I've wanted to read Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah since it was published in 2023, but I didn't have the courage to pick it up on my own. It's a challenging and complicated read, so I was grateful to discuss it with members of my book club this week.
The author creates a near-future world in which incarcerated people are incentivized to "enroll" in a system of violent competitions. The program has expensive production values, is heavily marketed as entertainment, and corporate sponsors are eager to support these fight-to-the-death matches. Although intended to be dystopian, it's sadly not outside the realm of possibility to imagine such activity actually occurring, given current events and trends.
The novel is heavy on plot with lots of action and descriptions of violence, but it's in support of the story. There's also strong character development for several members (links) of one chain and others who represent various perspectives of the general pubic. I found a few similarities to the Hunger Games series, but this will never be mistaken for YA literature.
I read this via audiobook, and the performances of Shayna Small, Aaron Goodson, Michael Crouch, and Lee Osorio were outstanding. Thank you to Libro.fm for complimentary access to the audiobook.
The author creates a near-future world in which incarcerated people are incentivized to "enroll" in a system of violent competitions. The program has expensive production values, is heavily marketed as entertainment, and corporate sponsors are eager to support these fight-to-the-death matches. Although intended to be dystopian, it's sadly not outside the realm of possibility to imagine such activity actually occurring, given current events and trends.
The novel is heavy on plot with lots of action and descriptions of violence, but it's in support of the story. There's also strong character development for several members (links) of one chain and others who represent various perspectives of the general pubic. I found a few similarities to the Hunger Games series, but this will never be mistaken for YA literature.
I read this via audiobook, and the performances of Shayna Small, Aaron Goodson, Michael Crouch, and Lee Osorio were outstanding. Thank you to Libro.fm for complimentary access to the audiobook.
