crywithclaire 's review for:

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

4.75

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amazing. the only reason it’s not 5 stars is because a personal pet peeve of mine is when authors have one specific character that serves as a clear mouthpiece for their ideas. this character tends to break the fourth wall. mari is that character for adjei-brenyah, especially in the  TV interview scene about two-thirds of the way through. i feel like the most skilled of authors are able to seamlessly (and clearly) integrate their ideas without such a clear wall break. i found the footnotes extremely useful and important. that being said, i really appreciate his perspective and i think it’s a great take on what abolition really means. i can imagine this book is life changing for those previously unaware of the horrors of the US’ prison industrial complex. i highly recommend reading, especially if you’re “liberal but not a leftist” or unsure/uncomfortable with what prison/police abolition could look like.