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Content snapshot
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Violence
Very heavy
Extremely graphic violence as prisoners fight to the death in nationally televised combat; extended sequences of brutal killing
Language
A lot
Strong language throughout reflecting prison culture and raw human desperation
Sexual Content
Barely any
Brief sexual references
Substance Use
Barely any
Substance references in prison contexts
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Devastating psychological themes around dehumanization, mass incarceration, the spectacle of violence, and the systems that reduce human beings to entertainment
What this book is about
A brutal, necessary novel using gladiatorial combat as a metaphor for the American prison-industrial complex. Violence is graphic and extensive as prisoners literally fight to the death. Strong language throughout. One of the most important literary debuts in recent memory. Adults only.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Graphic gladiatorial violence
Prison combat deaths
Mass incarceration critique
Strong language
Reader Verification
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