The Door of No Return
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Narrated by:
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Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
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By:
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Kwame Alexander
About this listen
From the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that tells the story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family.
In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves his family, playing oware with his grandfather and swimming in the river Offin. He’s warned though, to never go to the river at night. His brother tells him ”There are things about the water you do not know. “ Like what? Kofi asks. “The beasts.” His brother answers.
One fateful night, the unthinkable happens and in a flash, Kofi’s world turns upside down. Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life and what happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.
This spellbinding novel by the author of The Crossover and Booked will take you on an unforgettable adventure that will open your eyes and break your heart.
The Door of No Return is an excellent choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, book groups, and homeschooling.
An instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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Critic reviews
"Absolutely spellbinding: Kwame Alexander weaves together storytelling, poetry, music and history like no one else can. An unforgettable journey to be treasured and shared across generations.” (Rick Riordan, New York Times best-selling author of the Percy Jackson series)
“Kwame Alexander's story, The Door of No Return, humanizes the experience of the people who knew the flavors of freedom long before they knew the sting of slavery. Alexander lures you in and endears you to Kofi and his world in a way that has you fully invested in time and place. Alexander seems to trust the heaviness of history to hold its own, and so he is able to tell a story with such a lightness of foot which only further emphasizes that weight of history that is undeniable and irrevocable. His writing is at once vivid and simple, lyrical and surgical, expressive and exacting, comforting and cutting. It hypnotizes and sobers, hypnotizes and sobers, in a rhythm as timeless as the talking drum that carries the tales of his people: Kum-PUM PUM! Kum-PUM PUM! I wish this book existed alongside Huckleberry Finn when I was in school. I am glad it exists now!” (Lupita Nyong’o, Actress and Author)
"Alexander turns the nightmare of the past into an epic story for all times and all people. The Door of No Return is a breathtaking, heartbreaking triumph and an instant classic." (Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians)
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- By Gillian on 01-27-15
By: Loung Ung
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The Sea of Trolls
- By: Nancy Farmer
- Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
- Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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In the year 793, siblings Jack and Lucy are captured by fearsome Vikings with a thirst for battle and pillaging. Taken to the court of Ivar the Boneless, Jack and Lucy are sent on a perilous journey - full of dragons and giant spiders - deep into the magical kingdom of the trolls!
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NO KINDNESS IS EVER WASTED
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 11-03-17
By: Nancy Farmer
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The Tiger's Daughter
- By: K Arsenault Rivera
- Narrated by: Caroline McLaughlin
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The Hokkaran Empire has conquered every land within their bold reach - but failed to notice a lurking darkness festering within the people. Now their border walls begin to crumble, and villages fall to demons swarming out of the forests. Away on the silver steppes, the remaining tribes of nomadic Qorin retreat and protect their own, having bartered a treaty with the empire, exchanging inheritance through the dynasties. It is up to two young warriors, raised together across borders since their prophesied birth, to save the world from the encroaching demons.
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Writing format that didn't work for this book
- By kara-karina on 02-24-18
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Hook's Tale
- Being the Account of an Unjustly Villainized Pirate Written by Himself
- By: John Leonard Pielmeier
- Narrated by: John Leonard Pielmeier
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Long defamed as a vicious pirate, Captain James Cook (a.k.a Hook) was in fact a dazzling wordsmith who left behind a vibrant, wildly entertaining, and entirely truthful memoir. His chronicle offers a counter narrative to the works of J.M. Barrie, a "dour Scotsman" whose spurious accounts got it all wrong. Now, award-winning playwright John Pielmeier is proud to present this crucial historic artifact in its entirety for the first time.
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A new take on a classic villain
- By Stefan Filipovits on 04-20-19
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Fatemarked
- The Fatemarked Epic, Book 1
- By: David Estes
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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They are the fatemarked. Misunderstood. Worshipped. Hated. Murdered at birth. Their time to step into the light has come. An ancient prophecy foretold their coming, the chosen few who will bring peace to a land embroiled in a century of mistrust and war. When kings start dying, that hope and belief swiftly turns to fear. Roan Loren is one of the fatemarked, but has hidden his mark of power his entire life, fearing the damage it might cause to those around him. A great evil is coming. He can't hide anymore.
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Written to fit an ideology, not the story it tells
- By znidarsic.blaz on 04-30-18
By: David Estes
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Witch's Boy
- By: Kelly Barnhill
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When Ned and his identical twin brother tumble from their raft into a raging, bewitched river, only Ned survives. Villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived. Sure enough, Ned grows up weak and slow, and stays as much as possible within the safe boundaries of his family's cottage and yard. But when a Bandit King comes to steal the magic that Ned's mother, a witch, is meant to protect, it's Ned who safeguards the magic and summons the strength to protect his family and community.
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Not as good as expected
- By ladybug on 03-19-17
By: Kelly Barnhill
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Kabu Kabu
- By: Nnedi Okorafor, Whoopi Goldberg - foreword
- Narrated by: Yetide Badaki
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Kabu kabu - unregistered, illegal Nigerian taxis - generally get you where you need to go. Nnedi Okorafor's Kabu Kabu, however, takes the listener to exciting, fantastic, magical, occasionally dangerous, and always imaginative locations you didn't know you needed. This debut short-story collection by an award-winning author includes notable previously published material, a new novella cowritten with New York Times best-selling author Alan Dean Foster, six additional original stories, and a brief foreword by Whoopi Goldberg.
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FANTASTIC!
- By Rita on 11-14-19
By: Nnedi Okorafor, and others
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Trixter
- By: Alethea Kontis
- Narrated by: Alastair Cameron
- Length: 3 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Trix Woodcutter is the long prophesied boy who talks to animals. He's also a foundling prankster scamp who places his family under a sleeping spell so that he can run away from home. Compelled by a vision of his dead birth mother, Trix departs on the eve of a great catastrophe, only to find himself caught in the maelstrom.
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Best Trouble To Be Had!!!
- By Nessa on 01-24-16
By: Alethea Kontis
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Greek Mythology
- Classic Stories of the Greek Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters (Classic Mythology, Book 1)
- By: Scott Lewis
- Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser
- Length: 3 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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This captivating audiobook will take you on a beautiful journey through the fascinating world of Greek mythology. From the beginning of the cosmos to the Odyssey, be ready to venture into an exciting world of love, loyalty, infidelity, vengeance, deception, and intrigue!
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A great way to gain insight to Ancient Greece
- By cosmitron on 07-27-18
By: Scott Lewis
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Copper Sun
- By: Sharon M. Draper
- Narrated by: Myra Lucretia Taylor
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Fifteen-year-old Amari witnesses the murder of her family and the destruction of her remote African village. She endures countless humiliations as she is beaten, branded, and forced to board a slave ship. The atrocities continue as she struggles through endless days of backbreaking work and daily degradation on a plantation.
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Wonderful Story
- By Gabrielle on 04-05-11
By: Sharon M. Draper
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The Red Wolf Conspiracy
- By: Robert V. S. Redick
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 19 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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The Imperial Merchant Ship Chathrand is the last of her kind. Six hundred years old, the secrets of her construction long forgotten, the massive vessel dwarfs every other sailing craft in the world. It is a palace with sails, a floating outpost of the Empire of Arqual. And it is on its most vital mission yet: to deliver a young woman whose marriage will seal the peace between Arqual and its mortal enemy, the secretive Mzithrin Empire.
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Not Bad, not great.
- By Aerindel on 10-15-09
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What Elephants Know
- By: Eric Dinerstein
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Abandoned in the jungle of the Nepalese Borderlands, two-year-old Nandu is found living under the protective watch of a pack of wild dogs. From his mysterious beginnings, fate delivers him to the king's elephant stable, where he is raised by unlikely parents - the wise head of the stable, Subba-sahib, and Devi Kali, a fierce and affectionate female elephant. When the king's government threatens to close the stable, Nandu, now 12, searches for a way to save his family and community. A risky plan could be the answer.
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loved it
- By Christina McGrath on 12-30-21
By: Eric Dinerstein
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A Thousand Beginnings and Endings
- By: Ellen Oh, Elsie Chapman
- Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest, Vikas Adam
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings: these are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries. Fifteen best-selling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile listeners from start to finish.
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great stories, terrible narrators
- By Amazon Customer on 05-11-19
By: Ellen Oh, and others
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Iron Axe
- The Books of Blood and Iron, Book 1
- By: Steven Harper
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In this brand new series from the author of the Clockwork Empire series, a hopeless outcast must answer Death's call and embark on an epic adventure... Although Danr's mother was human, his father was one of the hated Stane, a troll from the mountains. Now Danr has nothing to look forward to but a life of disapproval and mistrust, answering to "Trollboy" and condemned to hard labor on a farm. Until, without warning, strange creatures come down from the mountains to attack the village.
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I DON'T WANT YOU TO FOLLOW ME,
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-22-17
By: Steven Harper
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The Bark of the Bog Owl
- The Wilderking Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Jonathan Rogers
- Narrated by: Jonathan Rogers
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
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12-year-old Aidan Errolson, comes from a long line of adventurers. His grandparents were among the first settlers of Corenwald's Eastern Frontier. His father had been one of the kingdom's greatest warriors. Aidan, on the other hand, lives the quiet, comfortable life, of a nobleman's son. He never has any real adventures, and that, he believes, is the one great injustice of his otherwise happy life. All that will change the day he first hears the bark of the bog owl, and meets Dobro Turtlebane.
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Our Family's New Favorite!
- By Charles Yates on 12-31-18
By: Jonathan Rogers
What listeners say about The Door of No Return
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Yolonda Simon
- 12-09-22
One of Kwame’s Best!
I loved this book! It was not at all what I expected, but certainly exceeded my expectations.
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- Elizabeth C Jilka
- 03-13-23
Powerful and heart wrenching
It took me a minute to get into it at first, but once I was in, I was hooked. Kwame Alexander is an amazing storyteller. I have an almost 11 year old son, so to hear this from an 11 year old boy’s perspective was both beautiful and heartbreaking. The narration was outstanding and frankly wowed me. The voices were so distinct and different. Well done, all around. Highly recommend.
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- Paid forward
- 10-07-22
I love The Ending!
It read like poetry! The words flowed and the Reader sounded quite authentic. I was pleasantly surprised by the uplifting ending, since this period of time leaves very little to smile about. Making associations with other publications about the power of African people like The People Could Fly and familiar stories like Anansi pulled the young readers in and made the story that much more believable! It was a delightful yet Enlightening piece of historical fiction, most worthy of recommendation.
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- KBS
- 04-02-23
Powerful and Quotable
This book was so powerful, I will be purchasing a hard copy of it. I want to see all these beautiful words on the page. A novel-in-prose, the audiobook is performed exquisitely. The music, language, energy, symbolism, and narrative structure are artfully done. We need more stories like this. Thank you, Kwame Alexander. (I believe this is the first of a trilogy, in which case I cannot wait for the 2nd and 3rd tomes.)
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- LovePeace
- 12-31-22
Amazing!
This story was tragically beautiful. It took on new meaning for me as I tracked to Akra, Ghana this summer and visited the castles. I will never be the same. I will be better! Ase
The narrator was phenomenal!!
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- MDG
- 02-11-23
Excellence All Around
No only will the words be classic, so too will the performance! This is surely a must listen!
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- Anonymous User
- 03-03-24
Beautiful and heartbreaking
I loved seeing the world of Kofi through his eyes. It is only learning of through richness of his life can I process all he lost.
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- Kimberly
- 01-18-23
Powerful
Beautiful sharing of heartbreaking story of incredible words to share a powerful perspective too often ignored and/or silenced.
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- DH Fuller
- 01-19-23
Another one!
This is another great work by Kwame Alexander. He seems to get more creative and bolder with each new venture into the taboo topics he challenges his readers to face.
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- Alysa
- 01-23-23
Ancestral Song & Praise
Kwame Alexander is a master storyteller! But this!!As I read and listened to this work, I could hear the ancestors’ response to Alexander’s powerful call, “We are a great people.” I can’t wait to share this experience with my 6th Grade English students. It is what we all need to hear right now.
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