Chain-Gang All-Stars
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Chain-Gang All-Stars A Novel

The explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times-bestselling author of Friday Black, about two top women gladiators fighting for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America's own. Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE, or Criminal Action Penal Entertainment, a highly-popular, highly-controversial, profit-raising program in America's increasingly dominant private prison industry. It's the return of the gladiators and prisoners are competing for the ultimate prize: their freedom. In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in Chain-Gangs, competing in death-matches for packed arenas with righteous protestors at the gates. Thurwar and Staxxx, both teammates and lovers, are the fan favorites. And if all goes well, Thurwar will be free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. As she prepares to leave her fellow Links, she considers how she might help preserve their humanity, in defiance of these so-called games, but CAPE's corporate owners will stop at nothing to protect their status quo and the obstacles they lay in Thurwar's path have devastating consequences. Moving from the Links in the field to the protestors to the CAPE employees and beyond, Chain-Gang All-Stars is a kaleidoscopic, excoriating look at the American prison system's unholy alliance of systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and mass incarceration, and a clear-eyed reckoning with what freedom in this country really means from a "new and necessary American voice" (Tommy Orange, The New York Times Book Review).
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Photo of Amelia Hruby
Amelia Hruby@ameliajo
4.5 stars
Aug 10, 2024
Bold
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Daring
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p.@softrosemint
4.5 stars
Jul 3, 2024
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Abbie Duggan@abbieduggan
5 stars
Jul 1, 2024
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Christa Bell@christalouwho
3.5 stars
Jun 18, 2024
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Jordan@jordanfischerr
4 stars
May 28, 2024
Photo of Truman M Halladay
Truman M Halladay@tru__man
4 stars
Apr 26, 2024
Honest
Vibrant
Surprising
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Jacque@jacque_who
4.5 stars
Apr 8, 2024
Vivid
Tragic
Candid
Magnetic
Photo of Shohini Gupta
Shohini Gupta@shohini
5 stars
Feb 28, 2024
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Boothby@claraby
5 stars
Feb 18, 2024
Vivid
Convincing
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amanda s@mandasgn
4 stars
Jan 22, 2024
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Jenna Whitlow@jrayereads
4 stars
Jan 3, 2024
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garnet@garnettbs
5 stars
Jan 2, 2024
Photo of Ali Angco
Ali Angco@aliangco
4.5 stars
Dec 17, 2023
Bold
Layered
Suspenseful
Photo of halfmoon
halfmoon@halfmoon
3 stars
Sep 24, 2023
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Photo of Brandon Koenig
Brandon Koenig@brandonck
5 stars
Sep 15, 2023
Dark
Magnetic
Creative
Profound
Visionary
Remarkable
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Educational
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Apiecalypse Jen@chippedfang
4 stars
Sep 14, 2023
Photo of Hayley Sayre
Hayley Sayre@hayleyanne
5 stars
Aug 29, 2023
This review contains a spoiler
Intense
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Remarkable
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Photo of André Nóbrega
André Nóbrega@anobrega85
3 stars
Mar 1, 2023
Thought provoking
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Lydia Enge@lydianliterature
4.5 stars
Oct 30, 2024
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Sage McParland@sagemcp
4 stars
Sep 29, 2024
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Diane Calello@drdianec
4.5 stars
Aug 17, 2024
Original
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Thought provoking
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Marsh@marshkrueger
4 stars
Aug 5, 2024
Photo of Beecher Halladay
Beecher Halladay@beecher
4.5 stars
Jul 28, 2024
Daring
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Lindy@lindyb
2 stars
Jul 4, 2024

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