#DiverseSpines

The Mother of Black Hollywood

A Memoir

By: Jenifer Lewis
Narrated by: Jenifer Lewis
Length: 10 hours 47 minutes

AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award Winner The "Mega Diva" and legendary star of Black-ish looks back on her memorable journey to fame and the unforgettable life lessons she learned along the way.Jenifer Lewis keeps it real in this provocative and touching memoir by a mid-western girl with a dream whose journey from poverty to Hollywood will... Read more

This Will Be My Undoing

Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America

By: Morgan Jerkins
Narrated by: Morgan Jerkins
Length: 7 hours 5 minutes

“This book ravaged and then healed my weary soul. A micro and macro look at the exhaustion and triumph of black womanhood, Jerkins' essays are poignant enough on their own. When linked together in her book, the pieces become the subtle knife cutting through the membrane of gender and racial disparity that covers our country. Jerkins uses herself... Read more

If You Leave Me

A Novel

By: Crystal Hana Kim
Narrated by: Greta Jung & Keong Sim
Length: 12 hours 3 minutes

“Set in the time of North Korea's invasion of the south, Haemi Lee, a 16-year-old girl is forced to be the pillar of support for her mother and brother. The one thing she finds happiness in is her friendship with Kyunghwan. This novel captures the essence of how seemingly simple decisions can mold the trajectory of not only our existence, but the... Read more

The Affairs of the Falcóns

A Novel

By: Melissa Rivero
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 8 hours 34 minutes

A stunning debut novel about a young undocumented Peruvian woman fighting to keep her family afloat in New York City.Ana Falcón, along with her husband Lucho and their two young children, has fled the economic and political strife of Peru for a chance at a new life in New York City in the 1990s. Being undocumented, however, has significantly... Read more

How to Love a Jamaican

Stories

By: Alexia Arthurs
Narrated by: Janina Edwards, Adenrele Ojo, Dominic Hoffman & James Fouhey
Length: 7 hours 3 minutes

“In these kaleidoscopic stories of Jamaica and its diaspora we hear many voices at once. All of them convince and sing. All of them shine.”—Zadie Smith

An O: The Oprah Magazine “Top 15 Best of the Year” • A Well-Read Black Girl’s Pick

Tenderness and cruelty, loyalty and betrayal, ambition and regret—Alexia Arthurs navigates these tensions to... Read more

Becoming

By: Michelle Obama
Narrated by: Michelle Obama
Length: 19 hours 1 minute

“I adore our former president and I miss him. Yet I cannot help but be ecstatic that Michelle is coming out with a book about her own life so that I can learn more about this powerful, intelligent, and singularly awesome woman. Barack would be the first to say that his wife is a superstar, and I can’t wait to get my hands on Becoming to read... Read more

Well-Read Black Girl

Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves

By: Glory Edim
Narrated by: Glory Edim
Length: 5 hours 6 minutes

An inspiring collection of essays by black women writers, curated by the founder of the popular book club Well-Read Black Girl, on the importance of recognizing ourselves in literature.

Remember that moment when you first encountered a character who seemed to be written just for you? That feeling of belonging remains with readers the rest of... Read more

Washington Black

A novel

By: Esi Edugyan
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Length: 12 hours 18 minutes

“Epic in scope, ranging from a brutal slave plantation in Barbados to scenes in the Arctic, antebellum America, and London, plus a thoughtful denouement in the Moroccan desert, Edugyan’s novel explores the complex relationship between slave and master, the hubris of good intentions, and the tense life of a runaway in constant flight with a Javert... Read more

Red at the Bone

A Novel

By: Jacqueline Woodson
Narrated by: Jacqueline Woodson, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Peter Francis James, Shayna Small & Bahni Turpin
Length: 3 hours 52 minutes

“Jacqueline Woodon's novella RED AT THE BONE is the story of a black American family told through the perspective of 5 people. Vastly different perspectives of the same events (a teenage pregnancy, prejudice, class issues between generations) creates a compelling audiobook. Listening to this book was a delight, as the 5 narrators truly made it a... Read more

Miracle Creek

A Novel

By: Angie Kim
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim
Length: 14 hours 4 minutes

“Miracle Creek is a courtroom drama with impeccable pacing, an original plot, and stellar writing. It’s also a remarkably empathetic book, exploring the ripple effects of causality and the urgent need to do right by each other in big and small ways, recognizing that even the best of us will fail once in a while. It is a lovely reminder that even... Read more

When They Call You a Terrorist

A Black Lives Matter Memoir

By: Patrisse Cullors & asha bandele
Narrated by: Angela Davis & Patrisse Cullors
Length: 6 hours 12 minutes

"Narrating her own work, Patrisse Khan-Cullors shares the salient moments of her life that led her to become a founder of Black Lives Matter...pain, frustration, and joy [emblazon] each word she utters." — AudioFile Magazine

This program is read by Patrisse Cullors and includes a bonus conversation.

The emotional and powerful story of one of the... Read more

Girls Burn Brighter

A Novel

By: Shobha Rao
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Length: 11 hours 38 minutes

"Soneela Nankani narrates this painful coming-of-age story in a subdued style that draws even more sympathy from the listener...This is an expertly told story of survival, courage, and grit that fans of world literature will enjoy." - AudioFile Magazine

Girls Burn Brighter is a searing, electrifying debut audiobook set in India and America.... Read more

Stay with Me

A novel

By: Ayobami Adebayo
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
Length: 7 hours 59 minutes

A New York Times Notable Book
The New York Times’ Critics’ Top Books of the Year
Named a Best Book of the Year by San Francisco Chronicle, National Public Radio, The Economist, Buzzfeed, Paste Magazine, Southern Living, HelloGiggles, and Shelf Awareness
Huffington Post’s Best Feminist Books of the Year
The New York Post’s Most Thrilling and... Read more

Silver Sparrow

By: Tayari Jones
Narrated by: Rosalyn Coleman-Williams & Heather Alicia Simms
Length: 10 hours 22 minutes

With the opening line of Silver Sparrow, “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist,” author Tayari Jones unveils a breathtaking story about a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and two teenage girls caught in the middle. Set in Atlanta in the 1980s, the novel revolves around James Witherspoon’s two families—the public one and the secret... Read more

An American Marriage

A Novel

By: Tayari Jones
Narrated by: Sean Crisden & Eisa Davis
Length: 8 hours 59 minutes

“Tayari Jones comes in fierce with An American Marriage. Delving into the lives of the newly married Roy and Celestial, this is a novel that pulls no punches from beginning to end. I won't ruin the surprise, but they're hit with a harrowing event that will define not only their relationship, but each of their lives, forever. Writing with an... Read more

Freshwater

By: Akwaeke Emezi
Narrated by: Akwaeke Emezi
Length: 6 hours 42 minutes

An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self. It centers around a young Nigerian woman, Ada, who develops separate selves within her as a result of being born "with one foot on the other side." Unsettling, heartwrenching, dark, and powerful, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of a rare way of... Read more

Ordinary Girls

A Memoir

By: Jaquira Diaz
Narrated by: Almarie Guerra
Length: 10 hours 8 minutes

“Too often, those of us who grow up below the federal poverty line spend the rest of our lives erasing ourselves. If we manage to migrate out of poverty, we do so at a cost. The gatekeepers of academia, and of literature, often only want to hear our stories if we make a spectacle of our people, or if we tell our stories in the language of the... Read more

Speaking of Summer

By: Kalisha Buckhanon
Narrated by: Karen Chilton
Length: 10 hours 9 minutes

On a cold December evening, Autumn Spencer's twin sister Summer walks to the roof of their shared Harlem brownstone and is never seen again?the door to the roof is locked, and no footsteps are found. Faced with authorities indifferent to another missing woman, Autumn must pursue answers on her own, all while grieving her mother's recent death.... Read more

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls

By: Anissa Gray
Narrated by: January LaVoy, Adenrele Ojo, Bahni Turpin & Dominic Hoffman
Length: 9 hours 55 minutes

“For lovers of An American Marriage comes a thoughtful debut about family, secrets, and the damage one’s choices can cause to those you love. Told from many perspectives within one complex family, this novel tugged at me from all angles. I found myself understanding and empathizing with all the characters at different times, even though their... Read more

The Wedding Party

By: Jasmine Guillory
Narrated by: Janina Edwards
Length: 9 hours 15 minutes

“Maddie hates Theo’s snooty attitude. Theo hates Maddie’s snide comments. Alexa is their best friend, and they’re both in her wedding party. Neither knows how they’re going to deal with each other’s presence in the months to come, but as things might, their resentment turns to lust, and possibly something more. There’s one main rule: Alexa must... Read more