Chain-Gang All-Stars

Chain-Gang All-Stars (2023) is a dystopian satirical novel by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. In a dystopian near-future United States, incarcerated people facing either execution or 25-plus years of imprisonment can elect to become Gladiators in lieu of their original sentence. If they survive three years of death matches against other incarcerated people, they can be granted a pardon and rejoin society. Told through rotating perspectives, the novel exposes the violence that is woven through the penal system, entertainment sports, and capitalism itself while also exploring the possibility of redemption, love, and self-forgiveness as an alternative to the cycle of violence and self-loathing that is encouraged by the current penal system.

This guide refers to the hardcover edition published by Pantheon Books in 2023.

Content Warning: Chain-Gang All-Stars and this guide refer to graphic violence, murder, systemic racism, sexual assault, and suicide. Chain-Gang All-Stars contains racist language.

Plot Summary

In an alternate history version of the present-day US, incarcerated people who have received the death penalty or a prison sentence of 25-plus years can opt to instead participate in the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment (CAPE) program, wherein they compete in weekly televised death matches against other incarcerated people. If they survive three years in CAPE, by killing each of their opponents, they can receive High Freedom, a pardon for their crimes, and be released from incarceration.