Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - Os profetas

Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Os profetas by Robert Jones Jr.

108 reviews

micaela_mcmullan's review against another edition

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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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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shereadytoread's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

This book was beautifully written, complex, and had an amazing depth. It pulls on so many themes while setting a gay romance set during the brutality of slavery. The book examines how the relationship between Samuel and Isaiah develops and affects the lives of the both the slaves and slave owners.

One place this work of historical fiction excels is drawing direct paralells to current times. It examines issues of race, class, religion, power, and economics, in a way that you can see in modern society and how the same cycles are plaguing us today. With the romance connecting all facets of the story, it examines how acts of love can be revolutionary, and how far people will go to protect their own interests. The book utilizes books of the bible to relate to each chapter.

The characters, both slaves and slave owners have distinct personalities, which create a rich viewpoint in the way that dehumanizing systems ruin humanity and how power over others corrupts even those who believe they have good intentions.

Typically I offer a pros and cons list, but I couldn't do that. This book was like nothing I read before, and I think I'll definitely read it again to fully get everything I can from it. As someone who typically dislikes historical fiction, this was a 5 star read that I'll definitely recommend.

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davidrb's review against another edition

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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.

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mich_26's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

What a literacy masterpiece and a debut novel too. I had to read this in small doses because there was just so much to be savored. The writing was absolutely beautiful. I’m still a little confused about the ending but I think this is a novel that needs to be read more than once.

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marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

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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.

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prawntaar's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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literaryelephant's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was such a sad and beautiful read packed with nuance on the traumas inflicted by slavery in the southern US (circa 1830s), particularly in regards to Black LGBTQ+ experiences. The structure of the novel is modeled on that of the bible, which fits the theme; it is Christianity that is essentially weaponized against our main characters. I thought the setup was clever and enjoyed getting a new perspective with almost every chapter, but I also found it episodic in a way that made it easy to put the book down at any point and harder to pick it up and get back into the flow of the overall story. Nevertheless, a brilliant and heartbreaking book.

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