Audiobooks narrated by Almarie Guerra

A salty, wrenchingly honest collection of stories set on one block of 145th Street. We get to know the oldest resident; the cop on the beat; fine Peaches and her girl, Squeezie; Monkeyman; and Benny, a fighter on the way to a knockout. We meet Angela, who starts having prophetic dreams after her father is killed; Kitty, whose love for Mack pulls him back from the brink; and Big Joe, who wants a bang-up funeral while he's still around to enjoy it. Some of these stories are private, and some are the ones behind the headlines. In each one, characters jump off the page and pull readers right into the mix on 1-4-5.

Walter Dean Myers (Author), Adenrele Ojo, Almarie Guerra, Bahni Turpin, Brandon Gill, Dominic Hoffman, Heather Alicia Simms, Jaqwan J. Kelly, Johnny Heller, Paula Parker, Sullivan Jones (Narrator)

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A Lush and Seething Hell: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror

The award-winning and critically-acclaimed master of horror returns with a pair of chilling tales-both never-before-published in print or audio-that examine the violence and depravity of the human condition. Bringing together his acclaimed novella The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky and an all-new short novel My Heart Struck Sorrow, John Hornor Jacobs turns his fertile imagination to the evil that breeds within the human soul. A brilliant mix of the psychological and supernatural, blending the acute insight of Roberto Bolaño and the eerie imagination of H. P. Lovecraft, The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky examines life in a South American dictatorship. Centered on the journal of a poet-in-exile and his failed attempts at translating a maddening text, it is told by a young woman trying to come to grips with a country that nearly devoured itself. In My Heart Struck Sorrow, a librarian discovers a recording from the Deep South-which may be the musical stylings of the Devil himself. Breathtaking and haunting, A Lush and Seething Hell is a terrifying and exhilarating journey into the darkness, an odyssey into the deepest reaches of ourselves that compels us to confront secrets best left hidden.

John Hornor Jacobs (Author), Almarie Guerra, Macleod Andrews (Narrator)

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A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like

One of the most outspoken voices gracing the cover of magazines today encourages women to be their most confident selves, recognize their personal beauty, and reach for their highest dreams in this wise, warm, and inspiring memoir Voluptuous beauty Ashley Graham has been modeling professionally since the age of thirteen. Discovered at a shopping mall in Nebraska, her stunning face and sexy curves have graced the covers of top magazines, including Cosmopolitan and British Vogue, and she was the first size 14 model to appear on the front of the wildly popular Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. The face of brands such as H&M Studio, she is also a judge for the latest season of America’s Next Top Model. And that’s only the beginning for this extraordinary talent. Ashley is leading a new generation of women breaking ground and demolishing stereotypes, transforming our ideals about body image and what is fashionable and beautiful. A woman who proves that when it comes to beauty, size is just a number, she is the voice for the body positivity movement today and a role model for all women—no matter their individual body type, shape, or weight. In this collection of insightful, provocative essays illustrated with a dozen photos, Ashley shares her perspective on how ideas around body image are evolving—and how we still have work to do; the fun—and stress—of a career in the fashion world; her life before modeling; and her path to accepting her size without limiting her dreams—defying rigid industry standards and naysayers who told her it couldn’t be done. As she talks about her successes and setbacks, Ashley offers support for every woman coming to terms with who she is, bolster her self-confidence, and motivates her to be her strongest, healthiest, and most beautiful self.

Ashley Graham, Camille (cc), Rebecca Paley (Author), Almarie Guerra, Ashley Graham (Narrator)

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Belly Up

There's a first time for everything. First time playing quarters. First time spinning the bottle. First totally hot consensual truck hookup with a superhot boy whose digits I forgot to get. First time getting pregnant. Surprised you with that one, didn't I? Surprised me, too. I'd planned to spend senior year with my bestie-slash-wifey, Devi Abrams, graduating at the top of my class and getting into an Ivy League college. Instead, Mom and I are moving in with my battle-ax of a grandmother and I'm about to start a new school and a whole new life. Know what's more fun than being the new girl for your senior year? Being the pregnant new girl. It isn't awesome. There is one upside, though-a boy named Leaf Leon. He's cute, an amazing cook and he's flirting me up, hard-core. Too bad I'm knocked up with a stranger's baby. I should probably mention that to him at some point. But how? It seems I've got a lot more firsts to go.

Eva Darrows (Author), Almarie Guerra (Narrator)

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Between the Lines

This thought-provoking companion to Nikki Grimes' Coretta Scott King Award-winning Bronx Masquerade shows the capacity poetry has to express ideas and feelings, and connect us with ourselves and others. Darrian dreams of writing for the New York Times. To hone his skills and learn more about the power of words, he enrolls in Mr. Ward's class, known for its open-mic poetry readings and boys vs. girls poetry slam. Everyone in class has something important to say, and in sharing their poetry, they learn that they all face challenges and have a story to tell-whether it's about health problems, aging out of foster care, being bullied for religious beliefs, or having to take on too much responsibility because of an addicted parent. As Darrian and his classmates get to know one another through poetry, they bond over the shared experiences and truth that emerge from their writing, despite their private struggles and outward differences.

Nikki Grimes (Author), Almarie Guerra, Cherise Boothe, Edward Lopes, Edward Lopez, James Shippy, Lori Gardner, Ruffin Prentiss, Sisi Aisha Johnson (Narrator)

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Category Five

After the hurricane, some see destruction and some smell blood. Vieques: a small island just off the northeastern coast of the main island of Puerto Rico. A place struggling to recover after Hurricane Maria, where developers smell desperation and see opportunity. A paradise turned hunting ground for something angry that the storm revived. Lupe, Javier, and Marisol are back to investigate a series of murders that follow in the wake of destruction and in the shadow of a mysterious new threat. Category Five is a supernatural thriller set against the backdrop of a post-hurricane Puerto Rico, about the families we choose and the monsters we never see coming.

Ann Davila Cardinal, Ann Dávila Cardinal (Author), Almarie Guerra (Narrator)

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Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls

When a powerful desert spirit kidnaps her sister, Cece Rios must learn forbidden magic to get her back, in this own voices middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of The Storm Runner and Aru Shah and the End of Time. Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her family’s disapproval. After all, only brujas—humans who capture and control criaturas—consort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime. When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombrerón, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devil’s Alley, though, she’ll have to become a bruja herself—while hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey. With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her family—and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Kaela Rivera (Author), Almarie Guerra (Narrator)

Audiobook

Claro de luna

A pesar de su nombre, Taína Pérez no sabe nada de su herencia taína, ni ha intentado nunca aprender. Al fin y al cabo, ¿cómo podría ayudar la historia antigua de Puerto Rico con todo lo que está pasando? Hay constantes problemas en la escuela y en su barrio, han echado a su hermano mayor de casa y como su madre está trabajando, le toca a ella sola cuidar de su hermano pequeño y de su abuela anciana. Es mucho para una niña de catorce años. Pero la vida da un giro radical cuando su abuela le dice que es descendiente directa de Anacaona, la bienamada líder taína, guerrera y poeta, que fue asesinada por los españoles en 1503. La abuela también le regala un amuleto y un cemí y le dice que ha llegado el momento de asumir su poder como las mujeres que la precedieron. ¿Pero es eso posible? La gente como ella apenas consigue salir de sus circunstancias, y los problemas de su hogar y de su comunidad son mucho más grandes de lo que Taína puede manejar. ¿O lo son? Un relato moderno intercalado con capítulos históricos, Claro de luna ofrece a los lectores una poderosa historia de lucha, esperanza y liberación colectiva del pueblo puertorriqueño y taíno.

Elizabeth Santiago (Author), Almarie Guerra (Narrator)

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Climbing Out of the Wreck: A Survivor's Tale

'Observing the care with which my son treated his children, I thought to myself, 'the cycle of craziness is broken.' The trail of our suffering has come to an end.' This is the story of a courageous young woman who grew up in a home headed by a sexual predator and an abused mother who lost her mind when Christine was only fourteen, disappearing until she was a mother herself. It recounts the secrets and lies that were designed to protect the darkest family secret of all, which had the effect of making the eight children strangers to each other, and then prisoners of the passions that disordered their lives, and set them against each other. Christine's story is filled with intense dramas-the horrifying revenge of the chosen son, the struggle between mother and daughter to the edge of the grave, and finally, the saga of Christine's climb out of the family wreck: how the birth of her child provided a new compass; how the family traumas failed to derail her quest to free herself and her new family from the chains of the past. The climax of her tale is a showdown with her siblings set off by the dark revelations of the sister at the center of the family secret. This is an inspiring, beautifully told story of individual courage with life lessons for others seeking to break free of similar circumstances.

Christine Stein (Author), Almarie Guerra (Narrator)

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Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism

Newly revised and updated, this landmark anthology offers gripping portraits of American life as seen through the eyes of young women of color It has been decades since women of color first turned feminism upside down, exposing the feminist movement as exclusive, white, and unaware of the concerns and issues of women of color from around the globe. Since then, key social movements have risen, including Black Lives Matter, transgender rights, and the activism of young undocumented students. Social media has also changed how feminism reaches young women of color, generating connections in all corners of the country. And yet we remain a country divided by race and gender. Now, a new generation of outspoken women of color offer a much-needed fresh dimension to the shape of feminism of the future. In Colonize This!, Daisy Hernandez and Bushra Rehman have collected a diverse, lively group of emerging writers who speak to the strength of community and the influence of color, to borders and divisions, and to the critical issues that need to be addressed to finally reach an era of racial freedom. With prescient and intimate writing, Colonize This! will reach the hearts and minds of readers who care about the experience of being a woman of color, and about establishing a culture that fosters freedom and agency for women of all races.

Bushra Rehma, Daisy Hernandez (Author), Almarie Guerra, Ariana Delawari, Greta Jung, Kristyl Dawn Tift, Kyla Garcia, Sharmila Devar, Staci Mitchell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Coquí in the City

A heartfelt adapted-for-audio picture book based on the author-illustrator's own experiences, about a boy who moves to the U.S. mainland from Puerto Rico and realizes that New York City might have more in common with San Juan than he initially thought. Miguel's pet frog, Coquí, is always with him: as he greets his neighbors in San Juan, buys quesitos from the panadería, and listens to his abuelo's story about meeting baseball legend Roberto Clemente. Then Miguel learns that he and his parents are moving to the U.S. mainland, which means leaving his beloved grandparents, home in Puerto Rico, and even Coquí behind. Life in New York City is overwhelming, with unfamiliar buildings, foods, and people. But when he and Mamá go exploring, they find a few familiar sights that remind them of home, and Miguel realizes there might be a way to keep a little bit of Puerto Rico with him--including the love he has for Coquí--wherever he goes.

Nomar Perez (Author), Almarie Guerra (Narrator)

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Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln

As a little girl, Teresa Carreño loved to let her hands dance across the beautiful keys of the piano. If she felt sad, music cheered her up, and when she was happy, the piano helped her share that joy. Soon she was writing her own songs and performing in grand cathedrals. Then a revolution in Venezuela forced her family to flee to the United States. Teresa felt lonely in this unfamiliar place, where few of the people she met spoke Spanish. Worst of all, there was fighting in her new home, too-the Civil War. Still, Teresa kept playing, and soon she grew famous as the talented Piano Girl who could play anything from a folk song to a sonata-so famous, in fact, that President Abraham Lincoln wanted her to play at the White House! Yet with the country torn apart by war, could Teresa's music bring comfort to those who needed it most?

Margarita Engle (Author), Almarie Guerra (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Almarie Guerra