Book Review: Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

 

    Sometimes the reason you choose a book is because of the cover. This is one of those instances for me. When I came across this book, I first noticed the old-fashioned nature of the dress. Then the sickle in her hand and her "don't mess with me" glance over her shoulder. Being a lover of historical fiction, I thought this might be a story of the slave experience. Boy was I wrong - sort of.

    Dread Nation is set in an imaginary America in the years after the Civil War. But in this story, the North and South unite against a new threat - zombies. Okay - stop right there! Zombies? Not my thing. At all. I almost took a hard pass on this book but since I am trying to be open to new genres, I decided to give it a try.

    In this imaginary America, these "undead" rise up from cemeteries and attack the living. They are encroaching the previously safe cities of the East. Jane is a student at a combat school for Negro girls where she learns how to fight the undead and has proven herself to be extremely skilled in combat. Upon completion of her training she will be assigned as an attendant to a high society white woman to protect her from the zombies. However, when the sister of Jane's friend and other families go missing, Jane becomes involved in finding these people which leads her to a fight against not just zombies but some very powerful people. 

    While this is not the story of the actual slave experience, this perspective is very much present. Each chapter begins with excerpts of letters between Jane and her mother - the wife of a plantation master. Through these letters, Jane's background and early years are revealed to the reader. The hierarchy of society in this story falls in line with our country's true history and oppression of Blacks and Native Americans of the Civil War era. Jane is not a slave but she is trained to be a type of servant, against her true desire. Blacks and Native Americans are re-educated in the art of combat against zombies which demonstrates that their lives are considered expendable by the powers that be. 

    Like The Walking Dead? I highly recommend this book. Not a fan of zombies? This book is for you too and I encourage you to give it a chance. The story is full of action and tension, imaginative yet rooted in truth and has a kick-butt main character. This book is available in our library. The Nashua Public Library has this book and it's sequel in all forms - print, ebook and audiobook.