Chris's Reviews > Chain-Gang All-Stars

This novel is a revelation: so creative and so smart and so moving. A dystopian future in which criminals become gladiatorial bloodsport, hoping to "fight" their way to freedom in battles before a rabid TV and live audience that knows one convict will die in every match. The novel is a commentary on the flaws of the U.S. prison system, our cultural obsession with violent sports, and a deeply moving love story about the ties that bind (literally, in some cases) the chain-gang all-stars. And that ending? Never saw it coming. This novel is a gem. All the stars.