
Rootless
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Clifford Samuel
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Diana Yekinni
About this listen
WINNER OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • A provocative debut novel about a marriage in crisis that asks the question: Can you ever be rooted in a home that’s on the brink of collapse?
“Beautiful, gripping, and tender . . . a powerful and unforgettable meditation on love, belonging, and motherhood.”—Emilia Hart, author of Weyward
On a spring afternoon in London, Sam races up the stairs of his flat two at a time. There’s £1,300 missing from the bank account he shares with his wife, Efe, and his calls are going straight to voicemail. When he finally reaches someone, he learns that Efe is over four thousand miles away, as their toddler looks around and asks, “Where’s Mummy?”
When Efe and Sam met as teens headed for university, it seemed that everyone knew they were meant to be. Efe, newly arrived in the UK from Ghana and sinking under the weight of her parents’ expectations, found comfort in the focused and idealistic Sam. He was stable, working toward a law career, and had an unwavering vision for their future—a vision Efe, now a decade later, finds insufferable. From the outside, they’re the picture-perfect couple everyone imagined, but there are cracks in the frame.
Faced with a life-altering decision, Efe and Sam find themselves on opposing sides, forced to confront just how radically different they want their lives to be. Then one day, Efe disappears. Rootless is a heartrending story about sacrifice, family, and ambition, providing an intimate look at what happens after a marriage collapses—and if it can still be saved.
©2023 Krystle Zara Appiah (P)2023 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“A beautiful, gripping, and tender novel . . . Efe and Sam felt heartbreakingly real—I was utterly invested in their relationship, from heady teenage courtship to the challenges of parenthood. Vividly set in London and Accra, Rootless is a powerful and unforgettable meditation on love, belonging, and motherhood.”—Emilia Hart, author of Weyward
“The unswerving exploration of marriage, parenthood, and identity in Rootless is brave, insightful, and heartbreaking. . . . A moving debut novel.”—Rachel Edwards, author of Lucky
“One mark of a great novel is the emotions its characters elicit within us. Rootless is a character-driven narrative which, from page one, welcomes you in, leads you to your seat, and buckles you in for the journey. Sam and Efe are the epitome of messy, infuriating, and lovable, their romance constantly driving them apart and pulling them back together. They war. They repent. They fly their mistakes like flags. That is the beauty of Appiah’s work—humanity is on display on every single page. Rootless is a beautifully honest exploration of the complexities of motherhood, marriage, family, and love. It is a novel not to be missed!”—Onyi Nwabineli, author of Someday, Maybe
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Story
In 1943, when a frail old white woman shows up in Red Clay, Alabama, at the home of a Black former slave—on the morning following his funeral—his family hardly knows what to expect after she utters the words “… a lifetime ago, my family owned yours.” Adelaide Parker has a story to tell—one of ambition, betrayal, violence, and redemption—that shaped both the fate of her family and that of the late Felix H. Parker. But there are gaps in her knowledge, and she’s come to Red Clay seeking answers from a family with whom she shares a name and a history that neither knows in full.
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Good story, strong characters
- By Amazon Customer on 04-23-25
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People of Means
- A Novel
- By: Nancy Johnson
- Narrated by: Nancy Johnson, Bahni Turpin
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In the fall of 1959, Freda Gilroy arrives on the campus of Fisk University full of hope, carrying a suitcase and the voice of her father telling her she’s part of a family legacy of greatness. Soon, the ugliness of the Jim Crow South intrudes, and she’s thrust into a movement for social change. Freda is reluctant to get involved, torn between a soon-to-be doctor her parents approve of and an audacious young man willing to risk it all in the name of justice.
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Beautifully Told
- By Dr. Judy A. Alston on 02-19-25
By: Nancy Johnson
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American Negra
- A Memoir
- By: Natasha S. Alford
- Narrated by: Natasha S. Alford
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Award-winning journalist Natasha S. Alford grew up between two worlds as the daughter of an African American father and Puerto Rican mother. In American Negra, a narrative that is part memoir, part cultural analysis, Alford reflects on growing up in a working-class family from the city of Syracuse, NY. In smart, vivid prose, Alford illustrates the complexity of being multiethnic in Upstate New York and society’s flawed teachings about matters of identity.
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Relatable to those who grew up in America
- By Oronde Creal on 03-24-24
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Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed
- 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora
- By: Saraciea J. Fennell - editor
- Narrated by: Avi Roque, Elizabeth Acevedo, Frankie Corzo, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed, bestselling and award-winning authors as well as up-and-coming voices interrogate the different myths and stereotypes about the Latinx diaspora. These fifteen original pieces delve into everything from ghost stories and superheroes, to memories in the kitchen and travels around the world, to addiction and grief, to identity and anti-Blackness, to finding love and speaking your truth. Full of both sorrow and joy, Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed is an essential celebration of this rich and diverse community.
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Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed is a treasure trove of essays and poems.
- By AuthorAnnaBella on 04-04-22
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Ours
- A Novel
- By: Phillip B. Williams
- Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
- Length: 22 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In this ingenious, sweeping novel, Phillip B. Williams introduces us to an enigmatic woman named Saint, a fearsome conjurer who, in the 1830s, annihilates plantations all over Arkansas to rescue the people enslaved there. She brings those she has freed to a haven of her own creation: a town just north of St. Louis, magically concealed from outsiders, named Ours. It is in this miraculous place that Saint’s grand experiment—a truly secluded community where her people may flourish—takes root.
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So good
- By C. Mercer on 02-19-25
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Grown
- By: Tiffany D. Jackson
- Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields? Before there was a dead body, Enchanted’s dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey’s charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he’s dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted.
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or so she thought
- By LATOYA LEWIS on 10-16-20
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Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be
- By: Nichole Perkins
- Narrated by: Nichole Perkins
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Pop culture is the Pandora’s box of our lives. Racism, wealth, poverty, beauty, inclusion, exclusion, and hope - all of these intractable and unavoidable features course through the media we consume. Examining pop culture’s impact on her life, Nichole Perkins takes listeners on a rollicking trip through the last 20 years of music, media, and the internet from the perspective of one Southern Black woman.
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Open, honest, and amazing
- By chris boutte on 08-21-21
By: Nichole Perkins
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While We Were Burning
- By: Sara Koffi
- Narrated by: Henriette Zoutomou, Karissa Vacker, Louisa Zhu
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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After her best friend's mysterious death, Elizabeth Smith’s picture-perfect life in the Memphis suburbs has spiraled out of control—so much so that she hires a personal assistant to keep her on track. Composed and elegant, Brianna is exactly who she needs and slides so neatly into Elizabeth’s life, almost like she belonged there from the start. Soon, the assistant Elizabeth hired to distract her from her obsession with her friend's death is the same person working with her to uncover the truth behind it. Because Brianna has questions, too.
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delicious revenge
- By Adriana Barbour on 04-23-24
By: Sara Koffi
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Perfect Peace
- A Novel
- By: Daniel Black
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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When the seventh child of the Peace family, named Perfect, turns eight, her mother, Emma Jean, tells her bewildered daughter, "You was born a boy. I made you a girl. But that ain't what you was supposed to be. So from now on, you gon' be a boy. It'll be a little strange at first, but you'll get used to it, and this'll be over after while." From this point forward, his life becomes a bizarre kaleidoscope of events. Meanwhile, the Peace family is forced to question everything they thought they knew about gender, sexuality, unconditional love, and fulfillment.
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What a great book!
- By JoJo on 09-03-16
By: Daniel Black
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The Mayor of Maxwell Street
- By: Avery Cunningham
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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The year is 1921, and America is burning. A fire of vice and virtue rages on every shore, and Chicago is its beating heart. Nelly Sawyer is the daughter of the “wealthiest Negro in America”, whose affluence catapulted his family to the heights of Black society. After the unexpected death of her only brother, Nelly becomes the premier debutante overnight. But Nelly has aspirations beyond society influence and marriage.
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Better Ending next time!
- By Matt & Lindsy on 02-11-24
By: Avery Cunningham
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Standing Heavy
- By: Gauz', Frank Wynne - translator
- Narrated by: Diontae Black
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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All over the city, they are watching: Black men paid to stand guard, invisible among the wealthy flâneurs and yet the only ones who truly see. From Les Grands Moulins to a Sephora on the Champs-Élysees, Ferdinand, Ossiri, and Kassoum find their way as undocumented workers amidst political infighting and the ever-changing landscape of immigration policy. Fast-paced and funny, poignant and sharply satirical, Standing Heavy is a searing deconstruction of colonial legacies and capitalist consumption and an unforgettable account of everything that passes under the security guards' all-seeing eyes.
By: Gauz', and others
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The Door to Tamba
- A Short Story
- By: Ishmael Beah
- Narrated by: Maduka Steady
- Length: 51 mins
- Original Recording
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Award-winning author and human rights activist Ishmael Beah brings us The Door to Tamba, a powerful story centered on a mining village in West Africa where the destruction of earth and pollution of life impacts the mind, body, and soul of communities. Hindolo, a storyteller, returns to his hometown after 30 years and recalls the solitary and formidable old man who opened his home to him and introduced a world of literature and imagination, which for many years, was his only escape. Hindolo begins writing the stories down on paper stolen from a nearby mine to share with his classmates.
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Excellent
- By Tereza Jenkins on 02-04-24
By: Ishmael Beah
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Hold My Girl
- By: Charlene Carr
- Narrated by: Kate Handford
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Katherine finally has it all. She's spent her entire life striving for perfection—obsessing over her spotless home, maintaining her pristine reputation, building her perfect family—and her hard work has finally paid off. After seven difficult years of trying (and failing) to conceive, Katherine gives birth to Rose, her IVF miracle child, and at last has the one thing she's wanted most of all. But one thing isn't quite perfect. Rose's pale skin doesn't match Katherine's complexion, and an irritating doubt begins to grow in Katherine's mind.
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character development.
- By Kindle Customer on 01-31-25
By: Charlene Carr
What listeners say about Rootless
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Aly
- 03-23-23
Loved!!
Loved being rooted in this read from the beginning. Enjoyed the performance and the character development.
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- Patson Nyandoro
- 03-20-23
The performance doesn’t let me enjoy
I hate the performance and wasn’t able to get past that to continue this read.
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- Temilolu a.
- 03-27-24
Nice story, unexpected end
I gave this a 4 because I just felt some of the decisions of the main characters seemed a bit out of touch with real life in my humble opinion. Main character seemed self-absorbed but at the same time wasn’t lol. Idk how to explain it.
Anyway, I liked that the end was not predictable but being a forever optimist, it left a bad taste for me. Great job to the writer and performers. Felt like I was watching the scenes. Would recommend
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- Kori
- 04-25-24
Incredible
This book was so incredibly well written. It captured the cultural dynamic, the pressures on women, the views on parenting and children, and mental health very well. This is a book that’s hard to put down.
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-30-23
A Bit of a Drag
I hate to say it... but this book sort of dragged. It could’ve been a couple of chapters shorter because not much was happening in many of the chapters, I felt like there was too much backstory. The beginning of the story was extremely intriguing and immediately pulled me in, but I was soon tossed into a maze of never-ending backstories. I felt it did not add to the story and then we get a disappointing ending.
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- Dominque
- 01-09-25
It was a cute stroy line. A typical cat and mouse relationship with its usual ups and downs.
I was sad about the ending but it was a great read! A real page turner!
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- m.jo nes
- 06-14-23
Great Character Development
I Loved this story from beginning to end. I’m so Sad it is now over!
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- sampetsdogs
- 01-17-25
Beautiful Story
The writing and narration are so beautiful, and the story is heartbreaking. I didn't expect it to hit me so hard. I highly recommend this one, but urge readers to proceed with caution if easily triggered by discussions of postpartum depression, self-harm, terminated pregnancy, struggling marriages, or death of loved ones
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- Becka
- 04-13-23
omg wow
I have never felt so related to a character, my god. Everything about Efe is so raw and easy to connect with. I felt all the feels. Her relationship is so incredible to show how love is enough. Even if you want different things, you can make it happen. Ugh, and the ending I never saw coming that had me crying for days!
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- WordSlayer
- 12-13-24
I was immersed in every moment of Rootless!
Loved the way Rootless was structured with me thinking I knew where the story was taking me. I was surprised at many plot points but the three-dimensional characters shared their souls; it was a beautiful, heart-wrenching journey. It was an international and cultural joy to dive into whenever I got a chance.
Krystle Zara Appiah is a true storyteller and now one of my favorite authors.
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