Audiobooks narrated by Guy Lockard

A Universe of Wishes: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology

From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind Flying Lessons & Other Stories, comes a young adult fantasy short story collection featuring some of the best own-voices children's authors, including New York Times bestselling authors Libba Bray (The Diviners), V. E. Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic), Natalie C. Parker (Seafire), and many more. Edited by Dhonielle Clayton (The Belles). In the fourth collaboration with We Need Diverse Books, fifteen award-winning and celebrated diverse authors deliver stories about a princess without need of a prince, a monster long misunderstood, memories that vanish with a spell, and voices that refuse to stay silent in the face of injustice. This powerful and inclusive collection contains a universe of wishes for a braver and more beautiful world. AUTHORS INCLUDE: Samira Ahmed, Jenni Balch, Libba Bray, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova, Tessa Gratton, Kwame Mbalia, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tochi Onyebuchi, Mark Oshiro, Natalie C. Parker, Rebecca Roanhorse, V. E. Schwab, Tara Sim, Nic Stone

Dhonielle Clayton, Tba (Author), Ali Nasser, Anthony Lee Medina, Anthony Rey Perez, Deepti Gupta, Frankie Corzo, Guy Lockard, Kevin R. Free, Kyla Garcia, Michael Crouch, N'jameh Camara, Nancy Wu, Nikki Massoud, Rosie Jones, Shayna Small, Vikas Adam (Narrator)

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All American Boys

In an unforgettable new novel from award-winning authors Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, two teens-one black, one white-grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension.A bag of chips. That's all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galluzzo, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad's pleadings that he's stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad's resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes Rashad's every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement? But there were witnesses: Quinn Collins-a varsity basketball player and Rashad's classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan-and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team-half of whom are Rashad's best friends-start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before. Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken from the headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.

Brendan Kiely, Jason Reynolds (Author), Guy Lockard, Keith Nobbs (Narrator)

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As Brave As You

When two brothers decide to prove how brave they are, everything backfires-literally-in this piercing middle grade novel by the winner of the Coretta Scott King - Johnson Steptoe Award.Genie's summer is full of surprises. The first is that he and his big brother, Ernie, are leaving Brooklyn for the very first time to spend the summer with their grandparents all the way in Virginia-in the COUNTRY! The second surprise comes when Genie figures out that their grandfather is blind. Thunderstruck and-being a curious kid-Genie peppers Grandpop with questions about how he covers it so well (besides wearing way cool Ray-Bans). How does he match his clothes? Know where to walk? Cook with a gas stove? Pour a glass of sweet tea without spilling it? Genie thinks Grandpop must be the bravest guy he's ever known, but he starts to notice that his grandfather never leaves the house-as in NEVER. And when he finds the secret room that Grandpop is always disappearing into-a room so full of songbirds and plants that it's almost as if it's been pulled inside-out-he begins to wonder if his grandfather is really so brave after all. Then Ernie lets him down in the bravery department. It's his fourteenth birthday, and, Grandpop says to become a man, you have to learn how to shoot a gun. Genie thinks that is AWESOME until he realizes Ernie has no interest in learning how to shoot. None. Nada. Dumbfounded by Ernie's reluctance, Genie is left to wonder-is bravery and becoming a man only about proving something, or is it just as important to own up to what you won't do?

Jason Reynolds (Author), Guy Lockard (Narrator)

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Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur

A New Yorker writer's intimate, revealing account of Tupac Shakur's life and legacy, timed to the fiftieth anniversary of his birth and twenty-fifth anniversary of his death. In the summer of 2020, Tupac Shakur's single "Changes" became an anthem for the worldwide protests against the murder of George Floyd. The song became so popular, in fact, it was vaulted back onto the iTunes charts more than twenty years after its release—making it clear that Tupac's music and the way it addresses systemic racism, police brutality, mass incarceration, income inequality, and a failing education system is just as important now as it was back then. In Changes, published to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Tupac's birth and twenty-fifth anniversary of his death, Sheldon Pearce offers one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive accounts yet of the artist's life and legacy. Pearce, an editor and writer at The New Yorker, interviews dozens who knew Tupac throughout various phases of his life. While there are plenty of bold-faced names, the book focuses on the individuals who are lesser known and offer fresh stories and rare insight. Among these are the actor who costarred with him in a Harlem production of A Raisin in the Sun when he was twelve years old, the high school drama teacher who recognized and nurtured his talent, the music industry veteran who helped him develop a nonprofit devoted to helping young artists, the Death Row Records executive who has never before spoken on the record, and dozens of others. Meticulously woven together by Pearce, their voices combine to portray Tupac in all his complexity and contradiction. This remarkable book illustrates not only how he changed during his brief twenty-five years on this planet, but how he forever changed the world.

Sheldon Pearce (Author), Aden Hakimi, Ashton Grooms, Cary Hite, Fred Sanders, Guy Lockard, Heather Alicia Simms, Jackie Sanders, Jd Jackson, Landon Woodson, Leon Nixon, Pete Simonelli, Robin Miles (Narrator)

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Class Act

New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft returns with a companion book to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize. The audiobook was a 2020 Audie Awards Finalist for Middle Grade and named an Audible Best Audiobook of the Year. This time, it’s Jordan’s friend Drew who takes center stage in another laugh-out-loud funny, powerful, and important story about being one of the few kids of color in a prestigious private school. Eighth grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying “You have to work twice as hard to be just as good.” His grandmother has reminded him his entire life. But what if he works ten times as hard and still isn’t afforded the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted? To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids. He wants to pretend like everything is fine, but it's hard not to withdraw, and even their mutual friend Jordan doesn't know how to keep the group together. As the pressures mount, will Drew find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly accept each other? And most important, will he finally be able to accept himself? This original full-cast audio adaptation of the graphic novel is performed by Jesus Del Orden, Nile Bullock, Guy Lockard, Robin Miles, Peyton Lusk, Marc Thompson, Rebecca Soler, Dan Bittner, January LaVoy, Phoebe Strole, Jordan Cobb, Ron Butler, A.J Beckles, Miles J. Harvey, Kim Mai Guest, Kyla Garcia, and Soneela Nankani. New Kid, the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal, is now joined by Jerry Craft's powerful Class Act.

Jerry Craft (Author), A.J Beckles, Dan Bittner, Guy Lockard, January Lavoy, Jesus Del Orden, Jordan Cobb, Kim Mai Guest, Kyla Garcia, Marc Thompson, Miles Harvey, Nile Bullock, Peyton Lusk, Phoebe Strole, Rebecca Soler, Robin Miles, Ron Butler, Soneela Nankani (Narrator)

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Exponential Living: Stop Spending 100% of Your Time on 10% of Who You Are

Peace is possible. Peace is our power. Peace is the New Success®. Constantly striving to achieve one goal after another and investing more in our careers than in our actual lives have left many of us feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and disconnected from who we are—anything but happy. Take Sheri Riley. She rose to the top of her field and was miserable. Sure she was successful, but she couldn’t buy peace, and material possessions didn’t bring her clarity. Now an empowerment speaker and life strategist, Sheri Riley shares the secret that helped her regain her sense of self and purpose. In Exponential Living, she offers nine principles to help the busiest goal-oriented people integrate their professional success with whole-life success: • Live in Your P.O.W.E.R. (Perspective, Ownership, Wisdom, Engagement, Reward) • Healthy Living Is More Than Just a Diet • Pursue Peace and a Positive Mind • Have a Servant’s Heart and a Giving Spirit • Stop Working, Start Maximizing • Happy Is a Choice, Joy Is a Lifestyle • Build Lasting Confidence • The Courage to Be Faithful • Exponential Living Sheri’s plan will help you to stop spending 100% of your time on 10% of who you are. Features interviews with Actor/Rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges * TV/Film Producer Will Packer * Radio Personality Bert Weiss * Actor Boris Kodjoe * Actor Nicole Ari Parker * CEO Mark Cole * Former NBA Player Darrell Griffith * Former NFL Player Peerless Price * Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell Read by the Author, with Jason Culp, January LaVoy, Guy Lockhard, Prentice Onayemi, and Erick Santiago

Sheri Riley (Author), , Erick Santiago, Guy Lockard, January Lavoy, Jason Culp, Prentice Onayemi, Sheri Riley (Narrator)

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Fresh Ink: An Anthology

All it takes to rewrite the rules is a little fresh ink in this remarkable YA anthology from thirteen of the most recognizable, diverse authors writing today including Nicola Yoon, Jason Reynolds, Melissa de la Cruz, and many more, and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. This collection features ten short stories, a graphic short story, and a one-act play from Walter Dean Myers never before in-print. It will give readers the opportunity to discover how the next chapter is up to them. 'I absolutely love this mix of established and newer talents, and I'm really intrigued and excited by the mixed formats.' --BookRiot Careful--you are holding fresh ink. And not hot-off-the-press, still-drying-in-your-hands ink. Instead, you are holding twelve stories with endings that are still being written--whose next chapters are up to you. Because these stories are meant to be read. And shared. Thirteen of the most accomplished YA authors deliver a label-defying anthology that includes ten short stories, a graphic novel, and a one-act play about topics like gentrification, acceptance, untimely death, coming out, and poverty and ranging in genre from contemporary realistic fiction to adventure and romance. This collection will inspire you to break conventions, bend the rules, and color outside the lines. All you need is fresh ink. AUTHORS INCLUDE: Schuyler Bailar, Melissa de la Cruz, Sara Farizan, Sharon G. Flake, Eric Gansworth, Malindo Lo, Walter Dean Myers, Daniel José Older, Thien Pham, Jason Reynolds, Aminah Mae Safi, Gene Luen Yang, Nicola Yoon Includes a bonus PDF of "Paladin/Samurai" by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Thien Pham Audiobook Table of Contents: Eraser Tattoo by Jason Reynolds, read by Guy Lockard Meet Cute by Malinda Lo, read by Kim Mai Guest Don't Pass Me By by Eric Gansworth, read by the author Be Cool for Once by Aminah Mae Safi, read by the author Tags by Walter Dean Myers, with narration read by Dominic Hoffman; 'Big Eddie' read by Dion Graham; 'Willie' read by Guy Lockard; 'D'Mario' read by Ron Butler; and 'J-Boy' read by J.B. Adkins Why I Learned to Cook by Sara Farizan, read by the author A Stranger at the Bochinche by Daniel Jose Older, read by Henry Leyva A Boy's Duty by Sharon G. Flake, read by J.B. Adkins One Voice: A Something In-Between Story by Melissa de la Cruz, read by Donabella Mortel Paladin/Samurai by Gene Luen Yang, with 'Wujae/Game Master' read by Raymond Lee; 'Owen/Knight/Samurai' read by Sunil Malhotra; 'Cameron/Wizard' read by Kirby Heyborne; 'Macie/Thief' read by Kim Mai Guest; 'Kelly' read by Jennifer Rubins; and 'Dusty' read by Nick Martorelli Catch, Pull, Drive by Schuyler Bailar, read by the author Super Human by Nicola Yoon, read by Bahni Turpin About We Need Diverse Books read by Lamar Giles

Jason Reynolds, Lamar Giles, Melissa De La Cruz, Nicola Yoon, Various (Author), , Aminah Mae Safi, Bahni Turpin, Dion Graham, Dominic Hoffman, Donnabella Mortel, Eric Gansworth, Guy Lockard, Henry Levya, Henry Leyva, J. B. Adkins, Kim Mai Guest, Ron Butler, Sara Farizan, Schuyler Bailar, Various (Narrator)

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Ghost

Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of a brand-new series from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award–winning author Jason Reynolds. Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves. Ghost has a crazy natural talent, but no formal training. If he can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons—it all starting with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems—and running away from them—until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who blew his own shot at success by using drugs, and who is determined to keep other kids from blowing their shots at life.

Jason Reynolds (Author), Guy Lockard (Narrator)

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Hurricanes: A Memoir

The highly anticipated memoir from hip-hop icon Rick Ross chronicles his coming of age amid Miami’s crack epidemic, his star-studded controversies and his unstoppable rise to fame. Rick Ross is an indomitable presence in the music industry, but few people know his full story. Now, for the first time, Ross offers a vivid, dramatic and unexpectedly candid account of his early childhood, his tumultuous adolescence and his dramatic ascendancy in the world of hip-hop. Born William Leonard Roberts II, Ross grew up “across the bridge,” in a Miami at odds with the glitzy beaches, nightclubs and yachts of South Beach. In the aftermath of the 1980 race riots and the Mariel boatlift, Ross came of age at the height of the city’s crack epidemic, when home invasions and execution-style killings were commonplace. Still, in the midst of the chaos and danger that surrounded him, Ross flourished, first as a standout high school football player and then as a dope boy in Carol City’s notorious Matchbox housing projects. All the while he honed his musical talent, overcoming setback after setback until a song called “Hustlin’” changed his life forever. From the making of “Hustlin’” to his first major label deal with Def Jam, to the controversy surrounding his past as a correctional officer and the numerous health scares, arrests and feuds he had to transcend along the way, Hurricanes is a revealing portrait of one of the biggest stars in the rap game, and an intimate look at the birth of an artist.

Neil Martinez-Belkin, Rick Ross (Author), Guy Lockard (Narrator)

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If You Come Softly: Twentieth Anniversary Edition

A lyrical story of star-crossed love perfect for readers of The Hate U Give, by National Ambassador for Children's Literature Jacqueline Woodson Jeremiah feels good inside his own skin. That is, when he's in his own Brooklyn neighborhood. But now he's going to be attending a fancy prep school in Manhattan, and black teenage boys don't exactly fit in there. So it's a surprise when he meets Ellie the first week of school. In one frozen moment their eyes lock, and after that they know they fit together-even though she's Jewish and he's black. Their worlds are so different, but to them that's not what matters. Too bad the rest of the world has to get in their way. Jacqueline Woodson's work has been called "moving and resonant" (Wall Street Journal) and "gorgeous" (Vanity Fair). Now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, and including a new preface by the author, If You Come Softly is a powerful story of interracial love that leaves readers wondering "why" and "if only . . ."

Jacqueline Woodson (Author), Guy Lockard, Jacqueline Woodson, Jorjeana Marie (Narrator)

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Invisible Son

From the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of This Is My America comes another thriller about a wrongly accused teen desperate to recclaim both his innocence and his first love. Life can change in an instant. When you're wrongfully accused of a crime. When a virus shuts everything down. When the girl you love moves on. Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn't feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. And Andre's suspicions about his arrest for a crime he didn't commit even taint his friendships. It's as if his whole life has been erased. The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids-especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra's brother Eric is missing, and the facts don't add up as their adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture-perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game. Critically acclaimed author Kim Johnson delivers another social justice thriller that shines a light on being young and Black in America-perfect for fans of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone.

Kim Johnson (Author), Guy Lockard, Kim Johnson (Narrator)

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KG: A to Z: An Uncensored Encyclopedia of Life, Basketball, and Everything in Between

A unique, unfiltered memoir from the NBA champion and fifteen-time all-star ahead of his induction into the Hall of Fame. Kevin Garnett was one of the most dominant players the game of basketball has ever seen. He was also one of its most outspoken. Over the course of his illustrious twenty-one-year NBA career, he elevated trash talk to an art form and never shied away from sharing his thoughts on controversial subjects. In KG A to Z, published ahead of Garnett's induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he looks back on his life and career with the same raw candor. Garnett describes the adversity he faced growing up in South Carolina before ultimately relocating to Chicago, where he became one of the top prospects in the nation. He details his headline-making decision to skip college and become the first player in two decades to enter the draft directly from high school, starting a trend that would be followed by future superstars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. He shares stories of playing with and against Bryant, James, Michael Jordan, and other NBA greats, and he chronicles his professional ups and downs, including winning a championship with the Boston Celtics. He also speaks his mind on a range of topics beyond basketball, such as fame, family, racism, spirituality, and music. Garnett's draft decision wasn't the only way he'd forever change the game. His ability to play on the perimeter as a big man foreshadowed the winning strategy now universally adopted by the league. He applies this same innovative spirit here, organizing the contents alphabetically as an encyclopedia. If you thought Kevin Garnett was exciting, inspiring, and unfiltered on the court, just wait until you read what he has to say in these pages.

Kevin Garnett (Author), Guy Lockard (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Guy Lockard