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Start giftingThe Souls of Black Folk
Narrator
Mirron Willis
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Length
8 hours 32 minutes
Language
English
"The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line," writes Du Bois, in one of the most prophetic works in all of American literature.
First published in 1903, this collection of fifteen essays dared to describe the racism that prevailed at that time in America—and to demand an end to it. Du Bois' writing draws on his early experiences, from teaching in the hills of Tennessee, to the death of his infant son, to his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.
Du Bois received a doctorate from Harvard in 1895 and became a professor of economics and history at Atlanta University. His dynamic leadership in the cause of social reform on behalf of his fellow blacks anticipated and inspired much of the black activism of the 1960s.
The Souls of Black Folk is a classic in the literature of civil rights. Far ahead of its time, The Souls of Black Folk both anticipated and inspired much of the black consciousness and activism of the 1960s. The elegance of Du Bois’ prose and the passion of his message are as crucial today as they were upon the book’s first publication.
William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868–1963) was a sociologist, historian, novelist, activist, and one of the greatest African American intellectuals. His astounding career spanned the nation’s history from Reconstruction to the civil rights movement. Born in Massachusetts and educated at Fisk, Harvard, and the University of Berlin, he penned his epochal masterpiece, The Souls of Black Folk, in 1903. It remains his most studied and popular work; its insights into black life at the turn of the century still ring true.
Mirron Willis—actor of film, stage, and television—is the winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration in 2012 and a finalist for the Audie in 2015, as well as the winner of four AudioFile Earphones Awards for his audiobook recordings. He has worked extensively in film and television and on stage with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Houston Shakespeare Festival, and the Ensemble Theatre, among others. He has recorded some 150 audiobooks, including the Smokey Dalton series by Kris Nelscott and My Song by Harry Belafonte. He resides and records audiobooks on his family’s historic ranch in East Texas.
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Reviews
“Mirron E. Willis breathes fresh power and spirit into Du Bois’s seminal work on the Black American experience and the ‘double consciousness’ that comes from living in a racist culture.”
“Thanks to W. E. B. Du Bois’ commitment and foresight—and the intellectual excellence expressed in this timeless literary gem—Black Americans can today look in the mirror and rejoice in their beautiful Black, brown, and beige reflections.”
“The negro point of view, even the Northern negro’s point of view, must have its value to any unprejudiced student—still more, perhaps, for the prejudiced who is yet willing to be a student.”
“The boycott of the buses in Montgomery had many roots…but none more important than this little book of essays published more than half a century [before].”
“[A] masterpiece.”
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