Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

17 reviews

tangleroot_eli'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

I just hope this book makes enough white readers feel enough anger and shame to contact our electeds about reparations.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Trafficking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Incest, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Vomit, Abortion, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Religious trauma, Environmental degradation

redrosieroses's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Beautiful and important book. Honestly the best book I have ever read. I encourage everyone to read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Murder, and Colonisation

bruhbruh'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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Deportation

badmom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Robert Jones Jr. weaves an ultimately gorgeous tapestry from an ugly point in history using  the voices of enslaved people, their African ancestors, and the enslavers. The language is poetic throughout, drawing reality truthfully yet landing on the ways people rose above, how they survived and dreamed and loved, and created the life they deserved. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Outing, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Excrement, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, and Cannibalism

kirstenf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation

peachmoni's review

challenging mysterious reflective slow-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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Rape, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Genocide, Infertility, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

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

kshertz's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

This was a very hard read. I think a lot of it went over my head honestly. The time of enslaved people with absolutely no holding back and no filters. I was constantly in tears or sick to my stomach. Which is definitely the seeming point. Isaiah and Samuel find love only again to be ripped apart. There was never going to be a happy ending during this time. It’s just all pain. Which makes it a hard, but necessary read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

theskyboi's review against another edition

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

btrz7's review

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Trafficking, and Murder

Moderate: Abortion and Abandonment

Minor: Genocide, Excrement, and Fire/Fire injury