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A review by kenziemick
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
5.0
Part dystopian/sci-fi novel, part stinging social commentary, this was a DEEPLY violent, claustrophobic, and disturbing read. That being said, it’s one of the more important commentaries I’ve read in a long time, and I am looking forward to thinking about it and discussing it with other folks.
At its heart, this book strives to answer the question “who or what is meaningful, and at what point is that value reduced?” The narrative focuses on two characters, gladiators fighting to earn their freedom from prison, who find themselves seeking peace in each other. You also get glimpses as life as a spectator of the gladiator sport, some history behind its founding, and peeks into the folks who created and manage the idea.
The writing is beautiful, with amazing uses of personification and metaphor. Each character has a unique and identifiable voice, and the author plays with a number of text styles and formatting to convey meaning. I did not have a *fun* time reading this, but it was an important read, and one I’m sure to recommend often.
At its heart, this book strives to answer the question “who or what is meaningful, and at what point is that value reduced?” The narrative focuses on two characters, gladiators fighting to earn their freedom from prison, who find themselves seeking peace in each other. You also get glimpses as life as a spectator of the gladiator sport, some history behind its founding, and peeks into the folks who created and manage the idea.
The writing is beautiful, with amazing uses of personification and metaphor. Each character has a unique and identifiable voice, and the author plays with a number of text styles and formatting to convey meaning. I did not have a *fun* time reading this, but it was an important read, and one I’m sure to recommend often.