THE PROPHETS

Narrator Karen Chilton's stunning performance increases the power of this important debut novel about the far-reaching effects of the love between two male slaves on a Mississippi plantation. In chapters named for books of the Bible, this audiobook exposes the myriad perspectives of slaves and masters, detailing moments of almost unimaginable brutality, hopelessness, and fear juxtaposed with snatches of beauty and love in the plantation's closed community. Drawing on the tradition of giving testimony, Chilton's delivery conveys the personal experiences of the fully developed characters, the collective spiritual and cultural African past of the slaves, and the universality of human emotions and dreams. Author Robert Jones imagines a unique scenario for the long-standing place of queerness in some traditional Black African cultures. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2021]