Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

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

152 reviews

pferdina's review

challenging dark informative medium-paced

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

4.0

The beginning was slow for me. I had trouble getting into the story. But I stuck with it and ended up feeling glad I’d read this. The story illustrates a lot that is wrong with our system, and predicts how that basic unfairness and exploitation could turn out in not very much time. Lots of footnotes containing statistics and real-life examples. 
The story itself is about the Chain Gangs made up of criminals forced to fight each other to the deaths a way of disposing of the excess of prisoners for the entertainment of the rest of society. A reality show embraced by millions. Horrible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Self harm, Mental illness, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Torture, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Blood, Death, Gore, and Sexism

Moderate: Self harm, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Cursing, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape

Minor: Racial slurs and Religious bigotry

rosebee00's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Rape and Transphobia

rnfortier's review

challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

4.75

Am intense read but one that so so important.
This book is grounded in the realities of our criminal justice system, so much so that it presents a future that seems not that far off given the rate of incarceration (particularly BIPOC) in the US.
Thoughtfully presented and so well researched, but the author humanizes his characters in such a tragic way you can’t help but love them as the wade through a murder forward “justice” system.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Medical trauma, Death, Body horror, Racism, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Racial slurs, and Sexual violence

jpalms0626's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

4.75

This book is so well done, and is such an interesting take on the US prison system. Definitely not a fun read, this is super heavy and gruesome and leaves you thinking a lot about the realities faced today. I really enjoyed the look into the lives of the characters (and the range of perspectives on this system and what goes through their minds as they justify it) and I loved the footnotes that remind you how much of the gruesomeness is actually factual. I struggled to grasp the ending, and the writing style wasn't always my favorite are my minor critiques. Highly recommend this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racial slurs, and Racism

marymwest's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Death, Murder, and Gore

aleyajo's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So enthralling! Excellent critique of the prison industrial complex. You cannot truly love if you have ownership over another. Masterful blend of the real with the almost-real, akin to the Handmaid’s Tale.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Blood, Confinement, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Mental illness, Police brutality, Self harm, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Murder, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Rape

amarks's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Racism, Suicide, Self harm, Racial slurs, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Blood, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization

joensign's review

challenging dark tense slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Police brutality, Racism, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Violence, Suicide, Child death, Murder, Torture, and Death

Moderate: Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Body horror, and Domestic abuse

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