Audiobooks narrated by Marisol Ramirez

The Silver Women: How Black Women's Labor Made the Panama Canal

In The Silver Women, Joan Flores-Villalobos argues that Black West Indian women made the Panama Canal construction possible by providing the indispensable everyday labor of social reproduction. West Indian women built a provisioning economy that fed, housed, and cared for the segregated Black West Indian labor force, in effect subsidizing the construction effort and the racial calculus that separated pay in silver for Black workers and gold for white Americans. But while also subject to racial discrimination and segregation, West Indian women mostly worked outside the umbrella of US canal authorities. They did not hold contracts, had little access to official services and wages, and received pay in both silver and gold. From this position, they found ways to skirt, and at times subvert, the legal, moral, and economic parameters imperial authorities sought to impose on the migrant workforce. West Indian women developed important strategies of claims-making, kinship, community building, and market adaptation that helped them navigate the contradictions and violence of the US empire. These strategies of social reproduction nurtured further West Indian migrations, linking Panama to places like Harlem and Santiago de Cuba. The Silver Women is thus a history of Black women's labor of social reproduction as integral to US imperial infrastructure, the global Caribbean diaspora, and women's own survival.

Joan Flores-Villalobos (Author), Marisol Ramirez (Narrator)

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Stolen City

The city of Leithon is under Imperial occupation, and Arian Athensor has made it her playground. In stealing magical artifacts for the Resistance, bounding over rooftops to evade Imperial soldiers, and establishing herself as the darling thief of the underground, Arian lives a life wrapped in danger and trained toward survival. She’ll steal anything for the right price, and if she runs fast enough, she can almost escape the fact that her mother is dead, her father is missing, and her brother, Liam, is hiding a wealth of power in a city that has outlawed magic. But then the mysterious Cavar comes to town with a job for the twins: steal an artifact capable of ripping the souls from the living—the same artifact that used to hang around the neck of their mother. Suddenly, Arian’s past is no longer buried under adrenaline but intimately tied to the mission at hand, and she must face her guilt and pain head-on in order to pull off the heist. As Arian and Cavar infiltrate the strongest fortress in Leithon and Liam joins the Resistance as their resident mage, the twins find themselves embroiled in court politics and family secrets, and the mission becomes more than just another artifact theft. The target is now the Imperial rule, and Arian will do whatever is necessary to steal her city back.

Elisa A. Bonnin (Author), Marisol Ramirez (Narrator)

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Twice a Quinceañera

Acclaimed author of the Reese Witherspoon YA Book Club Pick Furia, Yamile Saied Méndez makes her adult fiction debut with this sparkling, whimsical novel of an accomplished young woman who discovers what it really means to come into her own … One month short of her wedding day—and her thirtieth birthday—Nadia Palacio finds herself standing up to her infuriating, cheating fiancé for the first time in … well, ever. But that same courage doesn’t translate to breaking the news to her Argentinian family. She’s hyperventilating before facing them when she glimpses a magazine piece about a Latina woman celebrating herself—with a second quinceañera, aka Sweet 15! And that gives Nadia a brilliant idea … With a wedding venue already paid for, and family from all over the world with plane tickets, Nadia is determined to create her own happily-ever-after. Since the math adds up perfectly, she’ll celebrate her treintañera, her double quinces. As the first professional in her family, raising a glass to her achievements is the best plan she’s had in years. Until she discovers that the man in charge of the venue is none other than her college fling that became far more than a fling. And he looks even more delicious than a three-tiered cake … Full of exuberant heart, Twice a Quinceañera is a pure delight for every woman who needs to be her own biggest fan—and who dreams of a second chance at first love.

Yamile Saied Mendez (Author), Marisol Ramirez (Narrator)

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Your Intuition Led You Here

Are you curious about magic, but don’t know where to begin? Your Intuition Led You Here is a beginner’s guide to using everyday tools to create magical results. From essential oils and herbs to crystals and candles, Alex Naranjo and Marlene Vargas – founders of the metaphysical boutique House of Intuition – share everything you need to harness the magic that lies within. Tracing their own awakening to magical forces, Alex and Marlene will teach you: • A series of tried-and-tested rituals that build confidence, strength, love, peace, harmony, and wealth. • How to align your spells with the lunar cycle to increase their potency. • The symbolism behind magical ingredients, so that you can devise your own spells for personalised results. This simple, practical, empowering introduction will equip you to conduct your own powerful rituals, follow your intuition, and discover the life-changing power of magic.

Alex Naranjo, Marlene Vargas (Author), Marisol Ramirez (Narrator)

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How to Make Good Things Happen: Know Your Brain, Enhance Your Life

An empowering journey through the mechanisms of the mind from one of the world's leading mental health experts. For those in pursuit of a better life, psychiatrist Marian Rojas Estapé presents the essential guide to neuroscience-driven mindfulness. Understanding your brain, managing your emotions, and being aware of your responses to stressors can give you greater self-control. Rather than a gimmicky guidebook, this is a thorough look at how our brains react to stress, threats, hyperstimulation, and the vices of our digital age. With proven techniques backed by solid, up-to-date psychiatric research, Estapé teaches us how to make the best of our lives. Combining science, psychology, and philosophy, Estapé delivers practical advice about how we can cultivate a happy existence. This includes understanding the parts of the brain, setting healthy goals and objectives, strengthening willpower, cultivating emotional intelligence, developing assertiveness, avoiding excessive self-criticism and self-demand, and mastering the proven art of optimism. * This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF of diagrams and the bibliography from the book.

Marian Rojas Estapé (Author), Marisol Ramirez (Narrator)

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Lolita in the Afterlife: On Beauty, Risk, and Reckoning with the Most Indelible and Shocking Novel o

In 1958, Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita was published in the United States to immediate controversy and bestsellerdom. More than sixty years later, this phenomenal novel generates as much buzz as it did when originally published. Central to countless issues at the forefront of our national discourse- art and politics, race and whiteness, gender and power, sexual trauma-Lolita lives on, in an afterlife as blinding as a supernova. With original contributions from a stellar cast of prominent twenty-first century writers and edited by the daughter of Lolita's original publisher in America, Lolita in the Afterlife is a vibrant collection of sharp and essential modern pieces on this perennially provocative book. WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY Robin Givhan • Aleksandar Hemon • Jim Shepard • Emily Mortimer • Laura Lippman • Erika L. Sánchez • Sarah Weinman • Andre Dubus III • Mary Gaitskill • Zainab Salbi • Christina Baker Kline • Ian Frazier • Cheryl Strayed • Sloane Crosley • Victor LaValle • Jill Kargman • Lila Azam Zanganeh • Roxane Gay • Claire Dederer • Jessica Shattuck • Stacy Schiff • Susan Choi • Kate Elizabeth Russell • Tom Bissell • Kira Von Eichel • Bindu Bansinath • Dani Shapiro • Alexander Chee • Lauren Groff • Morgan Jerkins Audiobook Table of Contents: Witness for the Defense: My Father and Lolita - by Emily Mortimer, read by the author Véra and Lo - by Stacy Schiff, read by Marisol Ramirez On the Road with Humbert and Lolita - by Ian Frazier, read by Paul Bellantoni Ugly Beautiful - by Roxane Gay, read by the author Badge of Honor - by Susan Choi, read by Rebecca Lowman Watching the Detective - by Laura Lippman, read by the author Lolita Diary - by Alexander Chee, read by Vikas Adam Delectatio Morosa - by Lauren Groff, read by Rebecca Lowman Lolita, #MeToo, and Myself - by Morgan Jerkins, read by Marisol Ramirez Lolita, Chamonix, France, 2018 - by Andre Dubus III, read by the author The Showgirl Who Discovered Lolita - by Sarah Weinman, read by the author Fashion's Lolita; Fragile, Subversive, and a Paean to White Femininity - by Robin Givhan, read by Marisol Ramirez Lolita and the Empathetic Imagination - by Jim Shepard, read by the author How Lolita Freed Me from My Own Humbert - by Bindu Bansinath, read by the author Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury - by Christina Baker Kline, read by Rebecca Lowman Charmed - by Victor LaValle, read by Vikas Adam They Stay the Same Age - by Sloane Crosley, read by the author Dear Sugar - by Cheryl Strayed, read by the author What We Talk About When We Talk About Lolita - by Lila Azam Zanganeh, read by Marisol Ramirez Nabokov's Rocking Chair: Lolita at the Movies - by Tom Bissell, read by the author Lo and Behold - by Jill Kargman, read by the author Acquiring Lolita's Language - by Aleksandar Hemon, read by Paul Bellantoni Charlotte's Complaint - by Jessica Shattuck, read by the author Lolita in the Time of Trigger Warnings - by Erika L. Sánchez, read by Marisol Ramirez Maison Nymphette - by Kate Elizabeth Russell, read by the author A Living Story of Lolita in Iraq - by Zainab Salbi, read by the author The Lollipop Room - by Kira von Eichel, read by Rebecca Lowman The Anti-Monster - by Claire Dederer, read by Marisol Ramirez Lolita in Lockdown - by Dani Shapiro, read by the author I Cannot Get Out Said the Starling - by Mary Gaitskill, read by Rebecca Lowman

Tba (Author), Marisol Ramirez, Paul Bellantoni, Rebecca Lowman, Various, Vikas Adam (Narrator)

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Find Me in Havana: A Novel

From the bestselling author of THE GIRLS WITH NO NAMES, a new historical novel based on the dazzling story of one of Hollywood's most celebrated Hispanic actresses and her daughter's search for closure. "Told in a series of letters, FIND ME IN HAVANA is a beautiful and heart-wrenching story of mothers and daughters, and the American Dream that comes with the biggest price of all. I couldn't put it down!" - Heather Webb, USA Today bestselling author Cuba, 1936: When Estelita Rodriguez sings in a hazy Havana nightclub for the very first time, she is nine years old. From then on, that spotlight of adoration-from Havana to New York's Copacabana and then Hollywood-becomes the one true accomplishment no one can take from her. Not the 1933 Cuban Revolution that drove her family into poverty. Not the revolving door of husbands or the fickle world of film. Thirty years later, her young adult daughter, Nina, is blindsided by her mother's mysterious death. Seeking answers, the grieving Nina navigates the troubling, opulent memories of their life together and discovers how much Estelita sacrificed to live the American dream on her own terms. Based on true events and exclusive interviews with Nina Lopez, Estelita's daughter, Find Me in Havana weaves two unforgettable voices into one extraordinary story that explores the unbreakable bond between mother and child, and the ever-changing landscape of self-discovery.

Serena Burdick (Author), Frankie Corzo, Marisol Ramirez (Narrator)

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Spellhacker

From the author of The Disasters, this genre-bending YA fantasy heist story is perfect for fans of Marie Lu and Amie Kaufman. In Kyrkarta, magic—known as maz—was once a freely available natural resource. Then an earthquake released a magical plague, killing thousands and opening the door for a greedy corporation to make maz a commodity that’s tightly controlled—and, of course, outrageously expensive. Which is why Diz and her three best friends run a highly lucrative, highly illegal maz siphoning gig on the side. Their next job is supposed to be their last heist ever. But when their plan turns up a powerful new strain of maz that (literally) blows up in their faces, they’re driven to unravel a conspiracy at the very center of the spellplague—and possibly save the world. No pressure.

M. K. England (Author), Marisol Ramirez (Narrator)

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Sabrina & Corina: Stories

Latinas of Indigenous descent living in the American West take center stage in this haunting debut story collection—a powerful meditation on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands. Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s magnetic story collection breathes life into her Indigenous Latina characters and the land they inhabit. Against the remarkable backdrop of Denver, Colorado—a place that is as fierce as it is exquisite—these women navigate the land the way they navigate their lives: with caution, grace, and quiet force. In “Sugar Babies,” ancestry and heritage are hidden inside the earth but tend to rise during land disputes. “Any Further West” follows a sex worker and her daughter as they leave their ancestral home in southern Colorado only to find a foreign and hostile land in California. In “Tomi,” a woman leaves prison and finds herself in a gentrified city that is a shadow of the one she remembers from her childhood. And in the title story, “Sabrina & Corina,” a Denver family falls into a cycle of violence against women, coming together only through ritual. Sabrina & Corina is a moving narrative of unrelenting feminine power and an exploration of the universal experiences of abandonment, heritage, and an eternal sense of home. Audiobook Table of Contents: Sugar Babies read by Almarie Guerra Sabrina & Corina read by Roxana Ortega Sisters read by Alma Cuervo Remedies read by Ana Isabel Julian Plaza read by Kyla Garcia Galapago read by Marisol Ramirez Cheesman Park read by Roxana Ortega Tomi read by Kyla Garcia Any Further West read by Marisol Ramirez All Her Names read by Alma Cuervo Ghost Sickness read by Roxana Ortega Advance praise for Sabrina & Corina “Here are stories that blaze like wildfires, with characters who made me laugh and broke my heart, believable in everything they said and did. How tragic that American letters hasn’t met these women of the West before, women who were here before America was America. And how tragic that these working-class women haven’t seen themselves in the pages of American lit before. Thank you for honoring their lives, Kali. I welcome them and you.'—Sandra Cisneros “Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s collection of stories, Sabrina & Corina, isn’t just good, it’s masterful storytelling. Fajardo-Anstine is a fearless writer: her women are strong and scarred witnesses of the violations of their homelands, their culture, their bodies; her plots turn and surprise, unerring and organic in their comprehensiveness; her characters break your heart, but you keep on going because you know you are in the hands of a master. . . . Her stories move through the heart of darkness and illuminate it with the soul of truth. Comparisons came to mind: the Alice Munro of the high plains, the Toni Morrison of indigenous Latinas—but why compare her to anybody? She is her own unique voice, and her work will easily find a place, not just in Latinx literature but in American literature and beyond.”—Julia Alvarez, author of How the García Girls Lost Their Accents

Kali Fajardo-Anstine (Author), Alma Cuervo, Almarie Guerra, Ana Isabel, Kyla Garcia, Marisol Ramirez, Roxana Ortega, Various (Narrator)

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Dealing in Dreams

The Outsiders meets Mad Max: Fury Road in this fast-paced dystopian novel about sisterhood and the cruel choices people are forced to make in order to survive. At night, Las Mal Criadas own these streets. Sixteen-year-old Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City. That role brings with it violent throwdowns and access to the hottest boydega clubs, but Nala quickly grows weary of her questionable lifestyle. Her dream is to get off the streets and make a home in the exclusive Mega Towers, in which only a chosen few get to live. To make it to the Mega Towers, Nalah must prove her loyalty to the city's benevolent founder and cross the border in a search of the mysterious gang the Ashe Riders. Led by a reluctant guide, Nalah battles crews and her own doubts but the closer she gets to her goal the more she loses sight of everything-and everyone-she cares about. Nalah must choose whether or not she's willing to do the unspeakable to get what she wants. Can she discover that home is not where you live but whom you chose to protect before she loses the family she's created for good?

Lilliam Rivera (Author), Marisol Ramirez (Narrator)

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Fruit of the Drunken Tree: A Novel

"One of the most dazzling and devastating novels I've read in a long time...Readers of Fruit of the Drunken Tree will surely be transformed." --San Francisco Chronicle "Simultaneously propulsive and poetic, reminiscent of Isabel Allende...Listen to this new author's voice - she has something powerful to say." --Entertainment Weekly A mesmerizing debut set in Colombia at the height Pablo Escobar's violent reign about a sheltered young girl and a teenage maid who strike an unlikely friendship that threatens to undo them both Seven-year-old Chula and her older sister Cassandra enjoy carefree lives thanks to their gated community in Bogotá, but the threat of kidnappings, car bombs, and assassinations hover just outside the neighborhood walls, where the godlike drug lord Pablo Escobar continues to elude authorities and capture the attention of the nation. When their mother hires Petrona, a live-in-maid from the city's guerrilla-occupied slum, Chula makes it her mission to understand Petrona's mysterious ways. But Petrona's unusual behavior belies more than shyness. She is a young woman crumbling under the burden of providing for her family as the rip tide of first love pulls her in the opposite direction. As both girls' families scramble to maintain stability amidst the rapidly escalating conflict, Petrona and Chula find themselves entangled in a web of secrecy that will force them both to choose between sacrifice and betrayal. Inspired by the author's own life, and told through the alternating perspectives of the willful Chula and the achingly hopeful Petrona, Fruit of the Drunken Tree contrasts two very different, but inextricably linked coming-of-age stories. In lush prose, Rojas Contreras has written a powerful testament to the impossible choices women are often forced to make in the face of violence and the unexpected connections that can blossom out of desperation.

Ingrid Rojas Contreras (Author), Almarie Guerra, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Marisol Ramirez (Narrator)

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Boardwalk Summer: A Novel

In this new novel from the author of The Dressmaker's Dowry, two young women two generations apart discover the joy and heartbreak of following their dreams. Aspiring Hollywood actress Violet makes a shocking choice in 1940, and seventy years later, Mari sets out to discover what happened on that long ago summer. Santa Cruz, Summer 1940: When auburn-haired Violet Harcourt is crowned Miss California on the boardwalk of her hometown, she knows she is one step closer to her cherished dream: a Hollywood screen test. But Violet's victory comes with a price-discord in her seemingly perfect marriage-and she grapples with how much more she is willing to pay. Summer 2007: Single mother Marisol Cruz lives with her parents in the charming beach cottage that belonged to her grandfather, Ricardo, once a famed performer on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Drawn to the town's local history and the quaint gazebo where her grandparents danced beneath the stars, Mari sells raffle tickets at the Beach Boardwalk Centennial Celebration, and meets Jason, a California transplant from Chicago. When Mari discovers the obituary of Violet Harcourt, a beauty queen who died too young, she and Jason are sent on a journey together that will uncover her grandfather's lifelong secret-his connection to Violet-a story of tragedy and courage that will forever transform them.

Meredith Jaeger (Author), Marisol Ramirez, Rebecca Gibel (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Marisol Ramirez