sunkernplus 's review for:

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

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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

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Wow. This author has to be one of the best authors of science fiction since Octavia Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Isaac Asimov, but his style is all his own. An intense, evocative, experimental work, this novel hits you. It TEARS at you and decapitates you like Hamara Stacker's LoveGuile seen on the cover. And the commentary on how the police system and the "justice" system, through "docudramas" and reality TV influences (heh) your opinions on the incarcerated and makes you judge WHO deserves violence and often makes you an active participant in dehumanization is one of the most interesting themes I've seen in a book ever. Like, as someone who used to be addicted to true crime shows, it definitely shows you how a true crime fan can become desensitized to violence and start rooting on violence to be used against the "right" people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Police brutality, Murder

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence

Minor: Rape

One of the prisoners, Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker is revealed at some point in the book to have ended up in jail defending herself from a teacher attempting to rape her. Rape is also frequently mentioned, as there are prisoners in here, including Sunset Harkless, who have raped people. There is intense police brutality (probably the best I could describe it as as there's no trigger for "prison violence") involving security guards and other prison officials torturing inmates; special note is given to "The Influencer" in particular. Violence is frequent, and there is a fairly explicit description of how a minor character gained a self harm habit after her father slowly declined physically from cancer.