Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Civil War era America derailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children to attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society s expectations.

Strong 4.5. Thoroughly enjoyable Civil War alt-history/zombie invasion story with a KICKASS and hilarious heroine. Come for the amazing social/political commentary on zombies as allegory for race/immigrant relations, stay for the humor, action, and cliffhanger suspense. Note: For a zombie book the violence isn't graphic, with the exception of one scene where Jane gets a historically accurate punishment, it's really hard to read/listen to. My only (minor) quibble is that Jane's voice and expressions are modern, but that's also part of the fun. Excellent (as always) audio by Bahni Turpin who continues to amaze with her character voice choices.

So, as a general rule, I don't read zombie stories. Zombies are the one monster that will almost invariably give me nightmares. This book, however, had such hype built up around it that I decided to bend my rule.

I should not have.

Before I start in on this, let me say it's a good story. It's well-written, the plot is paced nicely, and it's entertaining. All that said, it's quite problematic in many ways. I knew some of this before I read it; there was a Twitter thread about some of the issues, namely that in the Author's Note she describes the Native American boarding schools (where the government forced Native American children to go, and tried to destroy their heritage and culture in the name of “civilizing” them) as “well-meaning.” The Twitter thread does an excellent job of dissecting that passage, and it's worth reading.

There's also the incredibly unrealistic scene where Jane gets flogged eleven times, walks back to where she's staying, has a coherent conversation where she lays out a plan she has formed, and then puts a shirt on. That last part especially got me. Like, what? You're going to be in more pain than that! Being flogged barely seems to slow Jane down. She asks for laudanum - for her plan. Not to take for the pain.

I don't know. There's a lot about the book that set my teeth on edge. There's the absurd amount of racism, but the protagonist is a black woman and it's civil war era, so that's to be expected. And it's coming from characters, not from narration. Jane lies. A lot. So it's hard to trust that she's even a reliable narrator.

I guess it's okay. I didn't care for it. I found it really hard to get past the author's “well-meaning” comment about the Native American boarding schools. And the plot of “as soon as they're old enough, black children get sent to combat schools.” Especially with what's going on lately with the jailing of migrant children, it feels tone-deaf, ignorant, and genocidal.

One good point was the oh-so-casual mention of bisexuality (a female friend taught her “everything she knows about kissing”) but it was only two sentences and never mentioned again. Not nearly enough to make up for the rest of the book.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

Justina Ireland gives us a beauty of an adventure through the eyes of Jane. Jane's story is challenging. She works hard. What makes the story such a delight is Jane's remarkable spirit, quick wit, deep love, and courage.

Even terrible zombies, racist jerks, and a society bent on making her life miserable do not keep Jane down.

I can't wait to follow along in her head for the next book in the series.

Things I loved: The cover. The nuanced take on racial identity and racial passing, especially as the main characters' back stories spin out. Katherine. The weapons and clothes. The moral complexity and ambiguity in interactions with the no-longer-alive and the oppressors. The lack of a romantic subplot.

Things I liked: Jane (her internal dialogue was off to me, though). The treatment of sexuality. The setting (but did we really need two of them?). Many of the minor characters. The dialogue, especially between Jane and Katherine. The battle scenes (action scenes in books usually bore me into flipping pages but not these).

Things I disliked: The inclusion of some paper thin characters (especially the sex workers and the Native American character). The meandering to a cliff-hanger end (I didn't realize this was part of a series - if I had I probably would not have bought it).

Hoping this becomes a movie. And maybe a video game.