Abstract
Neil Gaiman’s book, American Gods, has nontraditional ex-convict Shadow Moon as its protagonist. Shadow’s experiences in prison and directly following his release are not reflective of the common fictional ex-convict archetype, but neither do they fully align with the real-life experiences presented by the group of formerly incarcerated academics known as Convict Criminologists. The fantastic coincidences of the plot, combined with Shadow’s unconventional experiences, pave the way for the former convict to turn pacifist hero in a new presentation of the ex-con in fiction.
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Frost, R. (2020). “Something Feels Weird:” Managing the Identity of “Ex-Con” in American Gods. In: James, R., Lane, K. (eds) Criminals as Heroes in Popular Culture. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39585-8_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39585-8_7
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