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A review by mmcloe
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
Very very very very good
I'm still haunted by a single footnote in the middle of the novel where Simon begs the reader to not look down but to help him. I'm thinking a lot about the tension between authors, audiences, and the victims of spectacle and the ways in which the former two are responsible for harming the latter, even if passively. How can I, as a reader, possibly help Simon? And what does it mean for an author to put these characters in such a pleading position? Who are the people outside of the text who are undergoing similar violences and how can we stop them from being victimized?
I'm still haunted by a single footnote in the middle of the novel where Simon begs the reader to not look down but to help him. I'm thinking a lot about the tension between authors, audiences, and the victims of spectacle and the ways in which the former two are responsible for harming the latter, even if passively. How can I, as a reader, possibly help Simon? And what does it mean for an author to put these characters in such a pleading position? Who are the people outside of the text who are undergoing similar violences and how can we stop them from being victimized?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Racial slurs, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide