Reviews tagging 'Classism'

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

38 reviews

jonezzzing's review

challenging emotional fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This is a masterful examination of American incarceration through an abolitionist lens. 
The footnotes were unexpected and a beautiful and heartbreaking way to weave reality into this story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

Minor: Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Rape, Classism, and Racism

smileymiley550's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Body horror, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Grief, Police brutality, Gore, Racism, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Self harm

mthay's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Confinement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Racial slurs, and Racism

hspooner8's review

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Suicide, Classism, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, and Slavery

otakatoe3's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Grief, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Emotional abuse

azureumbreon's review against another edition

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Violence, Death, Confinement, Torture, Police brutality, Classism, and Dementia

Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Racism, Racial slurs, and Cancer

kaitlinreads17's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I rate this book a 6

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Classism, Suicide, Sexism, Racism, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Torture, Gore, Grief, and Police brutality

christinesmith205's review

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Sexism, Murder, Racism, Torture, Gore, Rape, Confinement, Death, and Violence

Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Slavery, Classism, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse

lisacanteven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was way out of my comfort zone, but I think I did well with it. CGAS is a character driven story that takes us through an alternate future (or is it?) of what the beast of the prison industrial system becomes, where inmates fight each other gladiator style to the death for three years to earn their early freedom. The reader is left with the question, does prison really reform a person if they are forced to kill others for sport? This book just proves that prison is not about reforming a person; it never has been. In this future, prison evolves to be about entertainment for the masses. Prison is no longer just about slave labor and capital punishment- now there is sport about it. 

Each chapter is aptly named instead of numbered- most chapters are pretty short. Each chapter also contains a specific POV, one that takes a little bit of reading into the chapter before you figure it out. I felt like the first half of the book I was being introduced to new characters every few chapters just to never hear from them again. This is the reason I couldn't give CGAS a perfect rating. I just felt lost sometimes. Even at the end of the book, I had to read the ending a few times just to make sure I had a solid grasp on how it ended. 

As far as character development goes, this was brilliantly done. I felt like I was there with the characters at times, and because of this I feel like a sequel would be great. There is much more to do in this alternate future (hopefully) to do to make things right. 

What I did find very unique to this book was the footnotes. The author included footnotes, some related to the story, while some were plucked from our reality and given as facts to educate the reader on just how close this is to becoming our future. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Police brutality, Blood, Grief, Racial slurs, Classism, Death, Murder, Gore, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Torture, Body horror, Racism, Self harm, and Violence

Moderate: Hate crime, Misogyny, and Racism

emily_koopmann's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Sexual content, Ableism, Physical abuse, Blood, Racism, and Death of parent