One part dystopian speculative science fiction, one part social commentary on systemic racism and the flawed American prison system, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-Gang All-Stars is an ambitious narrative that attempts to cover a lot of ground in <400 pages. Despite the book’s summary focusing on Loretta Thurwar and her survival with her partner and fellow chain member Hamara Staxxx, Chain-Gang All-Star reads more like a collection of short stories. Loretta and Hamara’s narrative only make up about 1/3 of the book’s content, the rest is devoted to over a dozen different characters and various perspectives covering the CAPE program. These perspectives include those of program participants, show producers, host and commentators, prison staff, abolitionist protestors, viewers, etc. The large scope of these various characters and the ambition behind Adjei-Brenyah’s commentary is ambitious and is well-designed to spark open conversations about topics in the book. Despite the great intention and ambition behind its pages, unfortunately I found the actual novel/story portion of the book to be disjointed and difficult to get into. For me, Chain-Gang All-Stars is at its best when it focused on Thurwar and Staxxx’s experiences which are compelling and interesting. The character psyche and gray morality of various…
