Dread Nation

By: Justina Ireland

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller, six starred reviews

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.

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - derailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever.

In this new America, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Education Act require certain children 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.

"Abundant action, thoughtful world-building, and a brave, smart, and skillfully drawn cast entertain as Ireland illustrates the ignorance and immorality of racial discrimination and examines the relationship between equality and freedom." (Publishers Weekly, "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List")

©2018 Justina Ireland (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Narrator Bahni Turpin brings to life the barely restrained sarcasm of Jane McKeene, the bold heroine... Turpin's rendition of Jane's first-person voice illuminates her pluck, resilience, and wit.... Turpin moves easily between the emotions and accents of the many characters. She highlights the tension in the plot and clearly expresses the prejudices of some of the characters." (AudioFile)

Wonderful!

Dread Nation begins with a child, Jane McKeene, who was born in Kentucky on a plantation called Rosewood just two days before zombies, or “Chamblers”” as they are referred to, appear in the Gettysburg, PA battlefields.
To feed the constant need to defend the living from the dead,
a law called the Native and Negro Education Act is enacted to create schools to train children of a certain ethnicity in the art of combat so they can be used to protect the privileged. Those who are successful at the schools are selected to be assigned to protect wealthy families as “attendants”. Jane, who is the daughter of a wealthy white woman is a Negro. Jane sees attending one of these schools as a way to improve her life because outside the home of her loving mother Jane is subject to the harsh reality and unjust discrimination of being a Negro. Jane is educated at home by her mother but longs for something more, so she joins Miss Preston’s school in Baltimore to learn combat arts.
Jane excels at the combat school but just before she is due to complete her training she discovers a secret plot. While Jane is investigating this secret plot she is caught and along with two friends is sent to a remote town run by crooked politicians. The leaders of this new town are in it for profit under the guise of creating a new safe haven for the privileged from the walking dead.
June soon discovers the dark secrets of this new town are far worse then she originally suspected.
The story continues as Jane makes new friends in unlikely places and fights for a way to overcome the evil plot behind all the mysterious incidents going on.
The story is told through Jane’s eyes along with correspondence between her and her mother. The narrator was absolutely wonderful!
Although the book reads like YA, it is interesting and fast paced enough to appeal to adults as well. I highly recommend this book!

One complaint...

My only complaint is the end. Not the ending mind you; rather, the fact the book had to end at all.

a mixture of Get Out, The Walking Dead and Kindred

I loved this book. I could not put it down. I highly recommend listening to this book. The story was the phenomenal and the narration, excellent.

Brilliant!

The main thing I look for in an audiobook is to lose me to its world. And this one, filled with zombies, desperation, one girl's fight for survival and to get back home, does just that. At some point, I forgot that the narrator was female. The characters, male and female settler into place in my mind and all that surrounded me was Justina Ireland's world. I don't much like zombies as a fantasy monster, but this book, I will wholeheartedly recommend. 5 stars!

Amazing Performance!

I loved this book, which is something because I don't usually like zombie books. But more than anything, it was the performance of the narrator that kept me listening. I think the story was compelling. At times I was outraged and had to stop listening for a little, which means the storytelling was good because I was feeling such intense emotions. I have listened to a lot of good stories with good narrators on audible, but I think this is my favorite so far.

Better than the Walking Dead by far

Book is great. It's honestly everything I wish the walking Dead would be. I'd love to see this series get a TV deal and wouldn't be surprised if it did.

New twist on tired tale.

Though the story has been told, this is a good take on the zombie apocalypse. Great protagonist.

A truly immersive experience

Great story, immersive world, wonderful narration. This is the first audiobook I haven’t been able to ‘put down,’ the first about which I felt the narration was so integral to the story and atmosphere that reading the book on paper would have been a lesser experience rather than equal, and the first I am already planning to re-listen to. Bahni’s voices are on point, and the combination of her narration with the solid writing made for a truly immersive experience.

Jane is the truth

Loved this book and can't wait to see what happens in book 2. Will Jane find her mother??? It will definitely be an adventure for Jane and Kate.

This Should Be a Movir

This was an incredible book. The undead, post civil war and social commentary blended into a great story. I'd recommend this any and all. It definitely should be movie.