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A review by literaryintersections
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
“But, as always, the massive violence of the state was “justice”, was “law and order,” and resistance to perpetual violence was an act of terror. It would have been funny if there weren’t so much blood everywhere.”
If I could give this book 100 stars I would.
I brought Chain Gang All-Stars with me to Scotland not knowing how timely this book would be. Yes this book highlights a dystopian America that feels like it could be right around the corner - a privatized system that pairs corporal punishment with entertainment, pitting incarcerated people against each other in weekly “Death Matches” where only one can survive. This doesn’t feel too far off and Adeji-Brenyah confirms that with key footnotes highlighting the horrific ways our current system strips people of their humanity. But what struck me, especially reading this book during the humanitarian crisis in Palestine was the idea of freedom and if we can ever be free when our governments, systems, policies and practices can take our rights, our families, our lives at a moment.
The quote above really struck me - I actually put the book down and had to take a visible breath because this is happening right now. A state engaging in immense violence in the name of murdered citizens being looked at as justified while any type of resistance or protest is condemned. And we are witnessing this. We are watching it unfold, maybe not as entertainment but it’s everyday, consistent violence, gaslighting, us vs them rhetoric. A complete loss of humanity.
I never want to get to the world that is described in Chain Gang All-Stars. But I fear that in many ways we are already there. And there is so much blood everywhere.
This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Do yourself a favor and read it. You will learn something. Your ideas of punishment and criminal justice will be challenged or nurtured. And you will feel deep empathy and sadness: for the people in these pages (Loretta and Hamara and Hendrix and Simon and Sunset and Mari and Razor and Bells and…..) and for the people in our world currently being stripped of their humanity every second of every day. And you will be sad for yourself - being complicit in the systems that make this horrible world turn.
If I could give this book 100 stars I would.
I brought Chain Gang All-Stars with me to Scotland not knowing how timely this book would be. Yes this book highlights a dystopian America that feels like it could be right around the corner - a privatized system that pairs corporal punishment with entertainment, pitting incarcerated people against each other in weekly “Death Matches” where only one can survive. This doesn’t feel too far off and Adeji-Brenyah confirms that with key footnotes highlighting the horrific ways our current system strips people of their humanity. But what struck me, especially reading this book during the humanitarian crisis in Palestine was the idea of freedom and if we can ever be free when our governments, systems, policies and practices can take our rights, our families, our lives at a moment.
The quote above really struck me - I actually put the book down and had to take a visible breath because this is happening right now. A state engaging in immense violence in the name of murdered citizens being looked at as justified while any type of resistance or protest is condemned. And we are witnessing this. We are watching it unfold, maybe not as entertainment but it’s everyday, consistent violence, gaslighting, us vs them rhetoric. A complete loss of humanity.
I never want to get to the world that is described in Chain Gang All-Stars. But I fear that in many ways we are already there. And there is so much blood everywhere.
This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Do yourself a favor and read it. You will learn something. Your ideas of punishment and criminal justice will be challenged or nurtured. And you will feel deep empathy and sadness: for the people in these pages (Loretta and Hamara and Hendrix and Simon and Sunset and Mari and Razor and Bells and…..) and for the people in our world currently being stripped of their humanity every second of every day. And you will be sad for yourself - being complicit in the systems that make this horrible world turn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death, Gore, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Slavery