on a program called Criminal Action Penal Entertainment program, CAPE for short. I will warn this is a pretty violent book. From the first chapter to the last you are in battle whether in the ring or as a protestor.

There were some total wins, that I loved.

1. This book will open up tons of thought and conversation when it comes to capital punishment and our current criminal justice system. 

2. I really enjoyed the footnotes in this book. The author used them to explains laws, codes, facts about the prison facilities, and extra anecdotes about a murderd prisoner. It was really well done.

3. The book really reads like you were watching the games on tv. I could really see this book becoming a movie someday. It was a very entertaining read.

Some things that were missing in my opinion.

I wanted more back story or dialogue on the main characters in this book. While this book is very violent and heart wrenching at times, I had a hard time connecting all the way through. I think it was because the author focused more on the world and the message, that he did not give me enough about the characters. Some of the chapters were really short and hard for me to keep up sometimes. I read somewhere that the author started with short stories and that is evident in the book. Some of these chapters definitely read like a short story.

I would still totally recommend this book especially if you are someone who enjoys a dystopian read. I did have a good time reading this and the author did a really good job getting his message across. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Death, Police brutality, Body horror, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Racism, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Gore, and Murder

airguac's review

dark emotional inspiring 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 of parent, Murder, Torture, Self harm, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Racial slurs

izzy_v's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad fast-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Blood, Death, and Police brutality

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Confinement, and Racial slurs

Minor: Sexual harassment, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Sexual assault

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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