Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

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

28 reviews

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

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Rape and Transphobia

rainbopagn's review

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.75

This is a book that will make you rethink everything you feel and know about the American justice system. This should be required reading. The way you go back and forth between perspectives and the way they come together in the final pages... its beautiful storytelling. It is also vicious and violent, much like the real life justice system. The way the author pulls in real people and real statistics is an homage to those who have been unfairly and unjustly treated.  


SPOILERS in
3

2

1

I am more than a little pissed that Thurwar killed Staxxx. I had expected them to go out together, mortally wounding each other. I understand the meaning of the full circle moment but it still annoyed me.     

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Police brutality, Violence, Body horror, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime

Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Ableism, Rape, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Infidelity

Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Cursing

kkayla113's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I really loved this book. This reminded me of a grown-up version of The Hunger Games. Not just because they involve people fighting to the death for the entertainment of others, but because of how they work as critiques of society. I really enjoyed the multiple viewpoints throughout the book which help give us a fuller picture of the prison system and how it fits into society. While a distortion of our reality, it is still grounded in our reality and I loved the usage of footnotes to remind us of that (and to give space to characters that by the narrative were not granted that space). A beautiful blend of fiction and social commentary.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Torture

Minor: Transphobia

ukponge's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Racial slurs, Murder, Grief, Rape, Police brutality, Slavery, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Suicide, Blood, Racism, Sexual harassment, Confinement, and Cursing

abladanyi's review

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Death

Moderate: Torture and Confinement

Minor: Racial slurs, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Transphobia, Police brutality, Forced institutionalization, and Racism

hasmith's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book was a dark and invigorating read. An expose on the darkest impulses of humanity and what we could become. It was dark, haunting, and seriously thought provoking. I was hooked from the start.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Transphobia, Racial slurs, Death, Sexual violence, and Murder

bites_of_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Speculative fiction has always been a favorite genre of mine. Here we see what could happen when the private carceral system meets with sports entertainment. The US carceral system is incredibly unjust in reality, and those injustices are magnified in this novel. We follow multiple characters, from the famous Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, who fight to the death as part of the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment program, to those who are rabid fans of this new sport, and also to groups of protestors who are trying to remind everyone that they are cheering for humans to kill each other for sport. 

There are so many levels at which this novel works so well for me. The writing was really well balanced, both describing the horrors that the prisoners have to go through as well as diving into the psyche of each character. I'll be thinking about Simon J Craft for a long time. 

This novel also gives the reader snippets of the reality that people in the carceral system have to go through. From the abuse of guards and torture by isolation to signing documents that seal their fate without having proper defense. Adjei-Brenyah is one author that I'll be following closely and I definitely want to read his short story collection as well. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Grief, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

julzbullard's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Torture

Moderate: Police brutality, Confinement, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual harassment, Racism, Rape, and Transphobia

rei_reads's review

challenging 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Racism, Violence, Self harm, Body horror, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Torture, and Suicide

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Grief, Homophobia, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual assault and Transphobia

dale1997's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Torture, and Confinement

Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Transphobia