Robert Jones, Jr. – The Prophets
Robert Jones, Jr’s The Prophets is a début that has been likened to the writing of Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston. The novel is set on a Halifax plantation which is overseen by the owner, Massa Paul. Two young enslaved men find their haven in which they can be alone together, away from the blistering sun in a barn where they keep animals. However, a fellow slave, Amos begins to direct suspicion on them after noticing their flickering glances and unspoken conversations and preaching the words of Massa Paul’s gospel, Amos betrays Samuel and Isaiah.