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btrz7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Homophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Trafficking, Death, Misogyny, and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment and Abortion
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, and Genocide
seawarrior's review against another edition
- 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
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
cait's review against another edition
- 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
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?
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
maggiekateb's review against another edition
- 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
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
regnistegra's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
“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.
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
jlsigman's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
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
cabuff's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Vomit and Excrement
toshita's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Trafficking, and Homophobia
wai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Racism, Rape, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Excrement, Death of parent, Child death, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Murder, and Trafficking