
The Thirty Names of Night
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Samy Figaredo
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Lameece Issaq
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By:
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Zeyn Joukhadar
About this listen
Winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction
Winner of the ALA Stonewall Book Award - Barbara Gittings Literature Award
Named Best Book of the Year by Bustle
Named Most Anticipated Book of the Year by The Millions, Electric Literature, and HuffPost
From the award-winning author of The Map of Salt and Stars, a new novel about three generations of Syrian Americans haunted by a mysterious species of bird and the truths they carry close to their hearts - a “vivid exploration of loss, art, queer and trans communities, and the persistence of history. Often tender, always engrossing, The Thirty Names of Night is a feat” (R.O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries).
Five years after a suspicious fire killed his ornithologist mother, a closeted Syrian American trans boy sheds his birth name and searches for a new one. As his grandmother’s sole caretaker, he spends his days cooped up in their apartment, avoiding his neighborhood masjid, his estranged sister, and even his best friend (who also happens to be his longtime crush). The only time he feels truly free is when he slips out at night to paint murals on buildings in the once-thriving Manhattan neighborhood known as Little Syria, but he’s been struggling ever since his mother’s ghost began visiting him each evening.
One night, he enters the abandoned community house and finds the tattered journal of a Syrian American artist named Laila Z, who dedicated her career to painting birds. She mysteriously disappeared more than sixty years before, but her journal contains proof that both his mother and Laila Z encountered the same rare bird before their deaths. In fact, Laila Z’s past is intimately tied to his mother’s in ways he never could have expected. Even more surprising, Laila Z’s story reveals the histories of queer and transgender people within his own community that he never knew. Realizing that he isn’t and has never been alone, he has the courage to claim a new name: Nadir, an Arabic name meaning rare.
As unprecedented numbers of birds are mysteriously drawn to the New York City skies, Nadir enlists the help of his family and friends to unravel what happened to Laila Z and the rare bird his mother died trying to save. Following his mother’s ghost, he uncovers the silences kept in the name of survival by his own community, his own family, and within himself, and discovers the family that was there all along.
Featuring Zeyn Joukhadar’s signature “folkloric, lyrical, and emotionally intense...gorgeous and alive” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) storytelling, The Thirty Names of Night is a “stunning...vivid, visceral, and urgent” (Booklist, starred review) exploration of loss, memory, migration, and identity.
©2020 Zeyn Joukhadar (P)2020 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
Winner of the ALA Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award
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Named Best Book of Fall by USA Today, PopSugar, Alma, and Goodreads
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Story
Samra Habib has spent most of their life searching for the safety to be themself. As an Ahmadi Muslim growing up in Pakistan, they faced regular threats from Islamic extremists who believed the small, dynamic sect to be blasphemous. From their parents, they internalized the lesson that revealing their identity could put them in grave danger.
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Wow.
- By Lannah E. on 05-19-21
By: Samra Habib
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Aria
- A Novel
- By: Nazanine Hozar
- Narrated by: Neeky Dalir
- Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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It is the 1950s in a restless Iran, a country rich in oil but deeply divided by class and religion. The government is unpopular and corrupt and under foreign sway. One night, an illiterate army driver hears the pitiful cry of a baby abandoned in an alley and menaced by ravenous wild dogs. He snatches up the child and takes her home, naming her Aria - the first step on an unlikely path from deprivation to privilege. Over the next two decades, the orphan girl acquires three mother figures whose secrets she will learn only much later.
By: Nazanine Hozar
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George
- A Magpie Memoir
- By: Frieda Hughes
- Narrated by: Frieda Hughes
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When Frieda Hughes moved to a ramshackle estate in the wilds of Wales, she was expecting to take on a few projects: planting a garden, painting, writing her poetry column for The Times (London), and possibly even breathing new life into her ailing marriage. But instead, she found herself rescuing a baby magpie, the sole survivor of a nest destroyed in a storm—and embarking on an obsession that would change the course of her life.
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If you love, someone, set them free
- By Janie on 01-20-24
By: Frieda Hughes
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Short Life in a Strange World
- Birth to Death in 42 Panels
- By: Toby Ferris
- Narrated by: Jot Davies
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2012, facing the death of his father and impending fatherhood, Toby Ferris set off on a seemingly quixotic mission to track down and look at - in situ - every painting still in existence by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, the most influential and important artist of Northern Renaissance painting. The result of that pursuit is a remarkable journey through major European cities and across continents. As Ferris takes a keen analytical eye to the paintings, each piece brings new revelations about Bruegel’s art, and gives way to meditations on mortality, fatherhood, and life.
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Luminous
- By GM on 03-30-25
By: Toby Ferris
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Love Marriage
- A Novel
- By: Monica Ali
- Narrated by: Ayesha Dharker
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Yasmin Ghorami is 26, in training to be a doctor (like her Indian-born father), and engaged to the charismatic, upper-class Joe Sangster, whose formidable mother, Harriet, is a famous feminist. The gulf between families is vast. So, too, is the gulf in sexual experience between Yasmin and Joe. As the wedding day draws near, misunderstandings, infidelities, and long-held secrets upend both Yasmin’s relationship and that of her parents, a “love marriage”, according to the family lore that Yasmin has believed all her life.
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I loved everything about this book!
- By I used to fly on 05-21-22
By: Monica Ali
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The Sorcerer of Pyongyang
- A Novel
- By: Marcel Theroux
- Narrated by: Marcel Theroux
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Ten-year-old Jun-su is a bright and obedient boy whose only desire is to be a credit to his family, his nation, and most importantly, his Dear Leader. However, when he discovers a copy of The Dungeon Master’s Guide, left behind in a hotel room by a rare foreign visitor, a new and colorful world opens up to him. With the help of an English-speaking teacher, Jun-su deciphers the rules of the famous role-playing game and his imaginary adventures sweep him away from the harsh reality of a famine-stricken North Korea.
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surprisingly realistic
- By Bruce Screws on 08-02-23
By: Marcel Theroux
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Oliver
- The True Story of a Stolen Dog and the Humans He Brought Together
- By: Steven J. Carino, Alex Tresniowski, Laura Schroff - foreword
- Narrated by: Steven J. Carino
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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On Valentine’s Day 2019, someone stole Steven Carino’s dog, Oliver, from his car. Having lost his mother at 13 and grown up with an alcoholic father, he could always count on his dogs for comfort and company. But now, with his beloved Oliver missing, Steven felt utterly alone. Then, the miracle. In a series of near-impossible coincidences, people from different walks of life crossed paths with Oliver and with Steven.
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Noble Tribute to a Faithful Dog & Devoted Owner
- By Mary Burnight on 06-30-21
By: Steven J. Carino, and others
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Weird Black Girls
- Stories
- By: Elwin Cotman
- Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Jade Wheeler, James Fouhey, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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A rural town finds itself under the authoritarian sway of a tree that punishes children. A pair of old friends navigate their fraught history as strange happenings escalate in a Mexican restaurant. A pair of narcissistic friends wreak havoc on an activist community. An aloof young man finds himself living through his lover’s memories. And a day of LARPing takes a cosmic turn.
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Weird Black Girls
- By Jeleeto on 05-20-24
By: Elwin Cotman
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Good Girl
- A Novel
- By: Aria Aber
- Narrated by: Mozhan Navabi
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In Berlin’s artistic underground, where techno and drugs fill warehouses still pockmarked from the wars of the twentieth century, nineteen-year-old Nila at last finds her tribe. Born in Germany to Afghan parents, raised in public housing graffitied with swastikas, drawn to philosophy, photography, and sex, Nila has spent her adolescence disappointing her family while searching for her voice as a young woman and artist. Then in the haze of Berlin’s legendary nightlife, Nila meets Marlowe, an American writer whose fading literary celebrity opens her eyes to a life of freedom.
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Rebel, Rebel
- By Suzanna on 02-17-25
By: Aria Aber
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Gutter Mage
- By: J.S. Kelley
- Narrated by: Tanis Parenteau
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In a kingdom where magic fuels everything from street lamps to horseless carriages, the mage guilds of Penador wield power equal to the king himself. So when Lord Edmund’s infant son is kidnapped by the ruthless Alath Guild, he turns to the one person who’s feared by even the most magically adept: Rosalind Featherstone, a.k.a. the Gutter Mage. But as Roz delves into the circumstances behind the child’s disappearance, she uncovers an old enemy from her traumatic past and a long-brewing plot that could lead to the death of countless innocents.
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The mouth on this one
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 04-18-22
By: J.S. Kelley
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The Hundred Secret Senses
- By: Amy Tan
- Narrated by: Amy Tan
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Years after her Chinese half-sister assails her with ghost stories set in the mysterious world of Yin, Olivia — a young woman from San Francisco — finds herself in China. Looking for a way to reconcile her past with dreams for her future, Olivia's American assumptions are shaken by Chinese ghosts, but she also finds reasons to hope.
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BUY THIS VERSION (Release Date 01–03-22)
- By Jessica B Hunter on 10-04-22
By: Amy Tan
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When Time Stopped
- A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains
- By: Ariana Neumann
- Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In this remarkably moving memoir Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father’s past: years spent hiding in plain sight in war-torn Berlin, the annihilation of dozens of family members in the Holocaust, and the courageous choice to build anew.
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yesterday as fresh as today
- By reader mother on 02-17-20
By: Ariana Neumann
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The Age-Proof Brain
- New Strategies to Improve Memory, Protect Immunity, and Fight Off Dementia
- By: Dr. Marc Milstein
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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When it comes to keeping your brain in tip-top shape, you aren't limited to crossword puzzles, brain games, and Sudoku. The keys to keeping your mind sharp are already in your hands: eleven simple but powerful lifestyle factors often have a greater impact on our health than our genetics. In The Age-Proof Brain, scientist and popular speaker Dr. Marc Milstein shares "complex science in simple (and often humorous) examples, case histories, and 'how-to' guidelines that are guaranteed to change your life" (Dr. James B. Mass).
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COMPLETE BS
- By Richard R on 01-11-23
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The Witch's Heart
- By: Genevieve Gornichec
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology. Angrboda’s story begins where most witches' tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.
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A Masterful Exploration of Norse Myth
- By Catherine A Rector on 02-19-21
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You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
- A Novel
- By: Akwaeke Emezi
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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It’s been five years since the accident that killed the love of her life and she’s almost a new person now—an artist with her own studio and sharing a brownstone apartment with her ride-or-die best friend, Joy, who insists it’s time for Feyi to ease back into the dating scene. Feyi isn’t ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined: a luxury trip to a tropical island, decadent meals in the glamorous home of a celebrity chef, and a major curator who wants to launch her art career.
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Very well written but...
- By Sasha on 05-31-22
By: Akwaeke Emezi
Disappointed
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There are so many vastly different experiences for people who have had a fraught relationship with the gender norms that surround them. So I can't say it will affect everyone in equal measure. But I highly recommend it to anyone who can relate to that struggle. And, perhaps equally important, to anyone who loves someone like that, yet doesn't *get it*.
People ask me all the time for educational materials about transgender and gender non-conforming experiences. I think they usually expect infographics, scientific texts, and neatly organized explanations. But some of the best ways to pursue understanding are a little messier and a little more personal. And sometimes storytelling is closer to truth than a collection of facts.
Hell, besides the other stuff in this post, maybe you just want to read a good book. This is a Good Book. But this is especially for anyone who, because of that beautiful inability to conform, struggles to be 'seen', and anyone else with love enough to want to 'see', here is one such story.
(Also, the choice of narrator, Samy Figaredo, made the story even more powerful. I had to look them up because they read with so much...realization. I don’t know how else to say it. That representation matters so much.)
This book read me
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Good listen, worth sticking with it
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A second great book
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Enjoyable and heart wrenching.
Heart Wrenching Story of a Trans Boy
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I think I would have like to have seen some more character development... especially what happened to Elias and Nadir after the aunt stumbled upon them...
Was Nadir dreaming the whole time too btw or was it only a small part of the story when he saw Layla's ghost and stuff and the author then had Layla narrate her story?
I quite enjoyed the use of birds and what different types of birds mean especially when the protagonist is trying to find himself... it makes me wonder if it's a bit biographical or perhaps part of Nadir represents the author?
Not sure why but this style of writing reminded me of The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shakaf.
Can't wait to read Map of Salt and Stars...
Fascinating story of identity and belonging
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Might be easier to follow in print
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Beautiful story with a beautiful ending.
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Confused
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