Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

15 reviews

jade_smith's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

 Firstly, I want to acknowledge that this book occupies an important place in the literary landscape. It tells a story that was important to tell, and I'm glad it's been received with acclaim. I don't doubt that this novel has done a lot of important things for a lot of people -- and I don't wish for my criticism to be taken as a mark that this was a "bad book." It wasn't.

This being said, it didn't quite work for me.

For a novel that is (should have been) character-driven, the ten-odd POV characters lacked distinct voices. There are two types of third person writing: that which comes from inside a character, and that which comes from outside, i.e. from an omniscient narrator. Technically, this book has both, with some chapters from an almost pansophical ancestral chorus. For the most part, however, chapters are from the POV of "The Prophets" vast cast of characters on the Mississipi plantation. The problem is that these characters voices are mostly indistinguishable from each other; every character speaks, thinks, and philosophises in the exact same voice. For me, this made it hard to form an emotional connection with the characters, and left the story feeling unthethered. I think this novel would have benefitted from leaning into the 'external' third person -- this would have allowed Jones to observe and describe in the way he wanted to, without it feeling like the characters coherence suffered.

While at times gorgeous, Robert Jones Jr's prose erred on the side of being overwritten. I will be the first to admit that there were definitely metaphors and references here that went over my head -- I am a white Australian, and Jones has said that he wrote with a black American audience in mind. But, this incongruence doesn't account for the entire novel. I think perhaps this writing style would have worked for me had this been a 150 pg novella, but as it stands, it became exhausting, and worsened the afformentioned probems with character voice.

Plot-wise, this book works. Story-wise, this book works. Conceptually, the characters are excellent. It's just a shame that the prose ultimately lets itself down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Transphobia and Vomit

noahsingh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

3.75

Mixed feelings about this one! Some aspects of the book weren't developed enough (imho) and I felt a bit let down by the ending but there were lots of aspects I did enjoy., including the writing itself and the main characters of Samuel and Kayode.
Pros: 
-Everyone has already said this but yeah obviously the writing is really good. 
- Enjoyed that we get a perspective chapter from almost every enslaved character. Especially enjoyed Maggie and Sarah's perspectives. 
-Samuel and Kayodes relationship is beautifully written. Its the first book I've read set during the transatlantic slave trade with focuses on queer black characters, and it was really interesting to read a perspective on that.
-I loved loved loved the King Asuka chapters, my only complaint there is that I wish there had been a lot more of that narrative in general. Same for Sarah's narrative. The exploration of black queerness and transness as not yet warped by slavery and colonialism is definitely one of the strongest aspects of this book to me. 
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And of course, white people being killed by the people they enslaved is always V satisfying, Samuel killing Timothy was great 10/10

Cons:
-Not enough time spent with each characters, and I didn't see the need for Paul's chapters being so long. 
-I personally don't enjoy too much description/poetic language which gets in the way of the actual narrative, which I think this book suffered from a bit. Its all very well-written but I think some of it could have definitely been cut down. But this is a personal bias of mine obvy. 
-Some elements of the book were underdeveloped, for example the Beulah/Be Auntie connection, the Seven/Vs the Seven aunts, etc 
-So so so much (trigger warning) rape. I understand it's historically accurate to the enslavement of black individuals in America but the explicitness and repeated graphic descriptions seemed unnecessary and kinda excessive for me. For example,

having both Ruth and Timothy assault Samuel seemed like way too much. Ruths assault of Samuel didn't add anything to the story and could have easily either been removed or referred to rather than graphically described.

 

-A lot of the characters don't get a conclusive ending, of course that's hard to do when most of the characters are enslaved individuals and escape from slavery was practically impossible.

  However we never have any idea what happens to Adam, we leave Beulah/Be Aunties story the moment Beulah actually takes control (which felt like a cop-out to me), and I didnt see the need for Samuel to lead Kayode away from the plantation as a ghost, just for Kayode to die almost immediately anyway. And of course what happens to Essie, Puah, Maggie etc is all left up in the air.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Ableism, Deadnaming, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

lisztaffe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

mackenzienoelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

The audiobook narrator was incredible. It’s hard for me to judge how fast or slow this book was just because audiobooks go really fast for me. Strong strong content warnings on this one but it was so beautiful and important to me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Sexism, Blood, Excrement, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Vomit, and War

kaaris's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

« Et rien, dans la création, n’est capable d’arrêter ce qui advient. Rien. Sauf vous. » 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Torture

theskyboi's review

dark emotional 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

At its center, this novel's narrative centers on Isaiah and Samuel, an enslaved couple on the Mississippi plantation disaffectionately known as Empty. However, the narration travels between the lives of all the plantation's major figures, weaving a careful, complex tapestry of sorrows, histories, and identities. While this book did take me rather long to finish, I don't find it to be a flaw; rather, I consider it a slower story that envelops you and begs you to consider each and every character in their totality.

Part of the pacing comes from the emotional weight of assessing the relationship we have to past cultures erased and exploited in the name of greed and power. Part of the pacing comes from the lyrical prose and poetry that Robert Jones Jr. expertly crafted on the pages of his debut novel. As an author, he utilizes each character's voice for the purposes of an emotional about-face between terror and tenderness.

I absolutely consider this book an essential addition to my shelf, and I feel enriched after having delved into the world of these forbidden lovers. However, the brutality of slavery cannot be ignored, so I present a brief notice to readers who know themselves to be sensitive in regard to such acts of violence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Colonisation

Moderate: Miscarriage

taria's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Excrement, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Colonisation

Moderate: Homophobia, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

amberinbookland's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

cait's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Men and toubab shared far more than either would ever admit. Just ask anyone who had ever been at their mercy. They both took what they wanted; asking was never a courtesy. Both smiled first, but pain always followed.

 The Prophets is a novel that takes some time to get into. As with many books about slavery, it is a distressing and uncomfortable read. We follow the occupants of a cotton plantation known as Empty as desperation leads one man to Christ and the rest to destruction. Wanting nothing more than to have his sort-of wife be excused from the forced inseminations, Amos decides to appease the plantation owner by turning to Christianity and spreading it amongst the other slaves, grasping particularly onto the "sins" he perceives are being committed by Isaiah and Samuel in the privacy of their barn. Though the duo is known for their hard work and kind natures, being the only men in Empty who don't participate in the forced rape of slave women at their master's command, it isn't long before the members of the community turn on them, just so they can have someone to look down upon.

This is a difficult story to put into words. It is equal parts fascinating and horrifying, beautiful and hideous. The way it delves into generational trauma and blood memory is fascinating. Jones did such an incredible job of fleshing out these characters within their limited amount of designated pages and completing the story so that it circles back in on itself. This is the sort of novel that makes you really think. I've heard it's the kind of story that, if you explore it a second time, you discover was deeper and more detailed than you originally imagined.

But, while this is a story of race and racism, I think that it is also a story of power and misogyny. Like the steps of a ladder: White over black and men over women. As you go down the rungs of the ladder, though, who has the least amount of power: Black women ... or black men who do not obey the "rules" of manhood? And why and by who was it decided that the thing that made these two boys lesser was the fact that they alone never laid a single hand upon anyone unwilling to be touched? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Colonisation

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation

katsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

"Harder, however, and even more frightening was the truth: 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"

“Knowledge was a strength even when it hurt.”

“Our responsibility is to tell you the truth. But since you were never told the truth, you will believe it a lie. Lies are more affectionate than truth and embrace with both arms.”

"People liked pride. Mistook it for purpose.” 

I totally get why people so frequently compare Jones to Toni Morrison. I could definitely sense the similarities in their prose. However, unlike Morrison, I found myself getting a little lost in the prose of this book. I'd alternate between struggling to follow the plot and being incredibly invested. I'm not sure if that's just one of the things that happen with debuts or if it is just that I don't love literary fiction. Despite those moments of confusion, I really enjoyed this novel. Samuel and Isaiah's relationship just lept off the page and being able to see the perspectives of most of the people on the plantation, enslaved and enslaver, alike was compelling. I found Maggie and Adam's perspectives incredible and would have read a book just about them. There are a lot deeper themes that I think I could articulate better when and if I reread this. This book definitely strikes me as one of those books that needs a reread or two to really appreciate all of the things it's trying to say. It will definitely not be forgettable, that's for sure. I would also add lots of content and trigger warnings for sensitive content. Obviously, this is a book about slavery so rape, sexual assualt, physical violence, racism and racial slurs are all prevalent throughout the book. If you are sensitive to any content, please look up the content warnings for this book so you can take care of yourself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Torture, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Incest and Pedophilia