Audiobooks narrated by James Shippy

Neighborhood tensions reach a breaking point in the finale of New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe's captivating series that sweeps readers back to 1930's Alabama and into the lives of two neighboring couples whose deceitful friendships and imperfect marriages are just the beginning of their troubles... In this captivating Depression-era set novel by New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe, two couples find their grudges endangering more than their Alabama small town's deceptive peace . . . When good-time couple Milton and Yvonne Hamilton moved one house over from the respectable-but-restless Odell and Joyce Watson, it was a fast friendship of shared secrets--and secret jealousies and betrayals. Their alliance was bound to crash and burn, but the Hamiltons won't quite let the flame die out, even after scandalous accusations get them arrested... Odell would do anything to be free of his bootlegging, blackmailing, money extorting neighbors and recover the peaceful--and financially prosperous--life he and Joyce once had. But Milton and Yvonne seem to always bounce back from bad luck, and this time they've returned angrier, and greedier, than ever. Determined to get what Odell 'owes' them, the Hamiltons have a big surprise for Joyce too, one that shows how far they will go to get revenge . . . Now pushed past his breaking point, Odell is sure he's got a foolproof plan to end the scheming once and for all. But it soon spirals into lies, shattering violence, and permanent damage that will roil their tranquil community, and alter his and Joyce's world forever . . .

Mary Monroe (Author), Adenrele Ojo, Beresford Bennett, James Shippy, Kentra Lynn (Narrator)

Audiobook

The History of Gangster Rap: From Schoolly D to Kendrick Lamar, the Rise of a Great American Art For

The History of Gangster Rap is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating subgenres of any music category to date. Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that created this revolutionary music. From still-swirling conspiracy theories about the murders of Biggie and Tupac to the release of the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the era of gangster rap is one that fascinates music junkies and remains at the forefront of pop culture. Filled with interviews with key players such as Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, and dozens more, as well as breakout bios of notorious characters, lists, and more, The History of Gangster Rap is the be-all-end-all book that contextualizes the importance of gangster rap as a cultural phenomenon.

Soren Baker (Author), James Shippy, Soren Baker (Narrator)

Audiobook

Black Market: An Insider's Journey into the High-Stakes World of College Basketball

From a former college basketball player and Executive at Nike, a "riveting" (Sports Illustrated) insider's account into the business of college basketball exposes the corrupt and racist systems that exploit young athletes and offers a new way forward For Merl Code, basketball was life. In college he played point guard for Clemson before turning pro. Later, when he pivoted to marketing, he found himself thrust into a startling world of profit-driven college basketball programs. He realized that the NCAA's amateurism rules could be used to exploit young athletes, and athletes of color in particular. Now, for the first time, Code will share his side of the explosive story of college basketball's dark reality-a system that begins with young talent in AAU programs and culminates at the highest levels of the NBA. Propulsive, urgent, and eye-opening, Black Market exposes the truth to offer a more just way forward for both colleges and athletes.

Merl Code (Author), James Shippy (Narrator)

Audiobook

Loving's Love: A Black American's Experience in Aviation

Loving’s Love is the inspiring autobiography of Neal V. Loving, an aeronautical engineer, experimental aircraft designer, and true aviation pioneer. Despite racism that barred him from most aviation opportunities, as well as a near-fatal flying accident that resulted in the loss of his legs, Loving remained optimistic, ambitious, and resourceful. He triumphed over those who doubted and denied him to become the first African American and first person with bilateral amputation to be licensed as a racing pilot. Loving designed and flew five aircraft throughout his lifetime, the first when he was a young high school graduate. This book centers on his midget one-seater racing plane, the WR-1 Loving’s Love that he flew from Detroit, Michigan, to Kingston, Jamaica—an impressive feat for a plane of its kind. Describing his early days as a fledgling designer and his years as the owner of a flying school he opened to students of all races, Loving often refers to his personal creed, “No success without enthusiasm.” At age forty he enrolled as a full-time engineering student, going on to a long and distinguished career as an aerospace research engineer. Loving’s Love is the story of a man who exemplified the abiding love of flight that spurred the first barnstormers, and who left behind a triumphant legacy.

Neal V. Loving (Author), James Shippy (Narrator)

Audiobook

Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lies

With his trademark acerbic wit, incisive humor, and infectious paranoia, one of our foremost comedians and most politically engaged civil rights activists looks back at 100 key events from the complicated history of black America. A friend of luminaries including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Medgar Evers, and the forebear of today's popular black comics, including Larry Wilmore, W. Kamau Bell, Damon Young, and Trevor Noah, Dick Gregory has been a provocative and incisive cultural force for more than fifty years. As an entertainer, he has always kept it indisputably real about race issues in America, fearlessly lacing laughter with hard truths. As a leading activist against injustice, he marched at Selma during the Civil Rights movement, organized student rallies to protest the Vietnam War; sat in at rallies for Native American and feminist rights; fought apartheid in South Africa; and participated in hunger strikes in support of Black Lives Matter. In this collection of thoughtful, provocative essays, Gregory charts the complex and often obscured history of the African American experience. In his unapologetically candid voice, he moves from African ancestry and surviving the Middle Passage to the creation of the Jheri Curl, the enjoyment of bacon and everything pig, the headline-making shootings of black men, and the Black Lives Matter movement. A captivating journey through time, The Most Defining Moments in Black History According to Dick Gregory explores historical movements such as The Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance, as well as cultural touchstones such as Sidney Poitier winning the Best Actor Oscar for Lilies in the Field and Billie Holiday releasing Strange Fruit. An engaging look at black life that offers insightful commentary on the intricate history of the African American people, The Most Defining Moments in Black History According to Dick Gregory is an essential, no-holds-bar history lesson that will provoke, enlighten, and entertain.

Dick Gregory (Author), James Shippy (Narrator)

Audiobook

All Blood Runs Red: The Legendary Life of Eugene Bullard-Boxer, Pilot, Soldier, Spy

The incredible story of the first African American military pilot, who went on to become a Paris nightclub impresario, a spy in the French Resistance and an American civil rights pioneer Eugene Bullard lived one of the most fascinating lives of the twentieth century. The son of a former slave and an indigenous Creek woman, Bullard fled home at the age of eleven to escape the racial hostility of his Georgia community. When his journey led him to Europe, he garnered worldwide fame as a boxer, and later as the first African American fighter pilot in history. After the war, Bullard returned to Paris a celebrated hero. But little did he know that the dramatic, globe-spanning arc of his life had just begun. All Blood Runs Red is the inspiring untold story of an American hero, a thought-provoking chronicle of the twentieth century and a portrait of a man who came from nothing and by his own courage, determination, gumption, intelligence and luck forged a legendary life.

Phil Keith, Tom Clavin (Author), James Shippy (Narrator)

Audiobook

Hood Misfits Volume 2: Carl Weber Presents

The Misfits are back and now they are international. Trigga, Diamond, and the crew are in London. Dame has been handled and everything should be perfect. But when a plan works too perfectly, there is bound to be some unfinished business. Secrets are exposed. Diamond has learned the game and now she must continue to embrace a life she was not meant to live while understanding the truths of her own past. Trigga thought he was going to be able to give his new family peace but when ghosts from the past appear in London, that peace starts to unravel the new gang. Can Trigga keep Diamond safe, and while doing so, can he really trust those who are around him if he doesn't really know them himself? E.N.G.A was once just a motto. Now it is a way of life. Travel through the streets of London, England and meet some new misfits, as a battle royal begins and eventually takes them back to the streets of Atlanta for a final showdown.

Brick, Storm (Author), Adam Lazarre-White, Anthony Mark Barrow, James Shippy, Paula Jai Parker, Simone Cook (Narrator)

Audiobook

Black Detroit: A People's History of Self-Determination

The author of Baldwin’s Harlem looks at the evolving culture, politics, economics, and spiritual life of Detroit—a blend of memoir, love letter, history, and clear-eyed reportage that explores the city’s past, present, and future and its significance to the African American legacy and the nation’s fabric. Herb Boyd moved to Detroit in 1943, as race riots were engulfing the city. Though he did not grasp their full significance at the time, this critical moment would be one of many he witnessed that would mold his political activism and exposed a city restless for change. In Black Detroit, he reflects on his life and this landmark place, in search of understand why Detroit is a special place for black people. Boyd reveals how Black Detroiters were prominent in the city’s historic, groundbreaking union movement and—when given an opportunity—were among the tireless workers who made the automobile industry the center of American industry. Well paying jobs on assembly lines allowed working class Black Detroiters to ascend to the middle class and achieve financial stability, an accomplishment not often attainable in other industries. Boyd makes clear that while many of these middle-class jobs have disappeared, decimating the population and hitting blacks hardest, Detroit survives thanks to the emergence of companies such as Shinola—which represent the strength of the Motor City and and its continued importance to the country. He also brings into focus the major figures who have defined and shaped Detroit, including William Lambert, the great abolitionist, Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, Coleman Young, the city’s first black mayor, diva songstress Aretha Franklin, Malcolm X, and Ralphe Bunche, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. With a stunning eye for detail and passion for Detroit, Boyd celebrates the music, manufacturing, politics, and culture that make it an American original.

Herb Boyd (Author), James Shippy (Narrator)

Audiobook

Garvey's Choice

Garvey's father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading-anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only friend encourages him to join the school chorus, Garvey's life changes. The chorus finds a new soloist in Garvey, and through chorus, Garvey finds a way to accept himself, and a way to finally reach his distant father-by speaking the language of music instead of the language of sports. This emotionally resonant novel in verse by award-winning author Nikki Grimes celebrates choosing to be true to yourself.

Nikki Grimes (Author), James Shippy (Narrator)

Audiobook

Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years

From legendary comedian D.L. Hughley comes a bitingly funny send-up of the Obama years, as "told" by the key political players on both sides of the aisle. What do the Clintons, Republicans, fellow Democrats, and Obama's own family really think of President Barack Obama? Finally, the truth is revealed in this raucously funny "oral history" parody. There is no more astute-and hilarious-critic of politics, entertainment, and race in America than D. L. Hughley, famed comedian, radio star, and original member of the "Kings of Comedy." In the vein of Jon Stewart's America: The Book, Black Man, White House is an acerbic and witty take on Obama's two terms, looking at the president's accomplishments and foibles through the imagined eyes of those who saw history unfold. Hughley draws upon satirical interviews with the most notorious public figures of our day: Mitt Romney ("What's 'poverty'? Is that some sort of rap jargon?"); Nancy Pelosi ("I play F**k/Marry/Kill, and there's a lot more kills than fu**ks in Congress, believe me."); Rod Blagojevich ("You can't sell political offices on eBay; I discovered that personally."); Joe Biden ("I like wrestling."); and other politicians, media pundits, and buffoons. It is sure to be the most irreverent-and perhaps the most honest-look at American politics today.

D. L. Hughley, D.L. Hughley (Author), Cherise Boothe, Dan Woren, Fran Tunno, Greg Itzin, James Shippy, John Reynolds, Keith Szarabajka, Mia Barron, Paula Jai Parker-Martin, Ron Butler (Narrator)

Audiobook

Capital City

Life is supposed to be easy and carefree when you are young, but if you live in Washington D.C., that's not always the case. Flashing back to the 1990s, readers enter the lives of four black men looking to gain money, power, and respect. These four brothas come from different walks of life, but they have one thing in common: they are trying to make fast money in the harsh inner city. However, when the money comes too easily there's usually a price attached...the ultimate price.

Omar Tyree (Author), Daxton Edwards, James Shippy, Ryan Anderson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The IF in Life: How to Get Off Life's Sidelines and Become Your Best Self

James Shippy, Rashad Jennings (Author), James Shippy, Rashad Jennings (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by James Shippy