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Review: Prophet - The story of Nat Turner

Nat Turner, born into slavery October 2, 1800, on a Southampton County plantation, became a preacher who stated in his confession he’d been chosen by God to lead slaves from bondage. On August 21, 1831, he led a freedom movement that resulted in the participation of nearly 100 slaves and free blacks throughout the state.

In reviewing this screenplay/book I have to say first that if you have any sense of humanity it is difficult not to be moved by this story. I am not used to reading screenplays but thoroughly enjoyed this exciting but ultimately sad tale of a terrible time in the history of man. It moves at a fast pace, tracing the capture of slaves in Africa and their transportation to America. We then follow the lives of a number of the slaves and the boy who is born into slavery-Nat Turner. He is unlike his fellow slaves as he not only learns to read but at a young age can refer to events before his birth. Nat has a presence to him that wins the respect of both slaves and his white masters. However, some of the whites also begin to fear him as he starts to preach and see him as a danger to their way of life.

Nat starts to hear the Holy Spirit talking to him and this gives him the confidence to stand up to the whites and eventually lead a rebellion against slavery. He deals violently with all the white landowners and their families, which was difficult to read when it involved young children. However, slavery is so abhorrent that I was able to reconcile their actions with their situation.

The detail of life as a slave is interesting and well described in the story. There are happy times depicted as well as the many hardships endured. There are interesting characters and events of historical importance.

The story is very well written and you can tell it is the work of an experienced film maker. This is a true story and caused me to research further the historical facts, which added to the whole reading experience.

In summary, I would recommend this book to everyone as both a good read and an educational experience. The content reminds us of the terrible cruelty inflicted on a group of people by their fellow human beings and the attempts of one man to break free.

I really hope one day to be able to visit a cinema to see the film.