Chain Gang All Stars

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of graphic violence, racism, and gender discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What were your overall impressions of Chain-Gang All-Stars? Which elements of the novel were most striking to you, and why?

2. Compare and contrast Chain-Gang All-Stars to Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s short story collection Friday Black. Discuss the narrative and thematic parallels between Adjei-Brenyah’s titles. If this is your first experience reading Adjei-Brenyah, are you interested in reading more?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Consider the novel’s basic premise: the choice its protagonists are given to serve out their sentence as Gladiators. What would you do in their situation?

2. The novel pairs sequences of violence with themes of love and forgiveness. How did you feel about its treatment of these themes? Do you personally feel some things are unforgivable? 

3. Which characters’ story resonated most with you, and why?

4. Do you typically enjoy reading dystopian novels like this one? Why or why not? Why do you think they have enjoyed such a surge in popularity in the 20th and (especially) 21st centuries.