Dread Nation

by

Paperback, 480 pages

Published June 4, 2019 by Balzer + Bray.

ISBN:
978-0-06-257061-1
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

5 stars (2 reviews)

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 Reeducation 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.

5 editions

reviewed Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Review of 'Dread Nation' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A relatively fun quick read. Who doesn't like the idea of zombies in the Reconstruction era? Except there is no reconstruction to be had in this story, since the zombies rose after Gettysburg and the hostilities ceased to deal with that threat. Decades later, it's still not over but now the US is divided between Egalitarians and Survivalists. The main protagonists are two black girls sent to combat schools since the role of blacks is to now protect whites from the zombies.
As I said, a fun read but man, I wished more contemporary expressions had been fixed at editing. It's a pet peeve of mine. If you're going to write about a given historical period, clean up the language.

Lists