Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

17 reviews

seawarrior's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Brutally and beautifully told, The Prophets portrays how love and identity endure and transcend even the most desecrated of places. While Isaiah and Samuel are the worthy leading couple of The Prophets, the novel heavily focuses on the unwanted strength the Black women of the story have been shouldered with, and how they uplift themselves and their families for generations. Each of Jones' characters are fully realized, complex people. He does not shy away from exploring their deepest angers and darkest secrets, pushing us to understand their actions even if we do not, or should not, forgive them. He writes with a style is so lyrical it's almost poetic, and instills wisdom and truth on every page. Throughout the book, Jones unflinchingly depicts the horror of slavery without reveling in it. He tells traumatic scenarios from multiple perspectives and many understandings, shadowing survivors in hope and their perpetrators with terror. This book is sure to become a modern classic, and I'd highly recommend it to others. However, please note the content warnings below.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Outing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Transphobia

maggiekateb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Blood, Confinement, Excrement, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

tiogair_rioga's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Excrement, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Mental illness

jlsigman's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

davidrb's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An absolute triumph of writing, characterization, and execution. The first review I'm writing here, and for good reason. I think this is going to be my favorite of 2021. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

emilybolivia's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This synopsis falls so short. I was privileged to listen to the author, Robert Jones, Jr., speak about this novel with fellow author Deesha Philyaw last week. Originally intended to be a narrative from Isaiah's perspective, Mr. Jones shared "What their love needed was witnesses." He created and wrote more than 10 witnesses to their relationship, both Black slaves and White slaveholders and overseer. The result was a profound exploration of deeply personal Antebellum South experiences including voices and stories from ancestors and the horrors of the Middle Passage journey. The scope of voices just left me in awe. It was immersive. Ms. Philyaw said, "each page is a gift". Reading this novel was a full-body, mind-blowing experience in both its beauty and its tragedy. 

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The normalizing of Isaiah and Samuel's love was refreshing and affirming. The treatment of gender identity and roles was thought-provoking. The strength, wisdom, tenacity, and beauty of the Black women was artful and real. The White people were written with care and, Mr. Jones shared, great consideration for their motivations. One must confront their humanity. From the book, "there was no such thing as monsters. Every travesty that had ever been committed had been committed by plain people and every person had it in them."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence