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The Other Side of Paradise
- A Memoir
- Narrated by: Staceyann Chin
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
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Publisher's summary
Staceyann Chin has appeared on television and radio, including The Oprah Winfrey Show , CNN, and PBS, discussing issues of race and sexuality. But it is her extraordinary voice that launched her career as a performer, poet, and activist. Here, she shares her unforgettable story of triumph against all odds in this brave and fiercely candid memoir.
No one knew Staceyann's mother was pregnant until a dangerously small baby was born on the floor of her grandmother's house in Jamaica, on Christmas Day. Staceyann's mother did not want her, and her father was not present. No one, except her grandmother, thought Staceyann would survive. It was her grandmother who nurtured and protected and provided for Staceyann and her older brother in the early years. But when the three were separated, Staceyann was thrust, alone, into an unfamiliar and dysfunctional home in Paradise, Jamaica.
Told with grace, humor, and courage, Chin plumbs tender and unsettling memories as she writes about drifting from one home to the next, coming out as a lesbian, finding the man she believes to be her father, and ultimately, discovering her voice.
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One summer day, Margaux Fragoso meets Peter Curran at the neighborhood swimming pool, and they begin to play. She is seven; he is 51. When Peter invites her and her mother to his house, the little girl finds a child’s paradise of exotic pets and an elaborate backyard garden. Her mother, beset by mental illness and overwhelmed by caring for Margaux, is grateful for the attention Peter lavishes on her, and he creates an imaginative universe for her, much as Lewis Carroll did for his real-life Alice.
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a weirdly loving diatribe against pervs.
- By Dane Flakeman on 05-21-11
By: Margaux Fragoso
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This Side of the Sky
- By: Elyse Singleton
- Narrated by: Myra Taylor, Sharon Washington, Richard Ferrone
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Award-winning journalist Elyse Singleton delivers what Essence calls “a gem - the perfect book to curl up with.”
Best friends Lilian and Myraleen, two African American women from rural Mississippi, travel to Europe during World War II to act as members of the Women’s Army Corps. During this time of segregation and destruction, both women discover love and heartbreak, triumph and defeat.
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A Breath of Fresh Air
- By Adina Andreu on 07-19-12
By: Elyse Singleton
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Tar Baby
- By: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Desiree Coleman
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Jadine Childs is a Black fashion model with a white patron, a white boyfriend, and a coat made out of ninety perfect sealskins. Son is a Black fugitive who embodies everything she loathes and desires. As Morrison follows their affair, which plays out from the Caribbean to Manhattan and the deep South, she charts all the nuances of obligation and betrayal between Blacks and whites, masters and servants, and men and women.
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So good that I'm writing my first Audible review!
- By BL on 12-10-11
By: Toni Morrison
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Homesick
- My Own Story
- By: Jean Fritz
- Narrated by: Jean Fritz
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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This heartwarming fictionalized autobiography tells the story of what it is like for a little girl to be growing up in an unfamiliar place. While other girls her age were enjoying childhood in America, Jean Fritz was in China in the midst of political unrest. During this time, foreigners were becoming more and more unpopular, and evacuation at a moment’s notice was imminent. Although Jean appreciated the beauty of China - the mountains, the countryside, the sea - she knew she belonged in America and longed to make her home there.
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Great book!
- By R. SEVERSON on 10-19-18
By: Jean Fritz
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Brick Lane
- By: Monica Ali
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Sastre
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Abridged
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Nanzeen's inauspicious birth in a Bangladeshi village imbues in her a sense of fatalism that she carries across continents. Married off to a man old enough to be her father, Nanzeen moves to London and cares for her family. But gradually she begins to question whether fate controls her or whether she has a hand in her own destiny. She discovers both the complexity that comes with free choice and the depth of her attachment to her husband, her daughters and her new world.
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A truly wonderful book!
- By A M on 11-24-03
By: Monica Ali
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Walk Two Moons
- By: Sharon Creech
- Narrated by: Hope Davis
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In her own award-winning style, Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.
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Such a great story wonderfully told
- By Susan on 02-06-12
By: Sharon Creech
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Rush Home Road
- By: Lori Lansens
- Narrated by: Ruby Dee
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Abridged
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When a 70-year-old woman finds a five-year-old girl abandoned on her doorstep, she is thrust into a sorrowful past that can only be conquered with the help of the girl who opened her memory - the very girl she is trying to save. This first novel, according to author Jacquelyn Mitchard, is one of "exquisite power, honesty, and conviction...quite nearly without flaws."
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filthy language and violent content
- By Anna on 12-16-11
By: Lori Lansens
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American Street
- By: Ibi Zoboi
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie - a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola's mother is detained by US immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins - Chantal, Donna, and Princess - the grittiness of Detroit's West Side, a new school, and a surprising romance all on her own.
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A lot to unpack
- By AudioBookHoe on 07-18-17
By: Ibi Zoboi
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The Center of Everything
- By: Laura Moriarty
- Narrated by: Julie Dretzin
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The Center of Everything is the fictional story of 10-year-old math prodigy Evelyn Bucknow. Living in Kansas with her single mother and deeply religious grandmother, Evelyn believes she is destined to marry Travis, the boy next door. But as she grows up, she experiences the heartbreak of a love not meant to be. Author Laura Moriarty was a recipient of the George Bennet Fellowship for Creative Writing at Phillips Exeter Academy.
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not religious fiction
- By Theresa Jameson on 04-28-14
By: Laura Moriarty
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Trading Dreams at Midnight
- By: Diane McKinney-Whetstone
- Narrated by: Shari Peele
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Diane McKinney-Whetstone, the award-winning and best-selling author of Tumbling, presents Trading Dreams at Midnight - - an Essence Book Club Recommended Read. Back in 1984, 15-year-old Neena's mother left and never came back. And now Neena is following in her footsteps.
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Hard to follow
- By Nevada on 08-13-10
What listeners say about The Other Side of Paradise
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dennett
- 03-14-18
Fascinating Memoir
The author performing her own reading of this book gave the story so much richness. Chin's Jamaican accent and dialect gave a deep authentication to her story.
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- Jennifer Friedman
- 11-29-18
Fantastic and moving memoir
Pretty much every single episode recounted in this memoir is gripping, terrifying, or inspiring
I highly highly recommend reading it
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1 person found this helpful
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- Reader
- 06-14-20
Therapy For My Soul
Absolutely Riveting! Thank you StaceyAnn Chin for speaking your truth so authentically, vulnerably, and powHerfully! Every single page of this book stirred my soul. I’m so glad I listened to the audio book because hearing you narrate it all made me feel more and more deeply connected to you. I resonated with many parts of your life journey and really felt the pain of StaceyAnn as a child. I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions that were sometimes so intense that I needed to take many breaks. In the end it took me 3 months to finish it. I actually started it just days before Covid-19 was confirmed as a global pandemic. Needless to say, this season has been like a spiritual bootcamp and I have worked through many deep layers of healing. Reading this book has definitely informed parts of my healing journey. The world is blessed to have women like you in it. Black, lesbian, and proud! Thank you and Asé. 🙏🏾
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1 person found this helpful
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- Edebe
- 02-09-21
WOW! (In a good way)
I’m really amazed at Staceyann’s story. I was called to her through her poetry on Youtube, but reading her memoir has really given me another layer of respect for her! Beautifully written and told! A must read!
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- RyRy
- 10-21-19
Incredible life, incredible performer
After hearing Stacyanne Chin’s Audible Original, MOTHERSTRUCK, I was eager to learn more about her life and hear her perform. This was an enthralling life story and She is such an amazing performer I hope there are more works by Stacyanne Chin in the future!
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5 people found this helpful
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- Nicole Ray
- 02-10-18
Amazing
This story is riveting from start to finish. I root for Staceyann and want her to win throughout the entire memoir. Her bravery and resilience is incredible and truly inspirational.
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- Camille Grizzle
- 07-21-19
Heartbreaking and real
Being Jamaican this story took me back and reminded me of another side of Jamaica I only heard about. Staceyann did an incredible job of telling her story or would be a shame to read it and not listen to her immerse you into her life. Excellent book!!!!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Maqueita S. Eleazer
- 07-13-17
POWERFUL
Stacyann's journey is a powerful demonstration of a woman discovering her voice! I loved it and want to know more about Ms. Chinn!!
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- OwlLover
- 09-06-21
Escape and triumph
Staceyann Chin is always excellent in her performance of her own work. Her writing comes across as authentic; not overly filtered or sanitized. This book reveals a side of Jamaica and, frankly, many Caribbean and other formerly colonized countries that people do not know. It is interesting to see how she navigated relationships and experiences, and boldness, even at a young age, to ask for what she wanted. This is, in some ways, a story about escape, but also of many triumphs. I am glad I just read this, after following her for years and getting a glimpse into her life as she is living it now.
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- Steph
- 04-23-17
Triumph Over Tragedy
Such a tragic, but inspiring story about overcoming seemingly insurmountable tribulations to finally finding peace. Staceyann Chin is an inspiration to all little girls growing up impoverished and with few options to escape it. Her performance was full of life and detailed introspection. Her voices for each person in her life, amazing! So beautifully done!
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1 person found this helpful