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

A review of Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei Brenyah.

Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America's own.

Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America's increasingly dominant private prison industry. It's the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom.

In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death-matches for packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games, but CAPE's corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar's path have devastating consequences.

Moving from the Links in the field to the protestors to the CAPE employees and beyond, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system's unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means.

[jaimee-kate]

Interesting! I've seen several people that share your opinion and I totally see that, but for me it hit in the most perfect way. I felt that the writing style was more blunt than the usual lit fic book, which normally I wouldn't prefer, but it felt unique and captured the tone perfectly. Idk, I just felt the emotion hard and it ended up being a huge hit for me.

[benreadsgood]

Interesting review! I enjoyed it a lot more than you did, but I get your perspective. For me the nuance was in what it was saying beyond the prison commentary - I think there were more subtle messages about celebrity and fetishism baked in. And the footnotes and metacommentary elevated it too.

But always a pleasure to hear you talk about books!

[alisonhood]

Really enjoyed your review, it was a DNF at the mid point for me. Great idea for a book I thought it was so unique but it felt really laboured for me. I agree would make for a great movie or TV show.

[Walkthway]

Good review, I was on the fence on whether to give this book a go because it seemed overhyped. I'll give it a go on audiobook for my commute.

[aboutmygirls]

Great review even though I have a couple different views. Thanks for sharing!

[ROBERTCONQUERORROBERTS]

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