Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah – författare

A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own in this explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Friday Black • LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE“This book is so good. Brutal subject matter, beautiful writing. This one is from the heart.” —Stephen KingA Best Book of the Year: The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Elle, Esquire, Chicago Tribune, Lit Hub, Kirkus Reviews“Like Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Adjei-Brenyah’s book presents a dystopian vision so…illuminating that it should permanently shift our understanding of who we are and what we’re capable of doing.” —The Washington PostShe felt their eyes, all those executioners…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 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.   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).

FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. FIGHT FOR LOVE. WELCOME TO THE KILLING GROUND.Enter a world where, livestreamed to millions, prisoners fight like gladiators for the ultimate prize: their freedom.'America's new Hunger Games' SUNDAY TIMES'So good. This one is from the heart' STEPHEN KING**SHORTLISTED FOR THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD****SHORTLISTED FOR THE TIKTOK BOOK AWARDS**Fan-favourite female stars Loretta Thurwar and Hamara ‘Hurricane Staxxx’ Stacker are teammates and lovers. Thurwar is nearing the end of her time on the circuit, free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. But as protestors clash with the baying crowds and the programme’s corporate owners stack the odds against her – will the price be simply too high?‘Brutal, thrilling, devastating and beautiful’ THE TIMES‘So compelling – right up to the final, fatal blow’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH‘Defiant, awe-inspiring’ JESSAMINE CHAN‘Vividly imaginative and startling’ ELLE‘The new maestro of dystopian lit’ WIRED‘A pure fire page turner’ MAX PORTERShortlisted for the TikTok Book Awards, International Book of the Year, 2024

The instant New York Times bestseller'An unbelievable debut' New York TimesRacism, but "managed" through virtual reality Black Friday, except you die in a bargain-crazed throng Happiness, but pharmacological Love, despite everythingA Publisher's Weekly Most Anticipated Book for Fall 2018 Friday Black tackles urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest, and explores the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world. In the first, unforgettable story of this collection, The Finkelstein Five, Adjei-Brenyah gives us an unstinting reckoning of the brutal prejudice of the US justice system. In Zimmer Land we see a far-too-easy-to-believe imagining of racism as sport. And Friday Black and How to Sell a Jacket as Told by Ice King show the horrors of consumerism and the toll it takes on us all.Fresh, exciting, vital and contemporary, Friday Black will appeal to people who love Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad, the TV show Black Mirror, the work of Kurt Vonnegut and George Saunders, and anyone looking for stories that speak to the world we live in now.'An excitement and a wonder' George Saunders'The writing in this outstanding collection will make you hurt and demand your hope' Roxane Gay'The fiction debut of the year. Bravo young man. We await your encore' Mary Karr

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A piercingly raw debut story collection from a young writer with an explosive voice; a treacherously surreal, and, at times, heartbreakingly satirical look at what it's like to be young and black in America. From the start of this extraordinary debut, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's writing will grab you, haunt you, enrage and invigorate you. By placing ordinary characters in extraordinary situations, Adjei-Brenyah reveals the violence, injustice, and painful absurdities that black men and women contend with every day in this country. These stories tackle urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest, and explore the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world. In "e;The Finkelstein Five,"e; Adjei-Brenyah gives us an unforgettable reckoning of the brutal prejudice of our justice system. In "e;Zimmer Land,"e; we see a far-too-easy-to-believe imagining of racism as sport. And "e;Friday Black"e; and "e;How to Sell a Jacket as Told by Ice King"e; show the horrors of consumerism and the toll it takes on us all. Entirely fresh in its style and perspective, and sure to appeal to fans of Colson Whitehead, Marlon James, and George Saunders, Friday Black confronts readers with a complicated, insistent, wrenching chorus of emotions, the final note of which, remarkably, is hope."e;An unbelievable debut, one that announces a new and necessary American voice."e;New York Times Book Review "e;An excitement and a wonder: strange, crazed, urgent and funny."e;George Saunders A National Book Foundation "e;5 Under 35"e; honoree, chosen by Colson Whitehead Winner of the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Award for Best First Book

FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. FIGHT FOR LOVE. WELCOME TO THE KILLING GROUND.Enter a world where, livestreamed to millions, prisoners fight like gladiators for the ultimate prize: their freedom.'America's new Hunger Games' SUNDAY TIMES'So good. This one is from the heart' STEPHEN KING**SHORTLISTED FOR THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD****SHORTLISTED FOR THE TIKTOK BOOK AWARDS**Fan-favourite female stars Loretta Thurwar and Hamara ‘Hurricane Staxxx’ Stacker are teammates and lovers. Thurwar is nearing the end of her time on the circuit, free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. But as protestors clash with the baying crowds and the programme’s corporate owners stack the odds against her – will the price be simply too high?‘Brutal, thrilling, devastating and beautiful’ THE TIMES‘So compelling – right up to the final, fatal blow’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH‘Defiant, awe-inspiring’ JESSAMINE CHAN‘Vividly imaginative and startling’ ELLE‘The new maestro of dystopian lit’ WIRED‘A pure fire page turner’ MAX PORTERShortlisted for the TikTok Book Awards, International Book of the Year, 2024

BIENVENIDOS A LA ARENA.BIENVENIDOS A LA MATANZA.Loretta Thurwar y Hamara Huracán Staxxx son las estrellas de La Liga de los Presos, la piedra angular de un programa lucrativo y tan popular como polémico en la industria penitenciaria privada de Estados Unidos. Es el retorno de los gladiadores, y los prisioneros compiten por un único premio: su libertad.Los combates se celebran en arenas atestadas de gente y con manifestantes apostados en las puertas. Thurwar y Staxxx, compañeras de equipo y amantes, son las favoritas de los fans. Y si todo va bien, Thurwar será libre en unas pocas contiendas..., una carga tan pesada para ella como su letal martillo. Mientras se prepara para dejar atrás a sus compañeros, Thurwar se plantea cómo podría ganar la liga y, al mismo tiempo, preservar su humanidad. Pero los obstáculos que los verdugos ponen en su camino tendrán consecuencias devastadoras...Pasando de las cadenas de presos en el campo a los manifestantes, a los empleados del programa y más allá, La liga de presos ofrece una mirada caleidoscópica a la impía alianza del racismo sistémico, el capitalismo desenfrenado y el sistema penitenciario privado estadounidense, así como un análisis certero de lo que significa la libertad, todo ello a través de una apasionante historia que la crítica ha comparado con El juego del calamar, Gladiator, Cube, Mad Max, Los juegos del hambre y Battle Royale.