Audiobooks narrated by Lynnette R. Freeman

Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It

Multiple times a day, in cities across the US and beyond, a simple yet powerful message is repeated by the well-meaning, the ignorant, and the bigoted: “don’t go” – avoid at all costs those Black and Brown disinvested neighborhoods that have become bywords for social disorder and urban decay. This book is a collection of intimate stories and evocative photos that uncover the hidden influence of both subtle and overt “don’t go” messages and the segregation they perpetuate in Chicago. Told by everyday people to Tonika Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan – a Black artist and a White academic who met through their shared passion for anti-segregation work – the stories paint a rich picture of life in a segregated city. One by one, the storytellers upend pessimism with candid, deeply personal, humorous, and heartbreaking tales, and with novel ideas for simple actions that can serve as antidotes to both racism and “place-ism.” By inviting readers into the lives of regular people who have ignored the warning to stay away from “don’t go” neighborhoods or who live in those very same neighborhoods, the stories in Don’t Go illuminate the devastating consequences of racial segregation and disinvestment as well as the inevitable rewards of coming together.

Maria Krysan, Tonika Lewis Johnson (Author), Cindy Kay, Jasmin Walker, Jonathan Todd Ross, Kevin R. Free, Lynnette R. Freeman, Maria Krysan, Marisol Ramirez, Nan McNamara, Robb Moreira, TBD, Tonika Lewis Johnson (Narrator)

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Black Flora: Inspiring Profiles of Floriculture's New Vanguard

Discover the growing community of Black floriculture leading the new vanguard in flowers. Black Flora is the first book to feature profiles of contemporary Black experts innovating in the world of flowers. Author and longtime gardener, Teresa Speight, offers a beautiful intersection of flowers and community. This book is a homecoming, one that unearths the floral legacies of the past and present, while providing a source of inspiration for younger generations of plant-lovers seeking examples of successful Black floral artists and entrepreneurs. With photos and insights from over 20 growers, florists, and designers from around the US, each with a deep reverence for nature, Black Flora showcases a range of floral expertise. And as visionary horticulturalist and garden historian, Abra Lee, reflects in her foreword, the community represented in Black Flora has an important significance both today, and in garden history. Both a celebration of now and a vision for the future, Black Flora honors floriculture's creative vanguard.

Teresa J. Speight (Author), Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

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Bitter and Sweet: A Novel

From the beloved author of The Thing About Home comes a dual timeline tale of family, grief, secrets, and the sweet redemption that lies within the bonds of sisterhood. -The Present- When summoned to Georgetown, South Carolina, sisters Mariah Clark and Sabrina Holland both assume their ailing grandfather's health has gotten worse. Neither expects their grandmother's undeniable request--save the family restaurant. Mariah is at a crossroad in her life. After being dumped by her husband and forced to walk away from their diner that she helped rescue from bankruptcy, bitter feelings consume her. Even though the restaurant has been in the family for eighty-six years, giving her all to another struggling business isn't something she wants to do. Living out of her van and striving for a fresh start, Sabrina yearns for stability for herself and her daughter and a chance to turn her baking hustle into a bona-fide business. The family restaurant may be just the blessing she needs--but as old tensions and angry disagreements resurface, Sabrina wonders if her sister will let her have a say. -The Past- After falling victim to a love she thought would last a lifetime, Tabitha Cooper finds herself away from home and struggling to survive in Charleston in the early twentieth century. She is determined to turn corn into cornbread and to take care of her children the best way she knows how--by serving food that's good for the soul--and along the way forges a path that leaves a legacy of success for generations to come. Through letters that reveal Tabitha's complicated past, the sisters discover truths that just might be the right recipe to mend their hearts--if they can find a way to savor the blessing of today and leave the bitter aftertaste of old memories behind them.

Rhonda Mcknight (Author), Angel Pean, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

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The Poisons We Drink

In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family. Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her. Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus's life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge. The cost? Brew poisonous potions to enslave D.C.'s most influential politicians. As Venus crawls deeper into the corrupt underbelly of her city, the line between magic and power blurs, and it's hard to tell who to trust…Herself included. The Poisons We Drink is a potent YA debut about a world where love potions are weaponized against hate and prejudice, sisterhood is unbreakable, and self-love is life and death.

Bethany Baptiste (Author), Lynnette R. Freeman, TBD (Narrator)

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Never and Again

Never and Again combines the subversive critique of fascism in Starship Troopers, the irreverent tone and horror of Gideon the Ninth, and the hard-hitting fictional war memoir format of The Things They Carried. In an all too imaginable future, where the privileged lead lives untouched by wars that have become a global pastime, disenfranchised young people who “volunteer” to become super soldiers are injected with nanotechnology that repeatedly brings them back from death. In a race against time, one such soldier and an analyst struggle to understand strange phenomena that occur after too many resurrections: glitches known as nostalgia, which even in the midst of combat can hurtle a soldier into the past. But after eight, nine, even ten resurrections lies something much worse than just glitches … Intense, visceral, and disturbingly plausible, Never and Again explores America’s addiction to war, the myth of meritocracy, and the ethics of technology, all feeding into the ultimate question of what makes us human. Never and Again is inspired by Justina's own experiences in the military, starting as a NonCommissioned Officer in the Army and then to a commissioned Signal Officer in the Pennsylvania National Guard deployed to Kosovo. Ultimately, Justina’s frustration with the military bureaucracy and her inability to improve conditions for her unit led her to resign her commission and become a civilian employee. Eventually she decided to make the jump to full-time writing. Never and Again is Justina’s love letter to her time on active duty, in all its messy glory, and also a way to pull back the curtain on the inhumanity of the military industrial complex. It isn’t an easy read, nor should it be. Justina is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous critically acclaimed books, including Dread Nation, the award-winning middle-grade Ophie's Ghosts, a number of New York Times bestselling Star Wars books and one of the five story architects of the LucasFilm blockbuster expansion of the Star Wars universe: The High Republic.

Justina Ireland (Author), Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Craft and Conscience: How to Write About Social Issues

The first major book for writers to more effectively engage with complex socio-political issues-a critical first step in creating social change Writers are witnesses and scribes to society's conscience but writing about social issues in the twenty-first century requires a new, sharper toolkit. Craft and Conscience helps writers weave together their narrative craft, analytical and research skills, and their conscience to create prose which makes us feel the individual and collective impact of crucial issues of our time. Kavita Das guides writers to take on nuanced perspectives and embrace intentionality through a social justice lens. She challenges writers to unpack their motivations for writing about an issue and to understand that "writing, irrespective of genre or outlet, is an act of political writing," regardless of intention. The book includes essays from a fascinating mix of authors, including James Baldwin, Alexander Chee, Kaitlyn Greenidge, George Orwell, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Gaiutra Bahadur, Jaquira Díaz, and Imani Perry. By including Das's own perspective and those of the featured writers about motivations and approaches to writing about fraught social issues, this book both demystifies the process of engaging social issues on the page, and underscores the intentionality and sensitivity that must go into the work.

Kavita Das (Author), Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

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Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater

In Nothing Like a Dame, theater journalist Eddie Shapiro opens a jewelry box full of glittering surprises, through in-depth conversations with twenty leading women of Broadway. He carefully selected Tony Award–winning stars who have spent the majority of their careers in theater, leaving aside those who have moved on or occasionally drop back in. The women he interviewed spent endless hours with him, discussing their careers, offering insights into the iconic shows, changes on Broadway over the last century, and the art (and thrill) of taking the stage night after night. Chita Rivera describes the experience of starring in musicals in each of the last seven decades; Audra McDonald gives her thoughts on the work that went into the five Tony Awards she won before turning forty-one; and Carol Channing reflects on how she has revisited the same starring role generation after generation, and its effects on her career. Here too is Sutton Foster, who contemplates her breakout success in an age when stars working predominately in theater are increasingly rare. Each of these conversations is guided by Shapiro's expert knowledge of these women's careers, Broadway lore, and the details of famous (and infamous) musicals. He also includes dozens of photographs of these players in their best-known roles. This fascinating collection reveals the artistic genius and human experience of the women who have made Broadway musicals more popular than ever—a must for anyone who loves the theater.

Eddie Shapiro (Author), Alma Cuervo, Alyssa Bresnahan, Eddie Shapiro, Jenny Sterlin, Lynnette R. Freeman, Mia Barron, Suzanne Toren (Narrator)

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Financial First Aid: Your Tool Kit for Life's Money Emergencies

What do a layoff, a medical emergency, a broken appliance, and a natural disaster have in common? Each scenario has the potential to upend your personal finances, no matter your financial situation. Money can be an intense source of stress, especially when you suddenly don't have enough of it. This handy and accessible reference from Alyssa Davies, founder of the popular finance blog Mixed Up Money, is here to help you navigate these financial ups and downs with a judgment-free approach. It offers actionable advice for different types of emergencies, short- and long-term solutions, resources, and tips from well-known financial experts who have been there before. You'll find scripts for negotiating payments for large bills, and learn how to revise a budget if you need to care for a loved one who is sick, recognize financial abuse, and much more. Charming illustrations by the author add a touch of humor to her expert advice. Best practices for building a robust emergency fund and road maps for recovering from a financial emergency will help you face your next rainy day.

Alyssa Davies (Author), Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

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The Right Bossitude

WHEN IT COMES TO BOSSING UP, AGE IS ONLY A NUMBER! At only ten years old, Zaria Carter has already become a serial entrepreneur. Since overcoming her bossy bad days, she has launched several thriving businesses, proving to her peers and the world that with hard work and the right attitude, you can accomplish anything. When a major TV executive catches Zaria's news interview, he extends an offer to collaborate, making Zaria a co-creator of her very own television show. Zaria uses her new filmmaking role to document her life and the school's upcoming election. She's on top of the world until it quickly starts to crumble after her camcorder catches some extreme dirt spilled by the undercover mean girl Sadie Mitchell. Zaria convinces herself that everything will be fine once she pulls a little magic from her journal. Yikes! She gave it away to a friend who needed a little magic of their own. Now she must develop another plan. Will Zaria be defeated, or will the right bossitude be the secret sauce to success?

Zanaiah Williams (Author), Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

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Time Capsule

The joy a child finds in making their own time capsule, filled with everyday objects, comes alive in this inviting book from the MacArthur "genius grant" recipient and award-winning author of Radioactive. A set of dice. A grandmother's ring. The key to an old house. A child gathers keepsakes from everyday life, seals them in a jar, and buries them underground. A gift from the present day…to people of the future…that tells a story about the past. A time capsule. The first book for children by renowned artist and writer Lauren Redniss will get readers thinking about the times they are living through and how their world will be remembered in ages to come. It will also spark creativity, inviting young people to envision the future and to make their own time capsules. A section at the end include tips on making your own time capsule and facts about different kinds of time capsules in history.

Lauren Redniss (Author), Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

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Saving American Beach: The Biography of African American Environmentalist MaVynee Betsch

This heartfelt picture book biography, adapted for audio, tells the story of MaVynee Betsch, an African American opera singer turned environmentalist and the legacy she preserved. MaVynee loved going to the beach. But in the days of Jim Crow, she couldn't just go to any beach--most of the beaches in Jacksonville were for whites only. Knowing something must be done, her grandfather bought a beach that African American families could enjoy without being reminded they were second class citizens; he called it American Beach. Artists like Zora Neale Hurston and Ray Charles vacationed on its sunny shores. It's here that MaVynee was first inspired to sing, propelling her to later become a widely acclaimed opera singer who routinely performed on an international stage. But her first love would always be American Beach. After the Civil Rights Act desegregated public places, there was no longer a need for a place like American Beach and it slowly fell into disrepair. MaVynee remembered the importance of American Beach to her family and so many others, so determined to preserve this integral piece of American history, she began her second act as an activist and conservationist, ultimately saving the place that had always felt most like home.

Heidi Tyline King (Author), Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

Audiobook

White Space, Black Hood: Opportunity Hoarding and Segregation in the Age of Inequality

Shows how government created "ghettos" and affluent white space and entrenched a system of American residential caste that is the linchpin of US inequality-and issues a call for abolition. The iconic Black hood, like slavery and Jim Crow, is a peculiar American institution animated by the ideology of white supremacy. Politicians and people of all colors propagated "ghetto" myths to justify racist policies that concentrated poverty in the hood and created high-opportunity white spaces. In White Space, Black Hood, Sheryll Cashin traces the history of anti-Black residential caste-boundary maintenance, opportunity hoarding, and stereotype-driven surveillance-and unpacks its current legacy so we can begin the work to dismantle the structures and policies that undermine Black lives. Drawing on nearly 2 decades of research in cities including Baltimore, St. Louis, Chicago, New York, and Cleveland, Cashin traces the processes of residential caste as it relates to housing, policing, schools, and transportation. She contends that geography is now central to American caste. Poverty-free havens and poverty-dense hoods would not exist if the state had not designed, constructed, and maintained this physical racial order. Cashin calls for abolition of these state-sanctioned processes. The ultimate goal is to change the lens through which society sees residents of poor Black neighborhoods from presumed thug to presumed citizen, and to transform the relationship of the state with these neighborhoods from punitive to caring. She calls for investment in a new infrastructure of opportunity in poor Black neighborhoods, including richly resourced schools and neighborhood centers, public transit, Peacemaker Fellowships, universal basic incomes, housing choice vouchers for residents, and mandatory inclusive housing elsewhere. Deeply researched and sharply written, White Space, Black Hood is a call to action for repairing what white supremacy still breaks.

Sheryll Cashin (Author), Lynnette R. Freeman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Lynnette R. Freeman