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A review by alicia_simons
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was an incredible book. I found it to be very slow to read and difficult to pick up because of its heavy themes, but that doesn't take away from how incredible it is. The writing and writing style is amazing. The author gives each character such a distinct voice when writing from their POV, which could have been difficult with how many characters there are and how similar some of their stories are.
Goodreads, this is not a scifi. I personally would classify this as a dystopian and literary based on the writing. I can see why they called it a science fiction, but the very slim amount of very advanced technology was not enough for me to call it that.
The themes in this book are heavy and dark and founded in truth. The described prison system is overtly racist and messed up. It feels very dystopian and is very much dystopian in having prisoners fight for their freedom like gladiators on live tv. However, at it's core, the system is based on the current American prison system and it is frightening to think that this could be possible. It was gross reading the reaction of the American population in watching prisoners murder each other on the media as a sport and turn them into a form of celebrity. Reading the sections about the husband and wife watching at home made me uncomfy, but that was the point.
This was an eye opening read and hard to read at times, but I'm glad I took the time to sit with it and listen to what it was trying to say.
Goodreads, this is not a scifi. I personally would classify this as a dystopian and literary based on the writing. I can see why they called it a science fiction, but the very slim amount of very advanced technology was not enough for me to call it that.
The themes in this book are heavy and dark and founded in truth. The described prison system is overtly racist and messed up. It feels very dystopian and is very much dystopian in having prisoners fight for their freedom like gladiators on live tv. However, at it's core, the system is based on the current American prison system and it is frightening to think that this could be possible. It was gross reading the reaction of the American population in watching prisoners murder each other on the media as a sport and turn them into a form of celebrity. Reading the sections about the husband and wife watching at home made me uncomfy, but that was the point.
This was an eye opening read and hard to read at times, but I'm glad I took the time to sit with it and listen to what it was trying to say.