Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

22 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.

---

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

charleshasalibrary's review against another edition

reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Sexual content, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Outing, Physical abuse, War, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, and Violence

jessie_h's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

How do you even review this book? This not something I normally read and probably wouldn’t have if not for it being chosen as this month’s book club pick. The story was beautiful yet heart-wrenching as it tells the tale of two gay slaves who fell in love and how that love is viewed changes in their community as some of the slaves find Jesus. This book is a sucker punch to the gut at times and hard to read and beautiful in others. It is a necessary one that needs to be told.

I’m a little in awe of how the author could write such a cohesive story from so many POVs and a non-linear timeline that it sucks you in even as you read slowly in order to digest and sometimes savor what has been written. The central romance was beautiful and makes my heart sore. I quickly fell in love with Samuel and Isaiah and with every page I read, I was fervently hoping that their love and relationship would survive everything and remain whole.

My favorite character of the whole book was Maggie and her view of the world and her knowledge of her peoples’ past was intriguing. I also really enjoyed the parts of the story told from the view of the African king and getting to see parts of that village’s culture before everything goes pear-shaped.

This book has left a dent in my heart and is a story that I’m going to be thinking about for a long time to come.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, and Violence

rhythmvick's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is profoundly well written, profoundly moving. It felt expansive both in the scope of the storytelling, and the author's writing talent. I found the style a little hard to get into to begin with, but that's really because you need to switch your brain into the higher level prose of someone in the same league as Baldwin, Morrison and Coates; as I saw another reviewer mention, this book is a craft. 

At the centre of this ugly white plantation world is a tender queer Black love; the contrast between that deep humanity and the grotesque behaviour of the enslavers was captivating, both in a pleasant way and also a deeply painful way.

I appreciated the multi-character focus, the expansive understanding of gender and sexuality (particularly the chapters set in Africa), the strength of the female characters (including the spiritual femme characters), the growing tension as the book reached its climax, the lyrical prose and ability to weave the spiritual into the real. And I deeply appreciated that the author took the stories of these enslaved people, and the memory of all enslaved people, and lifted their testimonies into chapters named after the chapters of the Bible - I don't really have the words to articulate how significant it feels, but it felt like an honouring and a reclamation.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Kidnapping, Grief, and Colonisation

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? 

---

Content Warnings

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

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

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

---

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

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.

---

Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Incest and Pedophilia

invaderlinz's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Grief, Gore, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Child death, and Death of parent

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. 

---

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

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

 This unforgettable book is sure to be a mainstay in African American literature for a long time to come.  With chapters that reflect the books of the Bible, and characters that reflect the characters therein, The Prophets is a liberating epic sprinkled with interruptions by a Greek chorus of African ancestral women and flashbacks to the ancestors' demise.  This is no Twelve Years a Slave—The Prophets contains many moments of exquisite joy, albeit brief ones.  Its story centers not on a man but on two teenage boys joined in the most pure love you can imagine.  Their love outshines everything else, and they are protected—ultimately—by their ancestors, and by the mystical women who raised them.  Please, read this book.   

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Slavery

Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Violence

Minor: Excrement, Rape, and Vomit