New York Times bestseller; 6 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, … 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 worldbuilding, 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”)
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This was such an original book. Killing zombies in the antebellum South, and it’s told from the POV of a Black teen. Yes, please. The writing is awesome, and I’m looking forward to more books from Justina Ireland.
Give me a strong character and I will keep reading. Give me a smart, manipulative character and I will not put the book down. Give them a sharp tongue and the will to kill the right people ….. and watch me fall hopelessly in love.
Dread Nation is in the first in a new series By Author Justina Ireland. The books is a YA, Fantasy, Historical fiction; taking place in the Civil War era, America Dread Nation ask the question what if?
Ireland answers it realistically. What if the Zombie Apocalypse happened during the civil war? I think we could all imagine some very different outcomes as a result. And that’s just what Ireland has done with her book Dread Nation.
How would our white counterparts have treated us if the zombie apocalypse occurred during the civil war? The current state of race relations in our country today tells me Ireland’s book gets it right. Dread Nation covers many of the injustices faced by African Americans during that period in history with an undead twist.
Loopholes in the 13th Amendment, allowed free negroes to be forced back into slavery after the civil war. And the cruel experimentation on negroes for the advancement of white society. The school of thought that blacks were not of the same species as whites. Using religion to justify slavery, and passing for white and the flipside dynamic to have skin which is “passing” light. Ireland dug into the historical Archives. There’s even some mention of the Native American boarding schools. Irelands fantastical take on slavery and racism during the Civil War era is as accurate as it is refreshing, interesting, and tasteful making Dread Nation an engaging and enlightening read.
Jane McKenne attends Miss Preston’s School of Combat for Negro Girls and her number one goal is to graduate and return to her home at Rose Hill Plantation. The only thing standing in her way are the dead that rose again on the battlefields during the Civil War thus interrupting the conflict between the States. Jane must use all her wits and the skills she’s learned at Miss Preston’s to survive, but there are greater dangers lying in wait for her other than the undead.
I enjoyed Dread Nation because of the strong female characters that were portrayed in the story as well as the spin that the author put on the Civil War. The history buff should be warned that some details, dates, and people may not be accurate, but that does not detract from the overall allure of the story.
The story would have been better for me if it was longer. The author definitely sets the story up to continue in another book so be prepared for a major cliffhanger at the end. Many of your questions concerning the fates of some characters will have to wait until the next book. Also keep in mind that the story took place during the slave era and some offensive viewpoints were expressed by some of the characters along with some unsavory language.
I especially loved all the action disbursed throughout the book which made for a very exciting read. Jane is a heroine for the ages and her skill at protecting those she loves from the undead is equally matched by her quick wit. The added suspense will keep you turning page after page well into the middle of the night. The author also includes flashbacks to Jane’s past to give the reader a glimpse of Jane’s life growing up at Rose Hill which put her on the path of attending Miss Preston’s School. The author also laces her story with actual historic events including the United States systematic removal of Native American children from their families to be “civilized” at boarding schools. Overall, “Dread Nation” is a great read that I would strongly suggest you add to your reading list.
Dread Nation is an alternative history of the Post-Civil War period reinvisioned to include a zombies. That seems like a loaded proposition but would come have come off as camp in the hands of a less skilled writer becomes a commentary on the state the state of race that mirrors contemporary society.
The summary – Jane McKeene, born just before the zombie infestation, grows up in a south that is trying to reconcile both its slave legacy as well as struggle with surviving against the undead. She attends a school to become an Attendant, which turns out to be a training institute to prepare black girls to serve as body guards against the undead for white families (of course). As can be imagined, the most heinous players in this book are not the zombies, but the people who will resort to any means to maintain power and institute a vision of America that is not unlike the white supremacist dreams we see today.
The best dystopian fiction is in fact a thought exercise that is projected to its most absurd conclusion. What would happen in the US if, instead of the Union Army achieving victory at the end of the Civil War, the War was forced to end because of the contagion of zombies threatening the pockets of humanity remaining after the war? What effect would that have on the power structures of that society?
Dread Nation does an excellent job of reinvisioning a past that is very much an indictment of the real history that has lead to the institutionalized and rampant racism of America today. Jane is one of my favorite female characters – she’s smart, resourceful, well-read, bisexual (or pansexual), ascerbic, observant and brilliant in a way female leads are not always allowed to be in many contemporary novels. This book is part of a trilogy and I am anxiously awaiting the next installments.
I listened to the Audiobook. Really loved the story. Historical fiction on the subject matter was right up my ally. Im A big fan of this book!
I waited impatiently for this to come out last year (that cover!) and was not disappointed. I’m a sucker for zombies, alt histories, darkly subversive satire and badass heroines. Add beautiful, spare writing into the mix and you’ve achieved perfection. Can’t wait for the sequel.
Excellent book that combines several genres into something unique. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.
Dread Nation is everything I love — it’s beautiful, unflinching, lyrical, tender, and vividly imagined. Don’t miss this book!
This is the zombie novel I’ve been waiting for my whole life.
Civil War zombie-killing BA kicks butt, breaks rules, and saves several days while America struggles to overcome the terrible plague tearing it apart.
This book is currently on sale for ereaders, and it is SO SO GOOD. It’s YA, set in an alternate history world post the Civil War.
This was an amazing book. I loved every second of it. If you like historical fiction, and you like zombies, this is the book for you.
YA book, but a fun read for adults too. Nice allegory about white supremacy.
Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland is an action-packed tale blending the struggles of one young African-American girl in a post-apocalyptic “Old West” world. Jane McKeene is born into a world struggling through the greatest conflict a young nation has faced – the American Civil War. But things take a decidedly more dangerous turn as within days of Jane’s birth the dead suddenly begin walking and cause havoc upon a nation already mired in war. Nobody knows how the undead plague happened, but now Shamblers roam the land and threaten the survival of civilization itself. The story takes place 17 years later, where Jane is enrolled in the prestigious Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Maryland. There Jane is learning the skills necessary to become an Attendant – a woman trained in the art of etiquette as well as combat using sickles, scythe, and gun, so they can be hired to wealthy women as body guards. Jane doesn’t care about being an Attendant and only wants to return to her home and her mother at Rosehill plantation in Kentucky. But Jane soon finds herself embroiled in a political conspiracy and is sent west where she must fight for her very survival.
Dread Nation is a wonderful tale of adventure and Justina Ireland has delivered a strong character in Jane McKeene. Jane is a hot-tempered, brash, single-minded, restless, and strong willed young woman. She is quick to tell a lie when it suits her (which is nearly always), often speaks when she should be listening, and keeps many secrets about her past and her family close to her. She is also practical, very intelligent, a skilled tactician and is very accomplished at dispatching Shamblers, preferably with a sickle – her favorite weapon – but just as easily with a gun or sword. Through Jane’s eyes, and snippets of letters between her and her mother, we learn about the world that is a post-apocalypse United States in the 1880’s. Justina has done a superb job of creating a post-Civil War U.S. that has been devastated by the undead plague. From the idea of the Attendants, who are trained and hired to protect women of means, to the intricate politics between Egalitarians and Survivalists, this is a fully thought out and detailed world. I can’t wait to see more of this world and what will happen to Jane.
I did not have any problems or issues with the story. The other characters, such as Katherine and Jackson, provided a nice contrast to Jane. The minor characters, from the teachers at Miss Preston’s, the Mayor of Baltimore, and the Sheriff and his goons in Kansas, were a bit more stereotypical in the way they were portrayed, but they served a purpose to the story; their backward ideas about race and the undead plague providing a sharp contrast for the reader to better understand the complexities and motivations for Jane.
I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Bahni Turpin, who has done another outstanding job of bringing these characters to life. Her range of voices made each character unique. My one problem with the production of the audiobook was the long pauses between paragraphs in the narration. This was distracting and that feeling never quite left me. A pause is necessary, but the length of these was too long.
I highly recommend Dread Nation. If you love stories of a post-apocalyptic world (even one set in the 19th century) this book is for you. Justina Ireland has created a masterful tale of action, adventure, and powerful characters that will grab your attention. You won’t want to put the book down (or pause the audio).
So far, my favorite book of 2018.
It was a great story line. Strong characters awesome message.
I was not expecting to be so drawn-in and impressed when I checked this audiobook out of the library. The story line was engrossing, and for a book about zombies, I found myself more afraid of the living than the dead. Set in the latter part of the 1800s, this book had characters that were all well-written and developed, but Jane, the protagonist, was exceptionally presented. One of my favorite parts of Dread Nation involved Jane thinking about a book she was reading, and how she felt a kinship with the main character, because of the way he dealt with shamblers (zombies). The book she was reading was Tom Sawyer. I have never read a book that took literature known to the reader and adjusted it in a way to fit the changed world of the book it was included in, if that makes any sense. The narrator does a good job of differentiating between the different characters, and conveying their thoughts and feelings in an adequate tone. I highly look forward to the sequel.
I enjoyed the audiobook; the narrator had a real authentic voice. The story is alternate history with zombies and a badass female protagonist. There wasn’t much of an ending but there seems to be a sequel in the works. If you’re looking for something different, I definitely recommend it.
I love this book! It is such an awesome twist on the genre, If you haven’t checked it out, it’s worth the read.