Chain-Gang All-Stars

DEBUT Adjei-Brenyah’s propulsive debut novel (after the short story collection Friday Black) introduces a viciously dystopian alternate United States, pitting the public’s insatiable appetite for violent sports against individuals caught in the web of the prison industrial complex. In this chillingly familiar world, incarcerated individuals are abused to such an extent that they agree to join the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, becoming gladiators and engaging in televised death matches. Two fan favorites, Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker, make headlines, captivating viewers with their formidable battle skills and their tender relationship off the field. Thurwar is two matches away from freedom, and Staxxx will soon attain the rank of Colossal, but both know that nothing is certain. The affecting portraits of Thurwar and Staxxx are augmented with stories of other incarcerated people, from Hendrix “Scorpion Singer” Young, who fights so that his voice can be heard, to Simon J. Craft, whose last shred of humanity is destroyed through torture. Adjei-Brenyah offers a piercing commentary on the privatization of prisons, disparate treatment of BIPOC individuals within the penal system, and the ghoulish celebration of televised pain.