Never Without a Book: Black Joy playlist 2021

Just as I Am

A Memoir

By: Cicely Tyson
Narrated by: Cicely Tyson, Viola Davis & Robin Miles
Length: 16 hours 8 minutes

“In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only exceeded as an actor, she has shaped the course of history.” –President Barack Obama, 2016 Presidential Medal of Honor ceremony""Just As I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. Here, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been... Read more

Happily Ever Afters

By: Elise Bryant
Narrated by: Jordan Cobb
Length: 10 hours 18 minutes

Jane the Virgin meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in this charming debut romantic comedy filled with Black Girl Magic. Perfect for fans of Mary H. K. Choi and Nicola Yoon, with crossover appeal for readers of Jasmine Guillory and Talia Hibbert romances. Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life.... 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

Twisted

The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture

By: Emma Dabiri
Narrated by: Emma Dabiri
Length: 7 hours 42 minutes

From Guardian contributor and prominent BBC race correspondent Emma Dabiri comes a timely and resonant essay collection exploring the ways in which black hair has been appropriated and stigmatized throughout history, with ruminations on body politics, race, pop culture, and Dabiri’s own journey to loving her hair. Emma Dabiri can tell you the... Read more

The Poet X

By: Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo
Length: 3 hours 30 minutes

“While the print version of this book is still powerful, the audiobook is truly how it's meant to be experienced. Elizabeth Acevedo narrates her own work, a novel-in-verse about an Afro-Latina girl navigating young adulthood and all that entails. It is an ode to slam poetry and how difficult it can be to grow up in a world that wants to stifle... Read more

Krik? Krak!

By: Edwidge Danticat
Narrated by: Robin Miles & Dion Graham
Length: 4 hours 52 minutes

American Book Award-winning author Edwidge Danticat earned a National Book Award nomination for this brilliant collection of stories, which includes Pushcart Prize winner "Between the Pool and the Gardenias." A "remarkably gifted writer" (Publishers Weekly), Danticat examines the brutality of her native Haiti, particularly as it affects women,... Read more

If Beale Street Could Talk

A Novel

By: James Baldwin
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 7 hours 7 minutes

From one of the most important writers of the twentieth century comes a stunning love story about a young Black woman whose life is torn apart when her lover is wrongly accused of a crime—"a moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless” (The New York Times Book Review)."One of the best... Read more

Sula

By: Toni Morrison
Narrated by: Toni Morrison
Length: 5 hours 46 minutes

Sula and Nel are born in the Bottom—a small town at the top of a hill. Sula is wild, and daring; she does what she wants, while Nel is well-mannered, a mamma’s girl with a questioning heart. Growing up they forge a bond stronger than anything, stronger even than the dark secret they have to bear. Strong enough, it seems, to last a... Read more

Loving Donovan

By: Bernice L. McFadden & Terry McMillan
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 6 hours 46 minutes

Two-time Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist Bernice L. McFadden has also been twice honored by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. One of Library Journal's 25 Key Indie Fiction Titles, this heartbreaking tale follows two damaged but hopeful souls as they struggle to find love despite the ravages of their pasts Read more

You Should See Me in a Crown

By: Leah Johnson
Narrated by: Alaska Jackson
Length: 7 hours 18 minutes

“This book was adorable. Liz is a badass Black, queer female who should be an inspiration to all teens. The way that she navigates her identity is beautiful and, at times, heartbreaking. Read more

Black Girl Unlimited

The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard

By: Echo Brown
Narrated by: Echo Brown
Length: 8 hours 29 minutes

This program is read by the author

"Just brilliant."—Kirkus Reviews

Heavily autobiographical and infused with magical realism, Black Girl Unlimited fearlessly explores the intersections of poverty, sexual violence, depression, racism, and sexism—all through the arc of a transcendent coming-of-age story for fans of Renee Watson's Piecing Me... Read more

Felix Ever After

By: Kacen Callender
Narrated by: Logan Rozos
Length: 8 hours 23 minutes

“Captivating own voices story about finding your identity and love. Read more