Family
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Janina Edwards
About this listen
In this beautifully textured first novel by the author of the acclaimed short story collection Homemade Love, the history of one slave family becomes symbolic for all slaves and slaveholders.
Family is a stunning, often painfully graphic re-creation of the realities of slavery: black women raped by white masters; black children sold to sustain failing plantations - or to satisfy the whims of a petulant mistress; strong men humiliated, whipped, and beaten because of the color of their skin. But it is also the triumphant story of a mother whose loving spirit transcends the barriers of death and time, allowing her to watch over her children and her children’s children.
In simple, hauntingly poetic language, the slave Clora, who killed herself to escape an unbearable existence, recounts the “grief and misery that is soul and core of the life of a slave” and follows her children as they experience the joys and challenges of emancipation, create new lives for themselves and their families in the postwar South, in northern cities, and abroad, and hold fast to their dreams and their faith as they confront the fear and hatred that permeates their world.
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Owner of a small African American bookshop, Miss Cozy has an unique gift: Customers who walk through her door rarely leave without a book that speaks directly to their life. But when Josephine - "Fina" - and Ross arrive in search of an obscure, unpublished manuscript written by a slave woman, Miss Cozy knows that all her visions have been leading her to this magical day.
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Must Read
- By Amazon Customer on 12-18-19
By: Bertice Berry
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The Known World
- By: Edward P. Jones
- Narrated by: Kevin Free
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Henry Townsend, a black farmer, bootmaker, and former slave, has a fondness for Paradise Lost and an unusual mentor, William Robbins, perhaps the most powerful white man in antebellum Virginia's Manchester County. Under Robbins's tutelage, Henry becomes proprietor of his own plantation, as well as of his own slaves. When he dies, his widow Caldonia succumbs to profound grief, and things begin to fall apart.
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A meandering audiobook...
- By Daniel on 09-03-04
By: Edward P. Jones
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Lighthouse
- By: Eugenia Price
- Narrated by: Tessa Richards
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Raised in post-Revolution Granville, Massachusetts, James Gould could only imagine the beauty and warmth of the lands to the south. It was there that he longed to build bridges and lighthouses from his very own designs and plans. His gripping story unfolds as Gould follows his dream to the raw settlement of Bangor on the Penobscot River, St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia, lawless Spanish East Florida, and back - at last and finally - to St. Simons.
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Re: Wonderful Story
- By Cmorgan on 01-27-23
By: Eugenia Price
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May the Road Rise Up to Meet You
- A Novel
- By: Peter Troy
- Narrated by: John Keating, Allyson Johnson, Marrie Kreinik, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Ethan McOwen is an Irish immigrant whose endurance is tested in Brooklyn and the Five Points at the height of its urban destitution; he is among the first to join the famed Irish Brigade and becomes a celebrated war photographer. Marcella, a society girl from Spain, defies her father to become a passionate abolitionist. Mary and Micah are slaves of varying circumstances, who form an instant connection and embark on a tumultuous path to freedom. All four lives unfold in two beautiful love stories, which eventually collide.
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Four passionate performances give wings to story
- By Cheimon on 04-26-12
By: Peter Troy
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Perfect Peace
- A Novel
- By: Daniel Black
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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When the seventh child of the Peace family, named Perfect, turns eight, her mother, Emma Jean, tells her bewildered daughter, "You was born a boy. I made you a girl. But that ain't what you was supposed to be. So from now on, you gon' be a boy. It'll be a little strange at first, but you'll get used to it, and this'll be over after while." From this point forward, his life becomes a bizarre kaleidoscope of events. Meanwhile, the Peace family is forced to question everything they thought they knew about gender, sexuality, unconditional love, and fulfillment.
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What a great book!
- By JoJo on 09-03-16
By: Daniel Black
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Jim and Louella's Homemade Heart-Fix Remedy
- By: Bertice Berry
- Narrated by: Lizan Mitchell
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
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Blackboard best-selling author Bertice Berry breaks all the rules of romantic comedy with this funny, sexy novel about an older couple rediscovering their passion for living and loving. Jim and Louella's love life has gone a bit chilly after 26 years of marriage. But then Louella's ancestors visit her dreams, and a sexual reawakening quickly follows. Soon after, Jim and Louella realize they can read the thoughts of other people, so they begin a quest to heal the community around them.
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Wonderful, Timely, Inspiring!
- By Penny Meacham on 11-09-20
By: Bertice Berry
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Song of the Trees
- By: Mildred D. Taylor
- Narrated by: Allyson Johnson
- Length: 39 mins
- Unabridged
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With the depression bearing down on her family, there isn't much that Cassie Logan can count on anymore. But there is one thing that hasn't changed - the whispering trees outside her window. Cassie's trees, which have stood for centuries, are a great source of comfort to her. But they are also worth a lot of money. With Cassie's daddy gone to lay tracks for the railroad, it seems like no one can stop Mr. Andersen from forcing Big Ma to sell their valuable trees. How can Cassie sit by and watch them disappear?
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Beautiful show of brooking no refusal!
- By Missy on 06-14-23
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Manchild in the Promised Land
- By: Claude Brown
- Narrated by: Cary Hite
- Length: 17 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Published during a literary era marked by the ascendance of Black writers such as Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, and Alex Haley, this thinly fictionalized account of Claude Brown’s childhood as a hardened, streetwise criminal trying to survive the toughest streets of Harlem has been heralded as the definitive account of everyday life for the first generation of African Americans raised in the Northern ghettos of the 1940s and 1950s.
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Powerful and revealing
- By Anonymous User on 05-20-20
By: Claude Brown
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Just Desserts
- Savannah Reid, Book 1
- By: G. A. McKevett
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Finding herself in over her head with a case involving a politician's infidelities, Memphis-born karate expert Detective Sergeant Savannah Reid is told that she must turn in her badge because she is overweight.
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Confusing title for a great book
- By Austin gal on 11-26-12
By: G. A. McKevett
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Miranda Trilogy
- By: Grace Livingston Hill
- Narrated by: Anne Hancock
- Length: 29 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Grace Livingston Hill’s three novels about nineteenth-century small-town America remain relevant a century after they were first published. The timeless themes include the powerful influence of gossip, the importance of faith, and the precious gift of true friendship.
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Sweet series of romances of NY 1800s.
- By L. Locker on 05-28-24
What listeners say about Family
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Panda Dar'
- 01-27-23
Eye opening & Riveting
Wow… this was so riveting and makes me look at my own FAMILY tree! I know I share some of this same truth.
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- Mrs. Hinton
- 10-21-22
Love this novel!
Love this novel! J. California Cooper was a gifted storyteller. The narrator did the book justice.
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- MsOctober👑
- 04-01-23
Beautiful Story
This is a beautiful, eye opening story that every human should read. This masterpiece should lead to Black people respecting our humble and forced beginnings while praising God for the strength of our ancestors.
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- Nancy
- 11-07-20
Excellent
I truly enjoyed this book. The way the story was good was awesome. I recommend this book to everyone. I love listening to slave books with a good outcome. 💕🙂
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- Pulinga Thornton
- 12-02-20
Great story
You are going to love " Always". Definitely a reread. Will read more of the author's books.
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- mary showell
- 10-08-24
Never disappoints
I’ve always loved Jay California Cooper’s work. So I was really happy to see that. Her books are now on audio While I’ve read the book, listening cave a new life to it and I really enjoyed it.
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- Ella
- 07-29-22
Family Indeed
I have always liked the writings of J. California Cooper and this was no exception. Family is thought provoking as generations come and go. Makes me wonder how many family members I have lived alongside of, worked with and never met. In the end, we are all joined one way or another. Nice narration.
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- Michele Knight
- 07-21-23
This story is an American story
J. California Cooper understands the legacy of slavery and how it is truly the story of America and tells it in such a colorful way without a lot of malice but is lyrical as she tells it. This belongs in the cannon with Walker, Morrison and Hurston
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- Lady25
- 06-16-24
This story will draw you in.
J. California Cooper is the greatest. She captures you with her story telling. I finished this story in one sitting. I miss her stories.
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- Ms. Sheri
- 02-22-21
My Favorite Book by J California Cooper
I really enjoyed the narration of this book. I read the book many years ago when it was first published. In fact it is the only book that I have ever read more than once. I’ve read it 3 times. I just love J California Cooper’s writing style. I have read all of her books. So when I joined audible she is one of the first authors I looked for.
This story will make you sad, make you laugh, and make you cry. But lest we never forget our history and all that we have been through as a people. She captures it well in this writing and the narrator has done a fine job bringing the story to life.
A mother looking down from Heaven over the life of her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren born into slavery and following their lives and telling their story.
I hope Audible will make her book “The Matter is Life” available soon. Another good read.
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2 people found this helpful