Up Home
One Girl's Journey
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Narrated by:
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Ruth J. Simmons
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By:
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Ruth J. Simmons
About this listen
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Simmons’s evocative account of her remarkable trajectory from Jim Crow Texas, where she was the youngest of twelve children in a sharecropping family, to the presidencies of Smith College and Brown University shines with tenderness and dignity.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
“A riveting work of literature, destined to take its place in the canon of great African American autobiographies.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, Bloomberg, BET
I was born at a crossroads: a crossroads in history, a crossroads in culture, and a geographical crossroad in North Houston County in East Texas.
Born in 1945, Ruth J. Simmons grew up the twelfth child of sharecroppers. Her first home had no running water, no electricity, no books to read. Yet despite this—or, in her words, because of it—Simmons would become the first Black president of an Ivy League university. The former president of Smith College, Brown University, and Prairie View A&M, Texas’s oldest HBCU, Simmons has inspired generations of students as she herself made history.
In Up Home, Simmons takes us back to Grapeland to show how the people who love us when we are young shape who we become. We meet her caring, tireless mother who managed to feed her large family with an often empty pantry; her father, who refused to let racial and economic injustice crush his youngest daughter’s dreams; the doting brothers and sisters; and the attentive teachers who welcomed Ruth into the classroom, guiding her to a future she could hardly imagine as a child.
From the farmland of East Texas to Houston’s Fifth Ward to New Orleans at the dawn of the civil rights movement, Simmons depicts an era long gone but whose legacies of inequality we still live with today. Written in clear and timeless prose, Up Home is both an origin story set in the segregated South and the uplifting chronicle of a girl whose intellect, grace, and curiosity guide her as she creates a place for herself in the world.
©2023 Ruth Simmons (P)2023 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Honest, intimate and deeply affecting, [Up Home] recalls Anne Moody’s classic memoir, Coming of Age in Mississippi, not just in the obvious biographical parallels but also in terms of its potential impact. This is a book you’ll want to pass on to all the young people in your life, no matter their background, just so they can have a little of Simmons’s wise voice in their heads. I’d urge every educator to assign Up Home to high school students or incoming college freshmen. It’s that good.”—Pamela Paul, The New York Times
“[An] inspiring story . . . a love letter to every person who helped Simmons out of poverty.”—The Washington Post
“The tale of an individual making her way over nearly insurmountable obstacles with the help of determined teachers and mentors. . . Extraordinary.”—The New York Times Book Review
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In the heart of the rolling green hills of Ireland a huge abandoned psychiatric asylum looms large and holds its secrets close, until one family fights to find the truth about their long lost great grandmother. Presented by Irish celebrity and mental health advocate Niall Breslin - this is the untold story of the quest to find patient Julia Leonard, alongside many others, who came to die in St Loman’s Hospital near Dublin. Why was Julia in St Loman’s? And what happened to her and other patients who found themselves within its walls?
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Heart felt Remembrance
- By RosaInGlousta on 11-05-24
By: Niall Breslin
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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
- A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
- By: Lori Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.
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It was like a hallmark movie being waterboarded into my ears for 15 hours
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-19
By: Lori Gottlieb
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The Parole Room
- By: Ben Austen
- Narrated by: Ben Austen
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
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Will Johnnie Veal—convicted of the murder of two police officers in 1970—be granted parole after 50 years in prison? How can he convince the parole board he’s reformed when he insists he’s innocent? What is prison time even supposed to accomplish? These are the questions that propel The Parole Room forward as it builds toward Johnnie’s 20th parole hearing—after 19 rejections.
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Enlightening story & a must read
- By Patsy on 10-07-24
By: Ben Austen
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Problem Child
- By: Terrell Carter, Stacy Thunes
- Narrated by: Terrell Carter
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Problem Child is the unbelievably true story of Terrell Carter, an American musician and actor who grew up in Buffalo, New York, in a dysfunctional family, each member crazier than the next. And the Problem Child is the only one in the story who may, or may not, actually have a problem. An emotional journey of trials and revelations, with a huge secret at its core, this story may force you to laugh - just to keep from crying.
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Worth the wait . . .
- By JPALJ on 12-07-22
By: Terrell Carter, and others
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Elvis and Me
- By: Priscilla Beaulieu Presley
- Narrated by: Priscilla Beaulieu Presley
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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The inspiration for the major motion picture Priscilla directed by Sofia Coppola, this New York Times best seller reveals the intimate story of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, told by the woman who lived it.
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What a story!
- By Pen Name on 08-28-22
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
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Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
- By Cynthia on 12-11-13
By: Jack Weatherford
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The Wonder of Stevie
- By: Wesley Morris
- Narrated by: Wesley Morris, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
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The year 1972 saw the beginning of a five-year span in which Stevie Wonder released five groundbreaking, critically acclaimed albums, garnering him more than half a dozen Grammys and more than 10 million albums sold, securing his place as one of the most important American musicians and songwriters in history. For the first time, uncover the untold story of an extraordinary artistic journey that shaped the greatest creative era in popular music history.
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Good but not great
- By Anonymous User on 09-14-24
By: Wesley Morris
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The Last Days of Cabrini-Green
- By: Ben Austen, Harrison David Rivers
- Narrated by: Ben Austen, Patina Miller, Harry Lennix, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins
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In 1992, the deadliest year in Chicago’s history, seven-year-old Dantrell Davis was shot and killed in front of his elementary school inside the public housing complex Cabrini-Green. What happened to Dantrell led to a truce among Chicago’s gangs, but it also ignited a national panic about poverty and violence in America’s cities. Dantrell’s name would soon be used to demolish all of Chicago’s high-rise public housing, displacing tens of thousands of low-income families.
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A Gripping and Necessary Work
- By booklover on 11-24-24
By: Ben Austen, and others
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San Miguel Kidnappings
- By: Erick Galindo, Roger Vela
- Narrated by: Karla Souza
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
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The close knit community in San Miguel de Allende Mexico was plagued by a string of sophisticated kidnappings for nearly a decade. When the police finally made an arrest the townspeople were shocked by who was accused of masterminding the criminal enterprise. It's everyone's favorite neighbor and a pillar of the community, Ramon Guerra. Except Ramon isn't who he says he is.
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Insightful
- By Tara on 12-11-24
By: Erick Galindo, and others
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The Book of Murder
- A Prosecutor's Journey Through Love and Death
- By: Matt Murphy
- Narrated by: Matt Murphy
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Examining murder from an insider’s perspective, Matt Murphy—a former senior deputy district attorney and current ABC News legal analyst—discusses cases from his career, how they strained his personal life, and how he found peace seeking justice for victims and their families. Part taxonomy of murder, part prosecutor’s handbook, and part personal memoir, The Book of Murder goes through a dozen cases and his recollections of his 26 years in the Orange County DA’s office (17 in the Homicide Unit).
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Fascinating true crime
- By RueRue on 12-19-24
By: Matt Murphy
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The Meaning of Mariah Carey
- By: Mariah Carey
- Narrated by: Mariah Carey
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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It took me a lifetime to have the courage and the clarity to write my memoir. I want to tell the story of the moments - the ups and downs, the triumphs and traumas, the debacles and the dreams - that contributed to the person I am today. This book is composed of my memories, my mishaps, my struggles, my survival, and my songs. Unfiltered. I went deep into my childhood and gave the scared little girl inside of me a big voice. I let the abandoned and ambitious adolescent have her say, and the betrayed and triumphant woman I became tell her side.
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Entertaining glitz glam smoke and mirrors - not the whole story.
- By Anonymous User on 10-04-20
By: Mariah Carey
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Episodes
- The True Story of Two Friends & One Diagnosis
- By: Mara Altman, Kat Alexander
- Narrated by: Mara Altman, Kat Alexander
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
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In Episodes, lifelong best friends Kat and Mara take listeners on an unfiltered journey through friendship, mental illness, and survival. Kat, a successful professional, is preparing for marriage and motherhood. On her fourth round of IVF, it happened—a frantic call to Mara. Mara comes over to find Kat, her friend of 25 years—the one who'd always been levelheaded, hilarious, and over-the-top thoughtful—trying to jump through a window.
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Just listen!
- By AJ on 11-17-24
By: Mara Altman, and others
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- As Told to Alex Haley
- By: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
- Narrated by: Laurence Fishburne
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
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it's Nearly perfect
- By Kerry on 09-16-20
By: Malcolm X, and others
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Beautifully Told
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Throughout her childhood, Safiya Sinclair’s father, a volatile reggae musician and a militant adherent to a strict sect of Rastafari, was obsessed with the ever-present threat of the corrupting evils of the Western world outside their home, and worried that womanhood would make Safiya and her sisters morally weak and impure. For him, a woman’s highest virtue was her obedience.
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Set over the course of three summers, this novel follows Stephen, a first-generation Londoner born to Ghanaian immigrant parents, brother to Ray, and best friend to Adeline. On the cusp of big life changes, Stephen feels pressured to follow a certain path—a university degree, a move out of home—but when he decides instead to follow his first love, music, his world and family fracture in ways he didn’t foresee. Now Stephen must find a path and peace for himself: a space he can feel beautiful, a space he can feel free.
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I feel free when listening to him
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In 1838, a group of America’s most prominent Catholic priests sold 272 enslaved people to save their largest mission project, what is now Georgetown University. In this groundbreaking account, journalist, author, and professor Rachel L. Swarns follows one family through nearly two centuries of indentured servitude and enslavement to uncover the harrowing origin story of the Catholic Church in the United States. Through the saga of the Mahoney family, Swarns illustrates how the Church relied on slave labor and slave sales to sustain its operations and to help finance its expansion.
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Not surprising…
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When Selasi and Akorfa were young girls in Ghana, they were more than just cousins; they were inseparable. Selasi was exuberant and funny, Akorfa quiet and studious. They would do anything for each other, imploring their parents to let them be together, sharing their secrets and desires and private jokes. Then Selasi begins to change, becoming hostile and quiet; her grades suffer; she builds a space around herself, shutting Akorfa out.
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Unique but universal
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Lone Women
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Adelaide Henry carries an enormous steamer trunk with her wherever she goes. It’s locked at all times. Because when the trunk opens, people around Adelaide start to disappear. The year is 1915, and Adelaide is in trouble. Her secret sin killed her parents, forcing her to flee California in a hellfire rush and make her way to Montana as a homesteader.
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Amazing story, Phenomenal Narration
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Black Liturgies
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For years, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amid ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black memory, and the Black body.
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Eager to read the book
- By Addie W. Trapp on 11-25-24
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Worthy
- By: Jada Pinkett Smith
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Jada Pinkett Smith was living what many would view as a fairy-tale of Hollywood success. But appearances can be deceiving, and as she felt more and more separated from her sense of self, emotional turmoil took hold. Sparing no detail, Worthy chronicles her life.
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Budda
- By Tamiko on 10-18-23
What listeners say about Up Home
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Elizabeth B.
- 01-14-24
Beautiful Voice and Soul
Dr Simmons reads her own prose with elegance and verve.
Her history is full of love and striving. As a college administrator, I am hoping for part two!!
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- Tom Schneider
- 04-05-24
authenticity, amazing life story, appreciated Ruth sharing her story!
appreciated Ruth's reading of her life story. many thanks!!! With an education and love she was able to achieve her dreams.
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Overall
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Performance
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- James
- 10-14-23
Positive and negative experiences travel together.
Volumes of thoughtful knowledge is condense in this timely, relatively small book. I recommend this book to all who seek direction in their own lives,
and who influence the direction and the lives of others. J. Ncutt.
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Overall
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Performance
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- D. C.
- 11-01-23
A must read
A remarkable story about succeeding despite the odds. Nice that it was read by the author.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Sean
- 06-21-24
Inspiring
I was really inspired by how Ruth’s curiosity piqued with great mentors led to her continued success in life. Even more, her desire to be like others eventually led to her finding herself which is something I wouldn’t have originally thought..but it makes sense- the impact of others molds our identity .
Overall, Ruth’s story is that of not letting one’s self be defined by stereotypes but how they want to be defined. And, it really does take a village, no one person is self-made.
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- L. Johnson
- 09-27-23
Eloquently truthful
Such a beautiful account of Dr. Ruth’s childhood experiences and how they helped shape and propel her into the brilliant trailblazer she is today. Such an honor!
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- Drew Hancock
- 10-02-23
Must read
The best of what our country can become. An inspiring story of human potential and achievement.
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- John H. Guswa
- 05-25-24
Inspiration for a young woman
Ruth J. Simmons is an inspiration for all women. She had experienced and accomplished great things during her life.
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- world traveler
- 10-06-23
An indomitable woman
This book is a testament to the intelligence, spirit and courage of Ruth Simmons, to her family, and to the teachers and other caring adults who saw her potential and encouraged her to achieve her dreams. Dr. Simmons’s commitment to giving other Black students such opportunities is demonstrated by her return to Prairie View after leading Smith and Brown.
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- Carlos Wallace
- 10-12-23
East Texas: A Breeding Ground for Remarkable Ppl
I hold a deep appreciation for "Up Home" on a profoundly personal level. If my grandfather, O'Neal Hunt, the first Black judge in Anderson County, were to have penned an autobiographical novel, I'd like to believe it would have shared remarkable similarities with Dr. Ruth J. Simmons's work.
Dr. Simmons's command of the English language is striking, a quality I've had the privilege of witnessing during in-person encounters on a couple of occasions. Her story provides insight into the why and how of her language mastery. Education emerges as her superpower, serving as her passport to a life filled with remarkable achievements. She stands as a true testament to the idea that with education, one can achieve anything they set their mind to.
I typically approach literature with skepticism when it appears to cast any form of disparagement on parents. However, Dr. Simmons fearlessly speaks her truth, allowing me to understand her perspective. Her father, a formidable figure from East Texas, adhered to traditional ways and was often misunderstood and far from being a favorite. Her mother, perceived as a woman of few words, especially in matters concerning her husband, was often thought to lack respect. Once again, Ruth J. Simmons's account of her mother's passing resonated deeply with me, as my own mother succumbed to the same condition on a nearly identical calendar date (albeit in a different year). Much like Ruth J. Simmons, I've come to comprehend my mother's inner strength and struggles as I've grown older.
In conclusion, I must admit that I initially had no intentions of reading this novel. However, thanks to the encouragement of my wife, I can proudly say that I'm immensely grateful that I did. I've maintained, and will continue to do so, that East Texas has a unique knack for nurturing exceptional individuals.
Carlos Wallace
Veteran. Author. Philanthropist. Youth Advocate
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