New York Times best seller, six starred reviewsAt 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 societys expectations.But thats 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 doesnt 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)
In the heart-pounding post-apocalyptic world of "Dread Nation," Justina Ireland weaves a gripping tale of survival, resilience, and the struggle for equality in the face of oppression. Set in an alternate 1880s America where the dead walk among the living, the nation is riven by racial tensions and a government desperate to maintain control.
At the center of this turbulent world is Jane McKeene, a young African-American woman who has trained as an Attendant, tasked with keeping the peace between the living and the undead. As she is thrust into a dangerous mission to transport a group of survivors across the treacherous territory of the undead South, Jane must confront not only the horrors of the living dead, but also the deep-seated prejudices and injustices that pervade her society.
Accompanied by her fellow Attendants and a diverse group of survivors, Jane embarks on a treacherous journey through a landscape teeming with both physical and psychological dangers. She encounters rogue Attendants, rebel groups fighting for their freedom, and the ever-present threat of the undead hordes. Along the way, she uncovers a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of government and exposes the sinister forces at work behind the nation's unrest.
With her sharp wit, unwavering determination, and uncanny knack for survival, Jane emerges as a formidable force in the struggle for justice and equality. As she fights for her own survival and the lives of those she cares for, she inspires others to challenge the oppressive system that has long held them captive. "Dread Nation" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of racism, class inequality, and the indomitable spirit of those who fight against oppression.
