The Prophet of Yonwood

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The Prophet of Yonwood

First edition cover
Author	Jeanne DuPrau
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Book of Ember series
Genre	Young adult, Science fiction novel
Publisher	Random House
Publication date	May 9, 2006
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)
Pages	289
ISBN	0-375-87526-3
OCLC	61295777
LC Class	PZ7.D927 Pro 2006
Preceded by	The People of Sparks
Followed by	The Diamond of Darkhold

The Prophet of Yonwood is an apocalyptic science fiction novel by Jeanne DuPrau^[1] that was published in 2006. It is the third "Book of Ember" of the series, and a prequel to The City of Ember. It is set about fifty years before the Disaster and the establishment of Ember, and approximately three hundred years before the events of The City of Ember, The People of Sparks and The Diamond of Darkhold.

Characters[]

Nickie is the main character. Grover is her friend in the book. Also, there is the Prophet, Althea Tower; her caretaker Mrs. Brenda Beeson, and Nickie’s Aunt Crystal.

Themes[]

Community Crisis. As with all books in the Ember series, there is an underlying crisis within the wider community, nation, or, in the case of The Prophet of Yonwood, world. The tension between the US and the "Phalanx Nations" is a major contributing factor to the behavior and motivations of the characters, especially Mrs. Beeson and Hoyt McCoy.

Loss of Civil Rights. The coming crisis (i.e. war) serves as justification to implement Mrs. Beeson's "war against evil." The book explores how rights can be voluntarily given up in the name of a safer community, even to the point of creating a rigid, dictatorial society where individual rights are subordinated.

Outsiders. In addition to Nickie, Hoyt McCoy is seen as an outsider. His position differs from Nickie's in that he regularly voices his opposition to the "war against evil." Both Nickie and Hoyt are, however, able to see the error in the way Yonwood is governed and it is through their actions (i.e. the actions of an external party) that the community is reformed. McCoy's actions are credited with providing the impetus to avert the coming war.

Absent Parents. Again, in common with the rest of the Ember series, the protagonist is deprived of at least one parent. Nickie is in the temporary care of her aunt, Crystal, and as with DuPrau's other lead characters, she develops a surrogate parental relationship in order to obtain support and guidance.

References[]