The Best of Enemies
Race and Redemption in the New South
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Narrated by:
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Keith Sellon-Wright
About this listen
C. P. Ellis grew up in the poor white section of Durham, North Carolina, and as a young man joined the Ku Klux Klan. Ann Atwater, a single mother from the poor black part of town, quit her job as a household domestic to join the civil rights fight.
During the 1960s, as the country struggled with the explosive issue of race, Atwater and Ellis met on opposite sides of the public school integration issue. Their encounters were charged with hatred and suspicion. In an amazing set of transformations, however, each of them came to see how the other had been exploited by the South's rigid power structure, and they forged a friendship that flourished against a backdrop of unrelenting bigotry.
Rich with details about the rhythms of daily life in the mid-20th-century South, The Best of Enemies offers a vivid portrait of a relationship that defied all odds. By placing this very personal story into broader context, Osha Gray Davidson demonstrates that race is intimately tied to issues of class and that cooperation is possible - even in the most divisive situations - when people begin to listen to one another.
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Not the Stonewall book I was looking for
- By T. Mommy on 10-05-24
By: Martin Duberman
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Black Birds in the Sky
- The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
- By: Brandy Colbert
- Narrated by: Brandy Colbert, Kristyl Dawn Tift
- Length: 5 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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In the early morning of June 1, 1921, a White mob marched across the train tracks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and into its predominantly Black Greenwood District - a thriving, affluent neighborhood known as America's Black Wall Street. They brought with them firearms, gasoline, and explosives. In a few short hours, they'd razed 35 square blocks to the ground, leaving hundreds dead. The Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in US history. But how did it come to pass?
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Incredible story and sooo well written
- By Deby on 02-17-22
By: Brandy Colbert
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Vanguard
- How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All
- By: Martha S. Jones
- Narrated by: Mela Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The epic history of African American women's pursuit of political power - and how it transformed America.
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Vanguard
- By Omega Taylor on 11-21-24
By: Martha S. Jones
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The Black Cabinet
- The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt
- By: Jill Watts
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 19 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In the early 20th century, most African Americans still lived in the South, disenfranchised, impoverished, terrorized by white violence, and denied the basic rights of citizenship. As the Democrats swept into the White House on a wave of Black defectors from the Party of Lincoln, a group of African-American intellectuals - legal minds, social scientists, media folk - sought to get the community's needs on the table.
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Brilliant, important, and little known history
- By Barry on 06-21-20
By: Jill Watts
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Jane Crow
- The Life of Pauli Murray
- By: Rosalind Rosenberg
- Narrated by: Janina Edwards
- Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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A mixed-race orphan, Murray grew up in segregated North Carolina before escaping to New York, where she attended Hunter College and became a labor activist in the 1930s. When she applied to graduate school at the University of North Carolina, where her white great-great-grandfather had been a trustee, she was rejected because of her race. She went on to graduate first in her class at Howard Law School, only to be rejected for graduate study again at Harvard University this time on account of her sex. Undaunted, Murray forged a singular career in the law.
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What a legacy!!!
- By Paul on 03-08-21
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Soul City
- Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia
- By: Thomas Healy
- Narrated by: Larry Herron
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Author Thomas Healy resurrects a forgotten saga of race, capitalism, and the struggle for equality in this fascinating, forgotten story of the 1970s attempt to build a city dedicated to racial equality in the heart of “Klan Country”.
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awesome narrator
- By Arthur F. Jackson on 06-23-21
By: Thomas Healy
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Nine Days
- The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election
- By: Paul Kendrick, Stephen Kendrick
- Narrated by: Bill Andrew Quinn
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Less than three weeks before the 1960 presidential election, 31-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested at a sit-in at Rich's Department Store in Atlanta. That day would lead to the first night King had ever spent in jail - and the time that King's family most feared for his life. Based on fresh interviews, newspaper accounts, and extensive archival research, Nine Days is the first full recounting of an event that changed the course of one of the closest elections in American history.
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a fascinating, detailed, blow-by-blow approach
- By D. Littman on 01-29-21
By: Paul Kendrick, and others
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My Grandfather's Son
- A Memoir
- By: Clarence Thomas
- Narrated by: Clarence Thomas
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Provocative, inspiring, and unflinchingly honest, My Grandfather's Son is the story of one of America's most remarkable and controversial leaders, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, told in his own words.
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Wonderful read
- By Amazon Customer on 10-17-21
By: Clarence Thomas
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The Defender
- How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America; from the Age of the Pullman Porters to the Age of Obama
- By: Ethan Michaeli
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 22 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Giving voice to the voiceless, the Chicago Defender condemned Jim Crow, catalyzed the Great Migration, and focused the electoral power of black America. Robert S. Abbott founded the Defender in 1905, smuggled hundreds of thousands of copies into the most isolated communities in the segregated South, and was dubbed a "Modern Moses", becoming one of the first black millionaires in the process.
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There's an unexpected genius here
- By Porter on 01-19-19
By: Ethan Michaeli
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Black Detroit
- A People's History of Self-Determination
- By: Herb Boyd
- Narrated by: James Shippy
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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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.
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Selective Recall
- By Rick on 07-19-17
By: Herb Boyd
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You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train
- A Personal History of Our Times
- By: Howard Zinn
- Narrated by: David Strathairn
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
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Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States, tells his personal stories about more than 30 years of fighting for social change, from teaching at Spelman College to recent protests against war. A former bombardier in World War II, Zinn emerged in the civil rights movement as a powerful voice for justice. Although he's a fierce critic, he gives us reason to hope that by learning from history and engaging politically, we can make a difference in the world.
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mind blowing
- By WILLIAM on 11-27-19
By: Howard Zinn
What listeners say about The Best of Enemies
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Pen Name
- 10-07-21
Whatta story!
I watched the film which holds the same title as this biography and felt like it didn’t give the whole story. This audiobook, however, provides all the necessary backstory and details a person needs to understand Ellis and Atwater’s complicated relationship.
Surprisingly, the last two chapters seem to be what the motion picture was based on which beautifully wraps up how and why Ellis changed to become a better man.
It’s definitely worth the listen.
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- Richard Rovin
- 06-15-19
One of the most important books you will ever read
In this divisive time, the lesson of this book that all people have an inherent dignity, should be trumpeted in every corner of the planet.
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- Mark A. Romero
- 02-01-22
i found it to be very educational.
I learned from the author a very balanced picture of the proceedings. Watch the movie too.
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- DonnaMarie113
- 07-09-19
Lots of History Here
I have not seen the movie yet, but there was way too much information in this book to be able to put on the big screen. Loved the detailed background of how these different personalities emerged throughout the years.
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- Renee Tang
- 12-11-20
80% history and 20% C.P. Ellis and Ann Atwater
I selected this book because I thought it was the novelization of the movie "The Best of Enemies" staring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. I wanted to read the book first before watching the movie. The book cover is misleading. The book is at least 80% on the history of Durham, North Carolina and about 20% on the story of C.P. Ellis and Ann Atwater. You have to listen for HOURS before the book even gets into mentioning Ellis and Atwater, then it goes back to more history and in last couple of hours, it goes back to Ellis and Atwater. I normally love history but I was really interested in the story of the frenemies. I wanted to know HOW was it possible that a Klansman and a black woman worked together? How did they not kill each other?! The conflict from opposing sides just added to the drama and tension between the two individuals. In the beginning, I was getting impatient with the non-stop history, like where is this book going? It was interesting to peer inside the head of a Klansman and learn why someone would join the KKK. I would say it was absolutely worth it to listen to the end because the spiritual transformation of C.P. Ellis was incredibly moving. I loved and admired Ann's spiritual strength. She is a powerhouse. They both realized how much they had in common. Blacks and whites should not be enemies. The enemy is poverty and all the evil that grows from it. They were successful because each one loved their communities more than they hated each other. Their hearts were changed from their interaction. The intensity of feelings between the black and white communities reminds me of what is happening in our country right now. If only we could see how the rich and powerful control everything and keep poor people in poverty for generations on purpose. Our country has the resources to feed, house and educate every single person BUT greedy rich people won't let it happen.
NOTE: I just watched the movie and I am glad I read the book first. There were some scenes in the movie that I don't remember in the book. Some scenes in the movie were very understated compared to the book. I recommend reading the book and watching the movie because each gives the other context. I felt the focus of the movie was more on C.P., while the book presented Ann equally with C.P. At the end of the movie, there are clips of the real C.P. Ellis and Ann Atwater in an interview. You could see the warmth of their friendship of 30 years.
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- Lolli
- 12-21-21
Lots of background information
This book provides a lot of historical information and events that influenced the story of CP and Anne. I didn’t expect this. I expected more of the personal stories.
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- Kindle Customer
- 06-24-19
really interesting
So this book was pretty eye opening. enjoyed the story and learning about the people
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- Eugene Smith
- 11-11-20
If you have seen the movie this is better by far!
I’ve seen the movie several times as I find the story moving and up lifting. I believe in this story even more today than when it happened. We are all the same when you get right down to it! This just proves it! I now have both the book and the movie and watching the two main characters with each other shows how true we are all the same!
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- benjamin phillips
- 03-07-24
Compassion
A history lesson to be sure. A constant struggle of how the rich marginalize the poor.
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- Charlie
- 05-07-20
Reminds me of Nelson Mandela
It is too bad we don’t find more people like this in our society, and in our world.
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1 person found this helpful