Audiobooks narrated by Marie-Françoise Theodore

"A vengeful spirit wills itself into existence in a land where people are property and dreams of freedom incite rebellion against those who profit from slave labor in this magical realism story rooted in West African mythology. 1794, Benin, Africa. Bako is one of 162 men stolen from their homeland. After a harrowing voyage across the sea, penned like livestock, and enduring brutal beatings, Bako survived when many of his fellow countrymen did not. On the Caribbean island of Dominica, he is sold to William Blackwell, sentenced to a life of forced servitude on a sugarcane plantation. Rechristened Ivan, his true identity and defiant nature cannot be tamed. When an indigenous Kalinago woman named Mary is threatened by Blackwell’s cruel son, Bako fights back, escaping with her into the mountains—where she will give birth to their daughter. Etta is an ogbanje, an unborn soul, trapped in a cycle of conception and death in the wombs of one family. She is not of this Earth, existing among the stars, bearing the names of Queen Mother and Iyoba. A gifted siren, her voice unleashes ethereal songs that consume listeners with fear. Her desperate desire to live compelled Bako into the hands of his captors—and his fateful meeting with Mary. They are but vessels brought together to ensure Etta’s birth into the mortal world. But Etta bears the physical scars of her many spiritual deaths. The Kalinago do not accept her into their clan. Her father suspects the truth of his daughter’s origins. And the landowners and tradesmen who enslave Etta’s people will feel her wrath as she compels rebellions, the one within, the gravest."

Robert de la Chevotière (Author), Marie-Françoise Theodore (Narrator)

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Silence and Resistance: Memoir of a Girlhood in Haiti

"On January 12, 2010, a powerful earthquake shook Haiti, killing and injuring thousands. In a few seconds, the author's identity was torn apart with all the landmarks of her life shattered, sending her into a transformative journey of self-discovery. 'Silence and Resistance' recounts the author's upbringing under state-sponsored terror, domestic violence, forced silence, the bewilderment of loss, and generational secrets. It is also a haunting narrative of the author's profound journey to uncover and reckon with the buried secrets of her family's past. Set against the rich backdrop and singular history of Haiti, this poignant tale explores the complexities of love, trauma, and identity through the lens of a father's dark legacy. When she discovered that her father committed an unspeakable act, the revelation shattered Monique's understanding of family. Forced to confront the silence that has long shielded the truth, she must navigate the emotional turmoil of betrayal and the weight of inherited pain. She must, too, reconcile her love for a man who was both a nurturing parent and a perpetrator of violence. Through vivid and expert storytelling and intimate reflections, 'Silence and Resistance' delves into the psychological scars left by familial secrets and the struggle for personal redemption. It is a powerful exploration of the necessity to confront uncomfortable truths, break the chains of silence, and ultimately find healing with one's own voice and destiny in the embrace of honesty."

Monique Clesca (Author), Marie-Françoise Theodore (Narrator)

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When the Mapou Sings

"Sixteen-year-old Lucille hopes to one day open a school alongside her best friend where girls just like them can learn what it means to be Haitian: to learn from the mountains and the forests around them, to carve, to sew, to draw, and to sing the songs of the Mapou, the sacred trees that dot the island nation. But when her friend vanishes without a trace, a dream—a gift from the Mapou—tells Lucille to go to her village’s section chief, the local face of law, order, and corruption, which puts her life and her family’s at risk. Forced to flee her home, Lucille takes a servant post with a wealthy Haitian woman from society’s elite in Port-au-Prince. Despite a warning to avoid him, she falls in love with her employer’s son. But when their relationship is found out, she must leave again—this time banished to another city to work for a visiting American writer and academic conducting fieldwork in Haiti. While Lucille’s new employer studies vodou and works on the novel that will become Their Eyes Were Watching God, Lucille risks losing everything she cares about—and any chance of seeing her best friend again—as she fights to save their lives and secure her future in this novel in verse with the racing heart of a thriller. Infused with magical realism, this story blends first love and political intrigue with a quest for justice and self-determination in 1930s Haiti."

Nadine Pinede (Author), Marie-Françoise Theodore (Narrator)

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In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States

"Winner of the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction Finalist for the Zócalo Public Square Book Prize "Meticulous . . . Storytelling allows Minian to convey the physical and emotional toll of detention with potent specificity. The result is a book-length plea against dehumanization, at least for those who are willing to listen." -Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times A probing work of narrative history that reveals the hidden story of immigrant detention in the United States, deepening urgent national conversations around migration. In 2018, many Americans watched in horror as children were torn from their parents at the US-Mexico border under Trump's 'family separation' policy. But as historian Ana Raquel Minian reveals in In the Shadow of Liberty, this was only the latest chapter in a saga tracing back to the 1800s-one in which immigrants to the United States have been held without recourse to their constitutional rights. Braiding together the vivid stories of four migrants seeking to escape the turmoil of their homelands for the promise of America, In the Shadow of Liberty gives this history a human face, telling the dramatic story of a Central American asylum seeker, a Cuban exile, a European war bride, and a Chinese refugee. As we travel alongside these indelible characters, In the Shadow of Liberty explores how sites of rightlessness have evolved, and what their existence has meant for our body politic. Though these 'black sites' exist out of view for the average American, their reach extends into all of our lives: the explosive growth of the for-profit prison industry traces its origins to the immigrant detention system, as does the emergence of Guantanamo and the gradual unraveling of the right to bail and the presumption of innocence. Through these narratives, we see how the changing political climate surrounding immigration has played out in individual lives, and at what cost. But as these stories demonstrate, it doesn't have to be like this, and a better way might be possible."

Ana Raquel Minian (Author), Cynthia Farrell, David Shih, Marie-Françoise Theodore, Rebecca Gibel, Sheldon Romero, Victor Colome (Narrator)

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The Ocean Lives There

"A magic door that leads to a beautiful Caribbean island Imane is a curious young girl with a big question: What is behind the magic door inside her house? Her sister Caroline says it’s a door that goes everywhere and nowhere. Sometimes it’s red, sometimes it’s blue—and it smells like coffee beans and the ocean. Imane can only imagine what’s on the other side: a beautiful Caribbean island full of magic, music, and fun. Haiti. Join Imane on her adventure through the magic door!"

M.J. Fievre (Author), Marie-Françoise Theodore (Narrator)

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A Cat Named Sam: Friendship is for Adventure

"Sam Is a Scaredy Cat! When Sam overhears something strange on Christmas Eve, he can't help feeling a bit jumpy about the coming holiday. With charming humor, this is a fun story for adults and kids to read together and figure out why Sam is afraid of Christmas! Along the way, kids will learn how to listen closely and process emotions into words. Join a cat named Sam and his best friend Bam as they learn to overcome their fears!"

M.J. Fievre (Author), Marie-Françoise Theodore (Narrator)

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She Persisted: Dorothy Height

"Inspired by the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, a chapter book series about women who spoke up and rose up against the odds--including Dorothy Height! Growing up as a Black girl in the 1920s and 1930s, Dorothy Height was denied access to a local swimming pool as well as admission to Barnard College because of her race. But she persisted in pushing for change, and became a seminal figure in both the civil rights and women's rights movements. She went on to be awarded the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom. In this chapter book biography by award-winning author Kelly Starling Lyons, readers learn about the amazing life of Dorothy Height--and how she persisted. Complete with an introduction from Chelsea Clinton and a list of ways that readers can follow in Dorothy Height's footsteps and make a difference! And don't miss out on the rest of the books in the She Persisted series, featuring so many more women who persisted, including Harriet Tubman, Marian Anderson, Oprah Winfrey, Ruby Bridges, and more!"

Chelsea Clinton, Kelly Starling Lyons (Author), Chelsea Clinton, Marie-Françoise Theodore (Narrator)

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A Sun to Be Sewn

"A brutal fable full of poetry, desire, and blood, where the naïveté of a young Haitian girl struggling against impossible odds collides with the unrelenting cruelty of the world. “You will be alone in the great night.” That’s what Papa has always prophesied to her. Papa, who isn’t her real father—he disappeared when she was born. Since then, her mother has been forced to walk the streets to provide for herself and her daughter, while Papa robs and murders for the local gang leader, to ensure his access to ganja and alcohol, but also for the sheer pleasure of it. Often finding herself alone within the four walls of a hovel in a Haitian slum with corrugated iron for a roof, the young girl tirelessly tries to compose a letter that will capture what is in her heart and soul. She is consumed with love for a classmate, the daughter of her teacher, and struggles to find words to faithfully express her feelings and her dreams. In a poetic language that encompasses poverty and idealism, she quietly observes the violence, the shortcomings, and the addictions of the adults around her. Her love and passion make her resilient, nurturing her character and helping her to invent a destiny that enables her to escape the fate to which she seemed doomed."

Jean D'amérique (Author), Marie-Françoise Theodore (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Marie-Françoise Theodore

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