{"product_id":"the-prophets-isbn-9780593085691","title":"The Prophets","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003eBest Book of the Year\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNPR • \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post • \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e• TIME • USA Today • Entertainment Weekly • Real Simple • Parade • Buzzfeed • Electric Literature • LitHub • BookRiot • PopSugar • Goop • Library Journal • BookBub •\u003c\/i\u003e KCRW \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e• Finalist for the National Book Award\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e• One of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Books of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e• One of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Best Historical Fiction of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e• Instant \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA singular and stunning debut novel about the forbidden union between two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation, the refuge they find in each other, and a betrayal that threatens their existence.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIsaiah was Samuel's and Samuel was Isaiah's. That was the way it was since the beginning, and the way it was to be until the end. In the barn they tended to the animals, but also to each other, transforming the hollowed-out shed into a place of human refuge, a source of intimacy and hope in a world ruled by vicious masters. But when an older man—a fellow slave—seeks to gain favor by preaching the master's gospel on the plantation, the enslaved begin to turn on their own. Isaiah and Samuel's love, which was once so simple, is seen as sinful and a clear danger to the plantation's harmony. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With a lyricism reminiscent of Toni Morrison, Robert Jones, Jr., fiercely summons the voices of slaver and enslaved alike, from Isaiah and Samuel to the calculating slave master to the long line of women that surround them, women who have carried the soul of the plantation on their shoulders. As tensions build and the weight of centuries—of ancestors and future generations to come—culminates in a climactic reckoning, \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets \u003c\/i\u003efearlessly reveals the pain and suffering of inheritance, but is also shot through with hope, beauty, and truth, portraying the enormous, heroic power of love. | \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the Publishing Triangle’s Edmund White Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFinalist for the Ernest J. Gaines Award For Literary Excellence\u003cbr\u003eFinalist for the Crook's Corner Book Prize\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFinalist for the Prix Médicis Etrange\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFinalist for the Chautauqua Prize\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLonglisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize\u003cbr\u003eLonglisted for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e#1 Indie Next Pick \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e's Books to Watch for in January \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e's 10 Books to Read in January\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e's 10 New Books You Should Read in January\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eO, the Oprah Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e's 32 LGBTQ Books That Will Change the Literary Landscape in 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCosmopolitan\u003c\/i\u003e’s New LGBTQ+ Books to Add to Your Reading List \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e’s 14 Books to Read During Black History Month\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGood Morning America\u003c\/i\u003e’s Best Books to Read this January \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eMarie Claire\u003c\/i\u003e's Must-Read 2021 Book Releases by Black Authors \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCNN\u003c\/i\u003e’s Best Books of January\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNBC News\u003c\/i\u003e’ 10 Best Fiction Books by Black Authors in 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eHarper's Bazaar\u003c\/i\u003e's Winter's Best New Releases\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eReader's Digest\u003c\/i\u003e's Most Anticipated Books of 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBuzzFeed\u003c\/i\u003e’s Most Anticipated Historical Fiction of 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLit Hub's \u003c\/i\u003eMost Anticipated Books of 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eElectric Literature\u003c\/i\u003e's Most Anticipated Debuts of 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Millions\u003c\/i\u003e' Most Anticipated Books of 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThrillist\u003c\/i\u003e’s 30 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpy\u003c\/i\u003e’s Best and Most Anticipated Books of 2021\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eRead It Forward\u003c\/i\u003e’s Favorite Reads of January 2021\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Root\u003c\/i\u003e’s Most Anticipated Books by Black Authors in 2021\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Advocate\u003c\/i\u003e’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2021\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eSt. Louis Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e’s Must-Read Books of 2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDebutiful\u003c\/i\u003e’s Best Debuts of January \u003cbr\u003eLambda Literary's Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books of January \u003cbr\u003eLGBTQ Read’s Most Anticipated LGBTQIAP Fiction of 2021 Picks \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e' Most Anticipated Books of the Fall\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eTheBody\u003c\/i\u003e’s 5 Essential Summer Reads by Queer Authors\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eTheGrio\u003c\/i\u003e’s Top 50 Books to Read This Summer\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVibe\u003c\/i\u003e’s 15 Best Fictional Books by Black Authors\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCNN.com\u003c\/i\u003e’s Essential Reading for Pride Month\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Style Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e’s 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Beautifully written.\" —\u003cb\u003eIsabel Allende, \u003ci\u003eElle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An extraordinary, vivid novel written with heart and imagination....\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e really dazzles.\" \u003cb\u003e–NPR, Weekend Edition\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[An] often lyrical and rebellious love story...Jones seems to be reaching across centuries of blood and memory in an attempt to shake awake a warrior armed with weapon and wit that lies sleeping in his imagined, beloved, Black reader....Jones proves himself an amazing lyricist, pulling poetry out of every image and shift of light....What a fiery kindness that ending, this book. A book I entered hesitantly, cautiously, I exited anew—something in me unloosed, running. May this book cast its spell on all of \u003ci\u003eus\u003c\/i\u003e, restore to us some memory of our most warrior and softest selves.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A lyrical and rebellious love story.\" \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e (Editors' Choice)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“With this epic novel, Jones, who is known for his blogging and Twitter presence as Son of Baldwin, marks his entry into the literary arena....The greatest gift of this novel is its efforts to render emotional interiority to enslaved people who are too often depicted either as vessels for sadistic violence or as noble, superhuman warriors for liberation....Jones’s debut novel is an important contribution to American letters, Black queer studies and the present moment’s profound reckoning with the legacy of America’s racialized violence.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A stunning debut novel . . . Jones, Jr.’s writing hearkens to the lyricism of Toni Morrison, evoking pain and suffering as well as truth and love.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Bay Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Extraordinary. . . . [A] defiantly poetic story of great love growing in a place of hate. . . . Jones handles the multiple moving parts and perspectives masterfully — joy and beauty juxtaposed against pain to devastating effect. Truly, this book gutted me and I was grateful for it.”—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookRiot\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e, Jones’ debut novel, is a marvel, as much an extraordinary queer love story as a devastating and inimitable portrayal of the agony endured by slaves in the antebellum South. Jones’ stunning storytelling crafts deep and powerful portraits....Each chapter is its own work of art, delving deep into each character’s heart and mind and creating a rhythmic tapestry of profound love and unbearable pain....\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is a novel, but feels almost like poetry, with every word holding a weight and power that will continue to astound those who lose themselves in its pages.” \u003cb\u003e–Associated Press \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Along comes Robert Jones, Jr., who taps into his brilliant dome to unearth an engrossing and magically written debut novel....\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is packed with otherworldly, and supremely artful storytelling, and readers will surely get lost in a radiant romance. But most important, Jones adds to the growing body of literature that reimagines slavery—Colson Whitehead's \u003ci\u003eThe Underground Railroad\u003c\/i\u003e, Ta-Nehisi Coates' \u003ci\u003eThe Water Dancer—\u003c\/i\u003eand to queer theory, in which Jones' predecessor James Baldwin shed light on, disrupted and intersected with race.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eUSA Today \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] tender and passionate story of queer Black love, told with a lyricism that justifies the many comparisons to Toni Morrison he has received.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTIME\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Robert Jones, Jr.’s debut novel \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e feels like it might be a classic one day....Illuminates Black experience by using effortless and artful entry into multiple consciousnesses, biblical allusion and supernatural elements....Audre Lorde wrote ‘Unless one lives and loves in the trenches, it is difficult to remember that the war against dehumanization is ceaseless.’ An ambitious debut, \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is right there in the trenches, firing shots.” \u003cb\u003e­–\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A striking debut…Exceptional storytelling…There is no minor character in \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e, which delivers a dazzling gallery of unforgettable portraits....And by highlighting lives over plantation life—the humanity of the slaves over the inhumanity of slavery—the narrative remains centered on a Blackness with an imagination that doesn’t need whiteness in order to exist, breathe or even be free.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] panoramic vision of love and cruelty…An unsparing portrayal of a barbaric system.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e–The New Yorker \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In his powerful debut novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e, Robert Jones, Jr. depicts in exquisite, often excruciating detail the social ruination that slavery brought to the antebellum South...Jones takes a discursive approach, lacing his main story with chapters inspired by the Bible (mainly the Old Testament) or fueled by incantatory tales from pre-colonial Africa....Allow them to cast their spell. Together they bring historical sweep, magic and leavening flights of lyricism to the blood, sweat and tears of an earthbound world....Labeling \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e a ‘gay slave story’ fails to fully describe its ambition and imaginative richness. Jones’ astounding achievement is to open a world where love somehow dares to speak its name alongside our greatest national shame.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Jones, and his stunner of a novel, embody what can only be called \u003ci\u003eart\u003c\/i\u003e....Lush language artistry characterizes the book from beginning to end, even as it nimbly changes perspective in every chapter....As the story layers itself and picks up to a devastating pace toward the end, it bursts forth in a crack of lightning and the reader is left aflame. \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is an astounding book, at once potent and universe-level expansive, a sky unto itself. With it—and with his work at Son of Baldwin—Jones establishes himself as a writer, thinker and creative force to watch.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A sprawling epic centered on the tortured love story of two enslaved Black men on a brutal Southern plantation, \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e transcends all preconceived notions of historical fiction, shining a new light on America’s past as it explores notions of community, oppression, and freedom, as well as the inextricable bonds of love, family and hope.” –\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Root\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] bewitching literary debut…Jones’ strength lies in his ability to build interior worlds so imaginative and lush that it would be dreamy if it weren’t such a nightmare for the enslaved people tethered to it....[An] important new work and an integral addition to this period’s literary canon alongside works such as Charles R. Johnson’s \u003ci\u003eMiddle Passage\u003c\/i\u003e and Marlon James’ \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Night Women\u003c\/i\u003e.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eAtlanta Journal Constitution\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “An incredible read...A masterpiece.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eNew York Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Powerful…This beautifully written story is heartbreaking and inspiring all at once.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eCNN\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Pick up \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e by Robert Jones, Jr. for the exceptional writing. Stay for the tale of a forbidden love between two enslaved young men on a Mississippi plantation and the betrayal that threatens their existence.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eParade \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s impossible to write about the literary world’s queerest and dearest of the year without including this Baldwin-inflected debut novel about two enslaved young men in love….[A] deeply moving novel about suffering, hope, and love.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eHarper’s Bazaar \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A polyphonic novel, with exactingly rendered characters, about the love between two men enslaved on a Mississippi plantation.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e, Jones takes readers back to a time in history when being Black and queer was unspeakable, and those who dared to love and be loved were true activists....Poetic.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eElle \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A devastating and beautifully written novel.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eMarie Claire \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A brutal and beautiful love story between two enslaved men on a Mississippi plantation, a tale of rage and grace, of refuge among the ruins.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eO, the Oprah Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A love story of the most tragic proportions, revered writer Robert Jones, Jr. uses his debut novel to pry open our collective hearts.\" \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In this powerful novel about a Deep South plantation, enslaved Isaiah and Samuel share a private, abiding love that’s a refuge from the daily brutality they endure—and that has consequences for everyone around them. \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e by Robert Jones Jr. is an original, heartbreaking testament to love, and to the supremacy of good over evil.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eReal Simple\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e“[A] dazzling debut . . . A haunting and beautiful historical novel about Black queer love and the dangerous repercussions of claiming and relishing in that love.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e–Interview Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The book proves love’s power and the deeply felt dejected history of the country.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] magnificent story of love thriving despite the heavy backdrop of slavery.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eBusiness Insider\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This beautifully written debut novel—and likely award magnet—is a love story about two enslaved men, Isaiah and Samuel, whose devotion to each other leads to trouble on a brutally run Mississippi plantation.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eAARP\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Poised to become one of the most memorable books of the year: \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is a stunning love story about two young men, Samuel and Isaiah, who are enslaved on an antebellum plantation in Mississippi....An extraordinary debut novel.\" \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eGoop\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An expansive and lyrical novel.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eNBC Out\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Equal parts profound, poetic and revelatory.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eNBC BLK \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “This tender and surprising love story set against a plantation in Mississippi, \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is Robert Jones, Jr.’s highly anticipated debut novel that everyone will be talking about this winter. A creative mind to watch rise and soar.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e–Garden \u0026amp; Gun \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e chronicles much cruelty and misery and violence, as is inevitable in a book about slavery. But it’s not really a pessimistic book. Rather, the novel itself functions as an act of love and resistance, by expressing solidarity with those who love despite sanctions and oppression. Patriarchy and white supremacy insist on rigid roles for Black and white, male and female. \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e imagines a different past, and a different future.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It is not hyperbole to say that \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e, which explores black queer lives on a Mississippi plantation known among the enslaved as 'Empty,' evokes the best of Toni Morrison, while being its own distinct and virtuosic work....This, then, is a novel wedded to its period but also of our times, exploring the pressing questions that have plagued America since its founding. It manages to be many things at once, stirring both the heart and the intellect in an exploration of human desire and depravity. A trenchant study of character, it is refreshing in its portrayal of the daily negotiations of humanity under slavery, practiced by both the enslaved and the enslavers. It is an ode to an enduring love.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[An] extraordinary novel.” \u003cb\u003e–Diane Rehm\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Jones skillfully brings us to a deep place of imagining and uncovers a discarded memory of two young men in love that transcends time. And Jones uses every ounce of his craft to telegraph the hope of the imagined and the depth of the loss....This novel is sophisticatedly constructed; it offers deep introspections and projections onto the screen of the modern world....\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is a bold leap forward that will make new literature possible in its wake.\" \u003cb\u003e–Sarah Schulman, \u003ci\u003eLambda Literary \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It requires great deftness to place a gay couple at the center of a story set in a time when the very words for their relationship had not yet been invented. Jones wisely takes a discursive approach, interlacing his main story with chapters inspired by the Bible [or] fueled by incantatory tales from pre-colonial Africa….Allow them to cast their spell. Together they bring historical sweep, magic, and flights of lyricism to the earthbound world.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eGay \u0026amp; Lesbian Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is the kind of book for which one reading will not suffice. To understand it fully, you must return to its pages again. It is elusive in the best kind of way, written in a style that evokes—but does not mimic—Toni Morrison’s otherworldly poetic prose, where every word is heavy with meaning.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eShondaland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “At times dreamlike, at times horrifyingly realistic, this is a novel that stays with you for a long time.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eDeep South Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e heralds the arrival of a monumental talent in Robert Jones, Jr., whose debut novel has the vibrating power of a thunder clap and the tender intimacy of a secret whispered by a loved one in the darkest night....Though Jones, Jr. is unflinching in his portrayal of the evils of white supremacy and fanaticism, he threads his novels with shimmering strands of hope, of heroism, and of reminders of how humanity has persevered even in the most inhumane of times.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eRefinery29 \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A beautifully written narrative that explores gender and race from several characters’ points of view, \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e invites readers to reconsider their understanding of sexuality and reconnect with our shared humanity.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003ePopSugar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Told with a lyricism that echoes Toni Morrison, Robert Jones, Jr. has crafted a subtle masterpiece that will leave you mesmerized for days afterward. Enjoy one of the best books of 2021 has to offer.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eSpy \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e reaches for humanity during the most inhumane moment of American history through the place of refuge the two men find in each other.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e–Thrillist \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[Jones] richly renders the perspectives of the enslaved and their enslavers, allowing for a complexity that a story with a single point of view would miss. The novel contains multitudes, among them a love story, an epic, an origin story, and a spiritual journey. This formidable debut weaves the ancestral past with the characters’ present to illuminate histories, realities, and possibilities that are just beyond reach....[A] testament to Black queer love and storytelling.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eSojourners Magazine \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is lyrical prose about the dimensionality and interiority of people.” \u003cb\u003e–KCRW, The Bookworm \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This book, with its tender intimacy, its empathetic rendering of complex humanity, its gut-wrenching portrayals of crimes against humanity, its moving love story, will not disappoint.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eLit Hub\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Jones excavates the tangled histories of race and gender which mark a profoundly resonant narrative.\" \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eThe Millions\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Jones explores queerness through a new lens that has rarely been explored in literature. \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is one of the most powerful Black queer historical novels ever written.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eElectric Literature \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A lyrical historical novel.\" \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e–BookRiot\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"It’s the gravitational force of [Jones’] prose — lyrical, alarmingly clear, with the ability to evoke moments intimate or grand in scale — that sets his work apart.\" \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eVox.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This poetic novel is a must-read story of hope.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e–Booktrib \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A heartbreaking love story set amongst the bleakest of landscapes.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eBookstr \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the most original, imaginative novels I’ll ever read and a balm for all of us Black queer folx who have been long denied, and long deprived, of their love. Robert Jones, Jr. is an author of noble skill and lineage—Baldwin’s heir has arrived, indeed.” \u003cb\u003e–Paperback Paris \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This dazzling debut from Robert Jones, Jr., creator of the social justice community The Son of Baldwin, is as captivating as it is brutal. There are passages that will make readers cringe in horror, it's true, but one can do no less when looking back at the monstrous period of American slavery. There are also scenes of immense beauty that inspire awe for the strength of the human spirit....\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is a stark reminder of a horrific past, but also looks to the future with hope. Jones shapes the narrative with a deft and evocative lyricism and introduces characters that are multi-layered and pulsing with human vulnerability. That is sure to guarantee \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e a place among the literary greats.\" \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Kaleidoscopic…Anchored by the love story of two young men, this lyrical story evokes a vast spectrum of emotion and creates an epic that feels epic in scope, but also like each chapter is its own private universe.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e–Northern Virginia Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An epic tale of Black queerness…With \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e, it is clear [Jones] is following in James Baldwin’s literary footsteps….Magnificent.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eHey Alma \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[An] ambitious debut…Jones weaves the tale skillfully, alternating points of view among Black, white, and mixed-race voices, and building the action to a stunning climax.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eHistorical Novel Society \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Powerful and beautiful…The lyricism of \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e will recall the prose of James Baldwin. The strong cadences are equal to those in Faulkner’s \u003ci\u003eLight in August\u003c\/i\u003e. Sometimes the utterances in the short interpolated chapters seem as orphic as those in \u003ci\u003eThus Spake Zarathustra\u003c\/i\u003e. If my comparisons seem excessive, they are rivaled only by Jones’s own pages and pages of acknowledgments. It seems it takes a village to make a masterpiece.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred Signature review by Edmund White)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Robert Jones Jr.’s remarkable first novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e, accomplishes the exceptional literary feat of being at once an intimate, poetic love story and a sweeping, detailed and excruciating portrait of life on a Mississippi plantation....Though this is his first book, Jones is already a master stylist, writing gorgeous, lyrical and readable prose about some of the ugliest things that human beings feel and do to one another. Sometimes the prose reads like scripture. At other times, it’s poetry…[A] beautifully wrought, exceptionally accomplished queer love story about two men finding extraordinary connection in the most hostile and difficult of circumstances. This debut will be savored and remembered.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Brims with so much confidence and artful flourish that it’s hard to believe it’s Jones’s first book. Following a line of esteemed authors, he explores the story of enslavement in America and makes it his own….Jones’s expertly drawn characters have depth and purpose, and the writing is beautiful despite the subject matter. A work that will resonate with those moved by Charles Johnson’s \u003ci\u003eMiddle Passage\u003c\/i\u003e and Colson Whitehead’s \u003ci\u003eThe Underground Railroad\u003c\/i\u003e.” \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Exquisite...Jones conveys powerful truths with well-chosen words in spare prose....A masterfully told story that will haunt readres from beginning to end.\" \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review) \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An ambitious, imaginative, and important tale of Black queerness through history.” –\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Spectacular. . . An intimate, poetic, queer love story and a detailed and excruciating portrait of life on a Mississippi plantation. Jones excels at ensemble storytelling, treating each character with compassion while also being brutally unsparing about the system they’re living under and the harmful compromises people living under this system sometimes made to survive.”—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTheGrio \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“How devastating and glorious this is. Epic in its scale, intimate in its force, and lyrical in its beauty. \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets \u003c\/i\u003eshakes right down to the bone what the American novel is, should do, and can be. That shuffling sound you hear is Morrison, Baldwin, and Angelou whooping and hollering both in pride, and wonder.” \u003cb\u003e–Marlon James, author of \u003ci\u003eBlack Leopard, Red Wolf \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What a rare marvel this book is. \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e fashions an epic so rich in erudition, wisdom, clarity, and power, so full of hard-earned yet too-brief joys, that it reaffirms for me literature’s place as both balm and scalpel for the mind and soul. You can feel the decades of thinking embedded not only in these sentences but in how they question and build a world shamefully amputated from textbooks. Rarely is a book this finely wrought, the lives and histories it holds so tenderly felt, and rendered unforgettably true.” –\u003cb\u003eOcean Vuong, author of \u003ci\u003eOn Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is easily the most superb tutorial in writing and loving I have ever read. I’m convinced Morrison, Baldwin, and Bambara sat around sipping wine one night, talking about the day we’d read an offering like \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e. Robert Jones, Jr., is a once-in-a-generation cultural worker whose art thankfully will be imitated for generations.” \u003cb\u003e–Kiese Laymon, author of \u003ci\u003eHeavy: An American Memoir\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I’ve loved the writing of Robert Jones, Jr., for years, and \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e is an absolute triumph, a symphonic evocation of the heights and depths of pain, joy, and love.” \u003cb\u003e–R.O. Kwon, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Incendiaries \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e, Robert Jones, Jr.’s lens is at once epic and microscopic, equally capable of evoking historical crises and interpersonal ones. Painfully harsh and painfully tender, this inventive, kaleidoscopic love story is a marvel.” –\u003cb\u003eHelen Phillips, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Need\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e | \u003cb\u003eRobert Jones, Jr.\u003c\/b\u003e (formerly known on social media as “Son of Baldwin”) is a Brooklyn, New York-based writer and public speaker. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the 2022 Publishing Triangle Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction, and was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction. His writings have been featured in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eEssence\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVariety\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Paris Review\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as in the critically acclaimed anthologies \u003ci\u003eFour Hundred Souls\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe 1619 Project\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eThe Prophets\u003c\/i\u003e was named one of “The 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature” by \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e. Subscribe to Robert's newsletter, \u003ci\u003eWitness\u003c\/i\u003e, at robertjonesjr.substack.com. | \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMaggie \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e She woke. \u003cbr\u003e She yawned.\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eA burial place. This house is a fucking burial place\u003c\/i\u003e, Maggie whispered, before it was time to go to the other room, the kitchen that she was chained to even though not a single link could be seen. But yes, there it was, snapped around her ankle, clinking nevertheless. \u003cbr\u003e She mumbled the curse to herself, but it was meant for other people. She learned to do that, whisper low enough in her throat that an insult could be thrown and the target would be none the wiser. It became her secret language, living just below the audible one, deeper behind her tongue. \u003cbr\u003e The sky was still dark, but she laid in her hay pallet an extra moment, knowing it could cost her. The Halifaxes each had their own way of communicating their displeasure, some less cruel than others. She could tell you stories. \u003cbr\u003e She climbed out of the pallet and rolled her eyes at the hounds that lay on the floor by her feet. Oh, she slept on the back porch with the animals. Not her choice. Though it was enclosed and provided views out onto Ruth Halifax’s garden. Beyond it, a field of wildflowers bursting with every color, but the blues were the ones that were perfect enough to hurt feelings. Several rows of trees marked the end of the field and gave way to sandy ground that opened onto the bank of the Yazoo River. There, the people, when permitted, would scrub themselves down in the sometimes muddy water under the watchful gaze of the man whose name Maggie stopped saying for a reason. On the other side of the river, which seemed farther away than it was, a mess of trees stood so close together that no matter how hard she squinted, she couldn’t see past the first row of them. \u003cbr\u003e She wanted to hate the fact that she was made to sleep there on the porch, low to the ground on some makeshift bed she piled together herself from the hay she got from Samuel and Isaiah, whom she referred to as The Two of Them. But so often the smell of the field calmed her and if she had to be in the damn Big House with Paul and his family, then it was best she was in the space farthest from them.\u003cbr\u003e The hounds were Paul’s choice. Six of them that got to know every living soul on the plantation in case any of those souls tried to drift. She had seen it before: The beasts chased people into the sky and managed to snatch them down no matter how high they thought they could float. Them dogs: Ears just a flopping, woofing in that gloomy way that they do, sad eyes and everything. You almost feel sorry for them until they got a hold of your ass and bit it all the way back to the cotton field—or the chopping block, one. \u003cbr\u003e They whined the minute she sat up and she detested the sound. Why they kept the animals enclosed was beyond her reasoning. Animals belonged outdoors. But then again, the Halifaxes were indoors so that meant all of creation had some right to be inside as well. \u003cbr\u003e Maggie got up.\u003cbr\u003e             “Go on,” she said to the hounds, unlatching the door that led out to the garden. “Go find a hare or something and leave me be.”\u003cbr\u003e All six of them ran out. She inhaled deeply, hoping she took in enough of the field to last her through the day. She kept her","brand":"G.P. Putnam's Sons","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48338552914149,"sku":"NP9780593085691","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593085691.jpg?v=1769572666","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-prophets-isbn-9780593085691","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}