Audiobooks by James McBride

[French] - L’épicerie du paradis sur terre

"En 1972, des ouvriers de Pottstown, Pennsylvanie, découvrent des restes humains au fond d’un puits. À Chicken Hill, quartier pauvre où se côtoient Juifs et noirs américains, l’identité du squelette et la manière dont il est arrivé là sont deux secrets bien gardés. Moshe et Chona Ludlow vivent là depuis des lustres. Ils en sont, en quelque sorte, la mémoire et l’âme. Moshe s’occupe du théâtre et Chona, de la petite épicerie du Paradis sur Terre. Depuis leur position privilégiée, rien n’échappe à leur attention. Alors, quand les autorités commencent à s’intéresser à un gamin sourd, Chona se met en tête de le protéger. Pour éviter qu’il soit placé en institution, elle met tout en oeuvre, aidée dans sa tâche par Nate Timblin, le concierge du théâtre et leader informel de la communauté afro-américaine. Chronique de la vie et de la survie de ceux qui vivent en marge de l’Amérique blanche et chrétienne, L’Épicerie du Paradis sur Terre nous rappelle que même dans les pires moments, il est possible de compter sur la force de l’amour et les liens qui unissent la communauté."

James McBride (Author), Olivier Dote-Doevi (Narrator)

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[German] - Die Farbe von Wasser

"Die Farbe von Wasser erzählt die Geschichte James McBrides, der in den sechziger Jahren - den Zeiten von Malcolm X und Martin Luther Kings - an der Seite von elf Geschwistern in New York aufwächst. Vor allem aber erzählt es die bewegende Geschichte seiner weißen Mutter Ruth, die 1921 in Polen als Tochter eines orthodoxen Rabbiners geboren wird, mit zwei Jahren mit ihrer Familie nach Amerika auswandert und mit 17 für immer ihr Elternhaus in Virgina verlässt, um in New York einen Schwarzen zu heiraten. Eine Familiengeschichte wie ein Roman, mit einer Heldin, die wie selbstverständlich über Rassenkonflikte und persönliche Entbehrungen triumphiert."

James McBride (Author), Adisat Semenitsch, Oliver Dupont (Narrator)

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[German] - Himmel & Erde

"Barack-Obama-Nummer-1-Lieblingsbuch des Jahres • Publishers-Weekly-Nummer-1-Buch des Jahres • Amazon-Nummer-1-Buch-des-Jahres • New-York-Times-Bestseller Pottstown, Pennsylvania, 1972: Beim Ausheben der Fundamente für ein neues Baugebiet stoßen die Arbeiter am Grund eines Brunnens auf ein Skelett. Wem es gehörte und wie es dorthin kam, kann nur wissen, wer in den Zwanziger- und Dreißigerjahren in Chicken Hill gelebt hat, einem heruntergekommenen Viertel, in dem eingewanderte Juden und Afroamerikaner das Glück teilten ebenso wie die Sorgen. Es war auch das Viertel von Moshe und Chona Ludlow, die dort ein Theater und ein Lebensmittelgeschäft betrieben. Bis eines Tages ein tauber Waisenjunge auftauchte, den die staatlichen Behörden in eine Anstalt einweisen wollten. Und seine letzte Hoffnung ruhte auf Moshe und Chona und der Gemeinde von Chicken Hill ... James McBride taucht tief hinab in die Geschichte dieses Viertels und seiner Figuren, in den alltäglichen Kampf am Rande der Gesellschaft, und erzählt durch die Augen der gerade erst Eingewanderten von einem sich rasend schnell verändernden Amerika, das gerade erst dabei war zu werden, was es heute ist. Bis am Ende schließlich die Wahrheit über die Geschehnisse auf dem Chicken Hill ans Licht kommt - und sich einmal mehr zeigt, dass nur die Liebe und die Gemeinschaft - Himmel und Erde - in dunklen Zeiten Halt geben können."

James McBride (Author), Oliver Dupont (Narrator)

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[Romanian] - Diaconul King Kong

"Când un tânăr traficant de droguri este împușcat în plină zi, în mijlocul cartierului, de un bețiv bătrân și pașnic cunoscut drept Sportcoat, lumea pare să stea în loc. Se țes teorii ale conspirației, se lansează ipoteze fanteziste, iar în tot acest timp improbabilul criminal reușește să pună poliția pe jar, iscă un război între bandele de traficanți, iar acțiunile lui au urmări nebănuite. Un Don Quijote alcoolic din Brooklynul anilor ’60, Sportcoat se numără printre cele mai memorabile personaje ale literaturii americane din ultimii ani. „Mister ce trebuie dezlegat, roman polițist, farsă urbană și portret sociologic al Brooklynului din anii ’60: cartea lui McBride conține o multitudine de fațete interconectate.“ The New York Times James McBride (n. 1957) este scriitor, muzician și scenarist. În 1996 a publicat un volum de memorii, The Color of Water. A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother, în careși povestește copilăria petrecută în sânul unei familii sărace de afroamericani, condusă cu mână de fier de o mamă evreică, care se convertește la creștinism. Cartea a rezistat doi ani în topurile de vânzări The New York Times și a vândut peste 2 milioane de exemplare. Romanul lui din 2002, Miracle at St. Anna, a fost ecranizat în 2008, în regia lui Spike Lee. Un alt roman, publicat în 2013, The Good Lord Bird (Pasărea Bunului Dumnezeu, Pandora M, 2015), a fost recompensat cu National Book Award. Cel mai recent, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store (2023, în curs de traducere în seria Anansi.Contemporan), a creat o adevărată senzație în lumea literelor americane. James McBride cântă la saxofon și a făcut parte din formația Rock Bottom Remainders, alături de alți scriitori, printre care Stephen King, Amy Tan sau Barbara Kingsolver."

James McBride (Author), Mihai Nițu (Narrator)

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[Italian] - The Good Lord Bird

"Il Kansas del 1856 è un campo di battaglia tra abolizionisti e schiavisti. La vita del giovane schiavo Henry Shackleford viene stravolta dall'arrivo in città del leggendario paladino abolizionista John Brown: quando una discussione tra il padrone di Henry e Brown si tramuta in uno scontro a fuoco, Henry è costretto a scappare insieme a Brown che, fin dal primo momento, lo scambia per una ragazza e lo considera il suo portafortuna. Henry, soprannominato 'Cipollina', si troverà così a viaggiare attraverso gli Stati Uniti insanguinati dalla guerra per la 'liberazione della gente di colore' nei panni di una donzella. Dapprima profondamente a disagio per questo scambio di genere, finirà per apprezzarne i vantaggi: non dover faticare, poter passare inosservato e non dover rischiare la vita in guerra. Dopotutto, come dice lo stesso Henry, la menzogna è l'unica strategia di sopravvivenza degli schiavi neri nei rapporti con i bianchi. Insieme a John Brown seguirà le reali tappe della sua vita, compreso lo storico raid di Harpers Ferry nel 1859, uno dei grandi catalizzatori della guerra civile. Spassoso mix di storia e immaginazione raccontato con l'occhio meticoloso di McBride per i dettagli e i personaggi, The Good Lord Bird è un'avventura travolgente, ma anche una commovente esplorazione dell'identità e della lotta per la sopravvivenza."

James McBride (Author), Roberto Marinelli (Narrator)

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Deacon King Kong: Barack Obama Favourite Read & Oprah's Book Club Pick

"Brought to you by Penguin. THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK From the winner of a National Book Award and author of The Good Lord Bird, now a TV series starring Ethan Hawke The year is 1969. In a housing project in south Brooklyn, a shambling old church deacon called Sportscoat shoots - for no apparent reason - the local drug-dealer who used to be part of the church's baseball team. The repercussions of that moment draw in the whole community, from Sportscoat's best friend - Hot Sausage - to the local Italian mobsters, the police (corrupt and otherwise), and the stalwart ladies of the Five Ends Baptist Church. DEACON KING KONG is a book about a community under threat, about the ways people pull together in an age when the old rules are being rewritten. It is very funny in places, and heartbreaking in others. From a prize-winning storyteller, this New York Times bestseller shows us that not all secrets are meant to be hidden, and that the communities we build are fragile but vital. 'Deacon King Kong is deeply felt, beautifully written and profoundly humane; McBride's ability to inhabit his characters' foibled, all-too-human interiority helps transform a fine book into a great one' The New York Times Book Review 'A hilarious, pitch-perfect comedy set in the Brooklyn projects of the late 1960s. This alone may qualify it as one of the year's best novels.' The Washington Post What Goodreads readers are saying: ***** 'Deacon King Kong is one of those novels whose brilliance sneaks up on you. I haven't been this pleasantly surprised by a book in a while.' ***** 'I do believe I just finished one of my all time favorite books. I loved every minute spent with Sportcoat and his community. A good old fashioned yarn shot through with truth, spirit, and humor. I LOVED it!' ***** 'This book was a balm for my soul, a portrait of a black church community circa 1969 with sweet characters (well, most of them), interconnections that stretch back decades, and a plot with more than one mystery at its heart.' ***** ''Deacon' has the texture of folk lore and fable mixed with the unexpected rhythms of jazz and the noisy streets of late 1960s Brooklyn.' ***** 'The ending was one of those where you clutch your heart and want to hug the book (or your Kindle).' © James McBride 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

James McBride (Author), Dominic Hoffman (Narrator)

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The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

"The New York Times bestselling story from the author of The Good Lord Bird, winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction. Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A self-declared 'light-skinned' woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her twelve black children. James McBride, journalist, musician, and son, explores his mother's past, as well as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut, The Color Of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. The son of a black minister and a woman who would not admit she was white, James McBride grew up in 'orchestrated chaos' with his eleven siblings in the poor, all-black projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn. 'Mommy,' a fiercely protective woman with 'dark eyes full of pep and fire,' herded her brood to Manhattan's free cultural events, sent them off on buses to the best (and mainly Jewish) schools, demanded good grades, and commanded respect. As a young man, McBride saw his mother as a source of embarrassment, worry, and confusion-and reached thirty before he began to discover the truth about her early life and long-buried pain. In The Color of Water, McBride retraces his mother's footsteps and, through her searing and spirited voice, recreates her remarkable story. The daughter of a failed itinerant Orthodox rabbi, she was born Rachel Shilsky (actually Ruchel Dwara Zylska) in Poland on April 1, 1921. Fleeing pogroms, her family emigrated to America and ultimately settled in Suffolk, Virginia, a small town where anti-Semitism and racial tensions ran high. With candor and immediacy, Ruth describes her parents' loveless marriage; her fragile, handicapped mother; her cruel, sexually-abusive father; and the rest of the family and life she abandoned. At seventeen, after fleeing Virginia and settling in New York City, Ruth married a black minister and founded the all- black New Brown Memorial Baptist Church in her Red Hook living room. 'God is the color of water,' Ruth McBride taught her children, firmly convinced that life's blessings and life's values transcend race. Twice widowed, and continually confronting overwhelming adversity and racism, Ruth's determination, drive and discipline saw her dozen children through college-and most through graduate school. At age 65, she herself received a degree in social work from Temple University. Interspersed throughout his mother's compelling narrative, McBride shares candid recollections of his own experiences as a mixed-race child of poverty, his flirtations with drugs and violence, and his eventual self- realization and professional success. The Color of Water touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son."

James McBride (Author), Jd Jackson, Susan Denaker (Narrator)

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