Dread Nation (Dread Nation, #1)

by Justina Ireland

Shortlisted for the 2019 Hugo Awards: Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

Age range 14 to 18

A story of the undead like you’ve never read before, Justina Ireland’s Dread Nation is a fresh, stunning, and powerful meditation on race in America wrapped in an alternate-history adventure where Confederate and Union soldiers rise from the dead at the end of the Civil War.

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 Re-education 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.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

At once provocative, terrifying, and darkly subversive, Dread Nation is Justina Ireland’s stunning vision of an America both foreign and familiar — a country on the brink, at the explosive crossroads where race, humanity, and survival meet.

'Will catch readers off-guard with its blend of genres: it starts out as an historical thriller but then tosses in hard hits of mystery, dystopian reimagining, romance, and humor. Jane’s voice reads familiar to more contemporary considerations of Black girlhood, with elements such as beauty standards, colorism, and friendships.' — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

• ISBN13: 9781789092219
• Publish Date: 26 February 2019 (first published 3 April 2018)
• Publish Status: Cancelled
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Titan Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 464
• Language: English

Reviews

What if the zombie apocalypse happened in the 1800's? Well, that's exactly what Dread Nation was about. Set in America, at the time of the battle of Gettysburg, the dead started to rise.

I actually really enjoyed Dread Nation. It was an interesting read and an interesting take on the Zombie apocalypse. Although it was a hard read, being set in the civil war era in America where oppression was very high. Slavery was illegal, but that didn't mean racism had disappeared - people were still awful, valuing everyone on the colour of their skin.

After the dead started to rise, the government funded the Negro and Native Re-education Act where schools like Miss Preston’s School of Combat for Negro Girls were started. The girls would be ‘collected’ and sent to these kinds of schools to start training, it wasn't an option. And at the end of it, they would be expected to work for rich white folk and protect them from the shamblers (zombies).

This story was about Jane and how she was getting through life, she had spent the last few years at Miss Preston’s School of Combat, but was constantly dreaming of home where she had had to leave her mother. Her plan was to graduate from the combat school and make it on her own, although that was frowned upon, it was definitely do-able.

I really liked how nice Jane was, she always had her friends' backs, even if she found them super annoying. She was incredibly bad-ass, was always so confident in fighting the shamblers, and confident that she could get her and her friends out of any bad situation they found themselves in. I enjoyed the friendships in this story and how Jane would fight for any of them.

The story was quite fast-paced which I really enjoyed, things were happening one after the other, so it was a really engrossing read. I really enjoyed Dread Nation and I'll definitely be reading the next book.

[roundtableknight]

Rating: 4/5 stars
~
This was a truly captivating book and an intriguing twist on America after the Civil War, or what became of the Civil War due to the undead. I loved Jane as a main character: she was brilliant, could make me laugh at her ploys, and yet be serious and loving toward the people she cared about. The plot traveled relatively fast, and the characters were all memorable in some way that I could remember who they were when they cropped up again.

I also appreciated the fact that this book made me realize that I could not survive a apocalypse, but until that day I shall survive!

[wyvernfriend]

American Civil War and zombies Interesting premise. What if during the American Civil War the dead arose and started laying waste to America. One bite is all it takes. The government decides that it will use young black and native americans to fight these undead, training them in academies quite like the boarding schools used to "civilise" Native Americans in the same period and later. It features period doctoring; deeply embedded racism and sexism of the highest order. Along with nefarious plots and skulduggery.
Jane McKeene is an interesting character with a lot going on in her life. The cast is full of complicated people most of whom are just lazily racist and Jane is determined to survive.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Really enjoyed this. RTC.

[Melanie]

Review originally posted at BooksOfMyHeart.net.

I went into this book not knowing a huge amount about it. I remember when the cover reveal was done and loving the cover. I thought it was just stunning. Then I heard it was about zombies. I’m a huge fan of dystopian stories and especially zombies. The final nail in the coffin saying I had to try this story, Bahni Turpin. I fell in love with her narration when she read the Downside Ghost series by Stacia Kane.

Now, all of that said, there are a few things which did concern me about this story. This is a young adult series. I won’t say I don’t read YA, but I don’t read much. I’m pretty picky. Especially when that YA is set in a school setting, which is where this starts. Dread Nation is also a historical or alternate history story. I don’t read many, if any historical fiction, but I decided to give this book a go. I’m so glad I did.

In this book, the Civil War didn’t end because either side won, but instead because the dead got up and started walking again. Both sides decided they should fight the dead instead of each other. Because neither side won the war, slavery is still an issue and even when it isn’t, the people of color aren’t treated well. We don’t hear anything about buying and selling or even really owning slaves, but black people don’t have control over their lives either. Some white people even think the slaves are more immune to a shambler (which is how they refer to zombies) bite than white people. This isn’t the case, but an excuse to put black folks and Native people on the front lines.

Jane McKeene is a black girl at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore. She is in training to learn to be an attendant to a white woman and how to fight the dead. It makes sense that your attendant should know how to protect you from the shamblers. On a trip into Baltimore for a lecture, Jane quickly learns things aren’t quite what they seem.

I had a really great time with this story. First, Jane is badass. Her friendenemy, Katherine “don’t call me Kate,” isn’t too bad either, though it does take some time for her to grow on me. There are several characters in this story I enjoyed. The one I really want to mention is Gideon. He’s known as “The Tinkerer”. He has created several inventions to help the people in the Kansas town get by. He is also one of the few white people who is actually nice to Jane. There is also The Dutchess, who runs the town’s brothel. She again, is one of the few white people who doesn’t treat Jane as subhuman.

Another thing I really enjoyed about this story was the world Ms. Ireland has built. There are a few differences in these zombies than in other stories I’ve read. First, there are two different forms of zombies. One kind you have to actually be dead to turn, the other can turn you with a bite. The zombies here are also faster when they are first turned and then get slower and slower as they decompose. There are also a few surprises that I don’t want to spoil.

I thought the racial disparity was written really well. I could really see our government, especially back in the 1800’s, coming up with a plan to use people of color as the first line of defense against a plague of shamblers. Then not give them the tools they need to fight off the horde. It also tackles the issue of skin color even amongst people of color. Jane’s friend, Katherine can pass for white, which has its own issues which come up in the story.

This story does start off a little slow, but given the start is in a school setting, I will give it a pass on that issue. By the time Jane, Kathryn and Jackson leave Baltimore for Kansas, the story really picks up. This book really leaves me wanting more. I wouldn’t call it a cliffhanger ending of any kind, but Jane is in a place where you really want to know what happens next. You can bet I will be jumping on book two when it is available in 2019.

Narration:
As I said, I really loved listening to Bahni Turpin in the past. I was very excited to see she was narrating this book. She didn’t disappoint. I really love her narration of this story. She had several different accents. I thought she did a really great job with Jane’s different voices for when she was pretending playing dumb versus Jane being the really smart young woman she was. I love her male and female voices. If you haven’t listened to Bahni Turpin, you’re really missing out.

**I like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Beth C.]

An interesting alternative history, if zombies had suddenly shown up during the Civil War. Where blacks are sent to schools run by the government to become those who kill the "shamblers", since they are not only seen as inferior (and so less worrisome if they die), but also somehow are believed to have some sort of resistance to being turned. Note as explained by the author - these schools are based on the very real schools where the Native Americans children were taken from their families and sent to schools, in order to attempt to completely erase all of their history, language, customs, etc.

It was a readable book, though I did feel that it could have been cut a bit shorter. Without any spoilers, it felt like another book might be a possibility? The characters felt a bit hollow to me at times, but obviously I didn't have enough issues with the book to stop reading it (and I absolutely would, if it came down to it). Overall, it was a quick, enjoyable read for anyone who enjoys zombie tales.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

I'll go ahead and say it: Jane McKeene is my new favorite character. She's got to be Top 5 all time, for real. I loved everything about her. And I'd read about doing any mundane thing, but reading about her fighting the hell out of zombies (and assholes, because a lot of times the assholes are scarier than the zombies) is basically epic. Jane is so multifaceted, and she makes for a character who you cannot help but adore. She's smart, she's funny as hell, she's strong and tough and a fighter. Of course, she also has flaws which she often straight up admits to, which makes her all the more relatable.

As you can imagine, there is more to this book than just zombies- the zombies highlight the problems plaguing the country, then and now. There are a lot of really important topics and themes in this book, and since this takes place right after the Civil War, you can be sure a lot focus on race and inequality faced  by various groups. Jane's experience as a black woman is of course the focus, but there are many other stories portrayed through other characters. It's fabulously done, and I certainly won't do any further discussion justice, so I implore you to read it yourself.

Beyond the importance of this book, it's just damn entertaining. Like I said, Jane is awesome. And her relationships with those around her are complicated, sometimes messy, and sometimes really freaking inspiring. And, because Jane had such honest and realistic relationships with the characters, I grew to care about them a lot too. Obviously, the zombie-fighting itself is action packed. The secondary action part (treading carefully with spoilers here!) is even more harrowing, and kept me wholly invested.

You'd think this might have some lulls because of its length, but it really doesn't feel long. Even in the quieter moments, I was just enjoying Jane's inner dialogue, enjoying the world building in general. The atmosphere is on point throughout, and Jane's knowledge about the zombies' history (which is totally legit, given her background studying them) make the world fascinating. I really am excited for the sequel, not just to continue the story, but also because the world itself that the author created has drawn me in so much.

Bottom Line: This book basically has it all: A genuine, badass heroine, a ton of important messages, twists that totally caught me off guard, and a plot that kept me turning the pages.

[Heather]

When  the bodies of the dead come back and attack people, the fighting in the Civil War stops. What doesn't stop is the racism that was inherent in the United States. Now, 20 years after the shamblers first appeared, black children are taken and trained for combat duty.

The system replicates the hierarchy of slavery.  "Better" girls are trained in elite schools to be bodyguards to wealthy white women. They guard them from shamblers and serve as chaperones as the white ladies socialize.  Other girls end up working in the fields clearing shamblers as they approach towns.  Those people don't have a long life span.


For me the story got most interesting when Jane and some companions are sent west to a planned community run by a pastor and his son, the sheriff.  Everything is set up for the safety and protection of white families but it is all run on the forced labor of black people.  The white overseers are so terrified of their black charges that they deliberately undermine their ability to fight shamblers by not giving them adequate weapons thus weakening the defenses of the whole town.  They won't listen to the advice and expertise of black women until it is literally life or death.


This book didn't interest me as a zombie/horror story.  It was at its best when showing off the absurdities of racism.  From phrenology to tell who is white and who is black to medical experimentation on unwilling black people to unequal distribution of assets this book highlights many aspects of systemic racism by placing them in a fantasy setting where people should be more interested in working together for survival than upholding an arbitrary hierarchy.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[layawaydragon]

Social commentary zombies DONE RIGHT.

I borrowed this from the library so I don't have pages and pages of notes to share unfortunately. I will however be getting a copy for my shelf!

So amazing I don't know how to review it right, TBH.

I loved it from the forward to the title chapters & letter snippets to the after notes. I couldn't put this book down. I don't understand how anyone could say it's boring. Or that the villains were flat. Or that the social commentary was ham handed. Or the world building was just infodumping. When Jane talked about her world, I learned about her. I honestly didn't notice any infodumping while reading. It all flowed so well and I was so hooked.

I was honestly surprised to see any negative reviews besides the whiny white ppl. I appreciate the inter-community conversations about colorism and being multi/biracial. All the other low stars? Eh.....

That thing I'll say is if ya'll have a problem saying ain't or if you think being queer in an all girls school should "come up" before the end: go fuck yourself.