Dread Nation Summary
Justina Ireland

Dread Nation Overview

Justina Ireland's novel, Dread Nation, is the story of America in the late 1800s as the country faces critical social issues such as the end of slavery and advancing technology. The country is facing these issues while trying to cope with a plague that brings the dead back to life. The dead, called shamblers, are such a threat that blacks and Indians are forced to attend schools where they are taught to fight the threat. Jane McKeene is one of those. She holds onto the hope of returning to her beloved plantation, Rose Hill, even when officials send her to a new settlement in Kansas. The settlement is supposed to be a utopian society for the wealthy, using the poor, the blacks, and even the shamblers to support that lifestyle. But, the settlement cannot stand, and Jane realizes that she needs to address this problem at its source. The novel's main themes are white superiority, the need for freedom, and the importance of appearances.