Preview
  • The Door to Tamba

  • A Short Story
  • By: Ishmael Beah
  • Narrated by: Maduka Steady
  • Length: 51 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (350 ratings)

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The Door to Tamba

By: Ishmael Beah
Narrated by: Maduka Steady
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Publisher's summary

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.

“We will be stealing,” he remembers one of his old friends exclaiming.

“They are already stealing from us anyway,” Hindolo responds.

A thought-provoking story that returns to the basics of fiction and freedom, The Door to Tamba stays with one long after listening.

©2023 Ishmael Beah (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC.
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About the Creator - Ishmael Beah

About the Creator

Ishmael Beah is the Sierra Leonean and American author of Radiance of Tomorrow: A Novel and the memoir A Long Way Gone, which was a #1 New York Times and international bestseller and has been published in more than 40 languages. The Washington Post writes, "Everyone should read this book … We should read it to learn about the world and about what it means to be human."
His novel, written with the gentle lyricism of a dream and the moral clarity of a fable, is a powerful book about preserving what means the most to us, even in uncertain times. Available in six foreign languages, the New York Times finds in his writing an "allegorical richness" and a "remarkable humanity to his [Beah’s] characters."
His third book, Little Family, was published in April 2020 by Riverhead Books. It is a profound and tender portrayal of the connections we forge to survive the fate we’re dealt and marks the further blossoming of a unique global voice. A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Beah lives in Freetown, Sierra Leone, with his wife and three children.
Photo Credit: (c)PriscilliaKounkouHoveyda

About the Performer - Maduka Steady

About the Performer

A classically trained performer for more than 25 years, Maduka Steady has gone from singing and dancing on Sesame Street with Big Bird, to acting on Broadway with Dame Judi Dench. He has worked in theater, film, television, music, and voice-over across the country, and has enjoyed audiobooks since he was old enough to switch on a radio.
Maduka is from Sierra Leone, where everyone is a storyteller.

What listeners say about The Door to Tamba

Average customer ratings
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Excellent

I loved the thirst for reading in the young boys, and the wisdom of the old man

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3 people found this helpful

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EXQUISITE!

This was beautiful. I didn't want it to end. Such courage and curiosity in the minds of children and demonstrates this craving and thirst for knowledge and adventure is a shared human experience.

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Imaginations

Delightful short story highlighting the importance of reading, what leads to reading and relationships. An enjoyable read.

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2 people found this helpful

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the curious kids

it was a short but wonderful book.i loved listening to it.hope to listen to more of his books.

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It was a sweet story

I really liked that the children were so taken by the stories in the books and that they had a mentor who wanted to share the joy. It is another reminder that everyone in the world is not as fortunate as we are. The speaker had a very nice voice and helped to bring the story alive.

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curious mind

A great journey into a curious mind. It packs in a lot, beneath it all it's a lovely story.

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Enjoyment of the words

Enjoyed this short story. Well worth the listen. A little slow to start but stick with it. You’ll be glad you did.

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The sharing of imagination

I enjoyed peeking into the culture of a rural African village. The children in the story were given an extraordinary gift from an unassuming source.

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Delightful

I enjoyed reading the youthful and joyful story. The grateful teens, focusing on being young and having adventures through books.

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Such an excellent story

Told from the perspective of a precocious student, describes his relationship with a village elder who teaches him much more than the boy learns at school, simply by allowing him to read the old man’s books.

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