Just finished reading Justina Ireland’s books, “Dread Nation” and “Deathless Divide”. They’re AWESOME original takes on the zombie apocalypse concept. My wife bought them for me because I’m a big zombie genre fan, and these are a treasured part of the collection now! I even did fanart. :) Great stuff!
I recently read Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, an alternate history where the Civil War was put on hold when zombies started to rise. Slavery has been abolished, but due to a new law called the Negro Reeducation Act, our protagonist, Jane, is at a training school to become a companion/bodyguard for a white family. One of her classmates is Katherine, her rival. Jane saves the day, but gets blamed and she and Katherine get sent off to a mysterious settlement out west.
Not that it matters, but the reason that I haven’t done one of these in almost three weeks is that I’ve had to do full-on reviews for a couple of books and I don’t like to start anything new until I have all of my thoughts down. So if two or three reviews look familiar, it’s because GoodReads always gets a slightly shortened version of my longer reviews.
In Dread Nation, Jane McKeane’s life is full of combat training and mischief thanks to her connection with Red Jack. But when Jane, Red Jack, and Jane’s schoolmate, Kate Devereaux, find themselves in a town out west, surrounded by zombies and Survivalist racists, Jane has to put all of her training to good use in order to get out.
What it is: a novel where the dead start rising at the battle of Gettysburg. Yes, you read that right. it’s zombies, and the Native and Negro Reeducation Act, which is what ‘ended’ slavery and forced young Black children to go to schools to learn how to fight the undead instead.
Why it’s on this list: Although the identity language isn’t there, considering the era, it is still made explicit that the main character is attracted to boys and girls, and a secondary character admits to being attracted to no one at all. Having a Black leading lady say so, and so matter of fact, makes this even more significant.
Where you can find it: In any bookstore. It just hit the NYT Bestsellers List, it should be absolutely everywhere. The author is also on twitter here, and has a website over here.
I have been thinking about this book nonstop since I finished it.
I read it in one sitting. It was breathtaking, it was intense, it was all consuming in the way the best books are.
Whether you are interested in history, zombies, or just a good story, this is a book to pick up.
Now, this is going to be a bit of a different review. Honestly, I feel like I could talk about this book for hours, but I want to take a moment to link to another review, first.
As a white reader and reviewer, I think it’s important to use this platform as a way to highlight the experts. Black women are going to be able to talk about the details of this alternate history novel and how it examines racism, slavery, and Black lives being treated as a commodity in a way that I can’t. And in reading the reviews of Black people reading Dread Nation, it’s made me want to reread the whole book again, because my understanding deepens with each review I read. Alex Brown’s review (warning for general spoilers) is an excellent read, really looking at and comparing some of the things in the book - things that might, to a unknowing reader, feel unrealistically cruel - with real life equivalents. For real, after reading her review I might just pick up the book and read it again tonight.
This book follows Jane, who was sent to a school that is supposed to mold her into an Attendant - a Black girl who is hired by a white woman to protect her, both her virtue and her flesh from the undead who would like to feed on it.
I feel like to even go into the plot much is to spoil it, and since I’ve already linked the synopsis and Alex’s review, I’m just going to jump right in to how this book made me feel.
Y’all, this book is triumphant. I feel like I should say that. Yes, it does not sugarcoat when looking at the intense racism, colourism, and sexism of the time (echoes of which we still feel today - none of these things are things we have left behind). But there is so much hope and strength in this book as well. Was it hard to read at times? Yes, absolutely. Was it also hopeful, did it have me punching the air at times when Jane, the lead, emerges from something victorious? Yes, yes, yes it did.
I’ve been reading mostly queer books. I picked this one up because it was historyandzombies.So when the Conversation happened, where Jane talks about being attracted to girls as well as boys, had me doing a doubletake. Especially with how straight forward it was. This wasn’t implication, this was on the page confirmation. Another excellent example of how you can make queerness explicit and on the page, even in worlds and times where the vocabulary we are used to doesn’t exist.
“Is this your way of telling me you fancy women?” Not that I mind. I’ve been distracted by a pretty face every now and again myself…
…My face heats. “Well, Merry was very pretty and she had that amazing right hook.” Merry was also a very good kisser, taught me everything I know, but Katherine doesn’t need to hear about that.
And also Katherine discussing her lack of interest in anyone, and how quick Jane is to say there’s nothing wrong with that.
“But I don’t feel that way about anyone, Jane. I never had and I’m not sure I ever will.” “Oh, well, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Just… such cool stuff to find, especially since I wasn’t expecting it. And that makes this story one about two queer Black girls and their relationship growing from frenemies into genuine friends and supporters of each other, which is incredible, because finding that, especially in a speculative fiction book, is basically unheard of.
Jane’s agency in terms of her sexuality in general is something I love in this story. She is very blunt when she comes across someone she finds attractive, and we meet a few boys she is attracted to, and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that let a lady lead talk so honestly about being attracted to multiple people in a way that didn’t paint it as wrong or at the very least shallow. Jane is a badass female lead, she’s Black, and she is not desexualized or softened/made weaker by being interested in people.That’s really cool and refreshing to see, again made especially so by the fact that this is a historical setting and you could totally explain away if she wasn’t allowed to do this based on the setting.
Jane and Katherine are also allowed the space to be angry, which Black girls aren’t often allowed to do in media and in real life without really racist things being said about it. This is another topic I’d love to see written about by a Black woman, so I’m going to keep an eye out for any awesome reviews or articles talking about this and I’ll come back and edit this with some links when I do find some.
Also, can I just say… This is the only piece of fiction I’ve ever read by a non-Indigenous author that’s mentioned residential schools. The author goes so far as to include additional information and resources on the subject in her author’s note at the end of the book. That was… That was so cool to see. And can I just remind you that this is in a zombie book. Like, everyone else? Do better. Damn.
It’s funny, because so many of the things people say ‘can’t be in historical stories’, because it would be ‘unrealistic’, are included in here. We have amazing Black women leads. We have a really interesting Native American character that I am so hoping we get to see more of in the sequel. This story takes so many people that are dismissed in genre fiction and creates such complex and diverse characters. Including a really rad disabled character (a scientist and potential love interest of Jane?), and a lady named Duchess and her girls, who are sex workers. In most books, these characters would be nameless, maybe used to colour in the background of the world the white leads walk through. But Dread Nation takes great care with all of its characters, especially the ones with identities often dismissed.
Seriously, if I see those kind of arguments, I’m gonna chuck this book at them.
The fact that this is all happening in what is technically a horror book is especially important, because horror as a genre is so often garbage. Mainstream horror so often relies on biases based in sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, etc. It’s notorious for this. But horror can be so damn good, when in the hands of marginalized folk. Look at Get Out, for another example. Horror in the hands of the downtrodden or ignored is such a powerful tool, and that is why I say I’m a fan of horror. Because of stuff like this.
On that note, it is a zombie book. There is definitely violence, and some horror elements. So if that’s something you’re sensitive to, be careful. If you want to read it, but fear of character deaths are what’s stopping you, you’re welcome to message me. Sometimes, you need something spoiled in order to enjoy it with less stress, and I do not judge.
Seriously. Go and get this book.
Reading Dread Nation? Let us know what you think! And if you’re looking for more great queer content, reminder that this is Day 10 of 365 queer reviews, one for each day of 2018.
