First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Staxxx” Stacker are the stars of the 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 the Chain-Gangs, competing in death matches before 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, Thurwar 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.

In CAPE, prisoners travel as Links in the Chain-Gangs, competing in death matches before 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, Thurwar 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.

Happy Friday everyone! Well, it is already Saturday so, happy Saturday everyone! It is time to unwind after a long week at the office. I hope that everyone ended their workweek on a high note. After having damp days, the heat is finally returning here in Manila. And when I say heat, I mean the humid type. There are still occasional thunderstorms which somehow helped lower the temperature. Looking outside, it seems that today is going to be another hot day. Anyway, I hope that wherever you are in the world, you are keeping yourself warm and dry. More importantly, I hope that everyone is doing well, in mind, body, and spirit.

To close the work week, I am posting a new First Impression Friday update. In August, I indulged in the works of African literature. However, the time was rather short so I decided to extend it a bit, if only to cover the books that are part of my reading challenges. I spent the first half of August reading works written by Nobel Laureates in Literature which made me miss out on some of the books on the aforementioned lists. I am currently reading Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-Gang All-Stars, a book that I encountered while searching for books to include in my 2023 Top 10 Books I Look Forward To List. The book was part of similar most anticipated lists so it didn’t take much persuasion for me to include the book on my own list.

But one might ask, why is Adjei-Brenyah’s book forming part of my foray into African literature? The moment I encountered his name, I recognized his roots; the inclusion of “Kwame” in his name is indicative of his heritage. Sure enough, a quick research corroborated the fact that while his nationality is American, he has Ghanaian roots. Back while I was studying at university, I had a Ghanaian classmate who mentioned how they add the day of the week they were born to their name. In Adjei-Brenyah’s case, Kwame means Saturday. Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary-General was born on a Friday; Kofi is for Friday. So there you go.

But that’s enough trivia for today I guess and let me go back to the spirit of this post. Chain-Gang All-Stars is Adjei-Brenyah’s debut novel and is a work of dystopian fiction. It introduces Loreta Thurwar, the star of the titular Chain-Gang All-Stars Battleground. Just like the name implies, it is a battleground broadcasted on the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment channel (CAPE). It is the top-rated show on the said channel. So one might ask, is it akin to the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)? Somewhat I guess. But it is more barbarian, reminiscent of the gladiatorial battles in Rome’s Colosseum. It is a fight to the death.

The hammer-wielding Loretta Thurwar has earned her stripes, earning several victories under her belt. Her victories were anything but bloody. It should be noted that she is a prisoner, hence, the Penal in CAPE. As the story moves forward, we learn that Thurwar is one of the Links in a chain gang. A Link is a term used to refer to these combatants. Moreover, the Links within a chain gang don’t fight each other; they fight against other Links from other rival prisons. The most successful combatants earn notoriety. They become matinees and some even become sex symbols. The ultimate prize is a Freedom. To obtain that, the combatants must survive three years which is ironic because a Link’s average life span is rather short. In Thurwar’s case, she was two weeks away from being tagged as “Freed”.

It doesn’t take much of a genius to figure out that her last two weeks are going to be tumultuous. After all, Thurwar is CAPE’s top drawer and they are not going to release her as easily as that. At least, that is how I envision the story is going to be. I am midway through the book so anything is still possible. I already expect that the story is a scathing commentary on the penal system and on our unchecked consumerism. I came across a book that explored the same theme – in particular, our unchecked consumption of products where violence is involved – but it is slipping my tongue. Anyway, I expect a deep dive into these subjects, including the political overtones. The overall premise also reminds me a bit of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games Trilogy.

The footnotes that Adjei-Brenyah provided give more context although I feel like it diminishes the literary aspect of the story. I mean the readers should be allowed the space to research these subjects, such as the case of the 1944 state murder of 14-year-old George Stinney. This is a minor critique because I can sense that Adjei-Brenyah has a deep message to convey. Beneath this violent atmosphere is a developing love story. This provides more layers to the story. I hope to finish the book this weekend. How about you fellow reader? What book or books are you taking with you for the weekend? I hope you get to enjoy them. Again, happy weekend everyone!