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A review by libbysbookshelf
The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
THE PROPHETS by ROBERT JONES JR.
This is an instant classic. Robert Jones Jr. joins the ranks of Toni Morrison and James Baldwin as one of the greatest writers.
Most readers have read slave narratives and felt the pain of the Black slaves as they try to find happiness in impossible circumstances. But I can guarantee you have never read a slave narrative quite like this one. Somehow it felt modern, even though it was set in the early nineteenth century. But that wasn’t the only thing that sets it apart. It also shows an African spiritual side of the story, similar to the way Yaa Gyasi writes Homegoing, just more nuanced.
I could compare the writing style to Frederick Douglass and Franz Fanon and James Baldwin. I could compare the story to Beloved and Song of Solomon. But it is also its own thing.
The main story follows the lives of slaves and slavers on a plantation called Elizabeth in Empty, Mississippi. The main plot is about Isiah and Samuel who are young stable hands who also happen to be in love and have sexual intercourse in the barn. Most people on the plantation know about this and don’t really care because it’s not a problem in African cultures. However, the owner of the plantation wants these two young men to ‘mate’ with slave women to keep the slaves’ population high. For this reason, he allows one of the black men to bring bible teachings to the slaves to teach them that sodomy is sinful…
A perfect read for #pagesofpride and Black History Month, but also a perfect read in general. Every bookshelf in every home should feature this book. Every good reader should have this book living in their brain. The sooner the better.
@thesonofbaldwin thank you, you clever person!
#theprophets #robertjonesjr #book #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #bookreader #bookrecommendation #bookstagrammer #booklover
This is an instant classic. Robert Jones Jr. joins the ranks of Toni Morrison and James Baldwin as one of the greatest writers.
Most readers have read slave narratives and felt the pain of the Black slaves as they try to find happiness in impossible circumstances. But I can guarantee you have never read a slave narrative quite like this one. Somehow it felt modern, even though it was set in the early nineteenth century. But that wasn’t the only thing that sets it apart. It also shows an African spiritual side of the story, similar to the way Yaa Gyasi writes Homegoing, just more nuanced.
I could compare the writing style to Frederick Douglass and Franz Fanon and James Baldwin. I could compare the story to Beloved and Song of Solomon. But it is also its own thing.
The main story follows the lives of slaves and slavers on a plantation called Elizabeth in Empty, Mississippi. The main plot is about Isiah and Samuel who are young stable hands who also happen to be in love and have sexual intercourse in the barn. Most people on the plantation know about this and don’t really care because it’s not a problem in African cultures. However, the owner of the plantation wants these two young men to ‘mate’ with slave women to keep the slaves’ population high. For this reason, he allows one of the black men to bring bible teachings to the slaves to teach them that sodomy is sinful…
A perfect read for #pagesofpride and Black History Month, but also a perfect read in general. Every bookshelf in every home should feature this book. Every good reader should have this book living in their brain. The sooner the better.
@thesonofbaldwin thank you, you clever person!
#theprophets #robertjonesjr #book #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #bookreader #bookrecommendation #bookstagrammer #booklover