
Why Fathers Cry at Night
A Memoir in Love Poems, Recipes, Letters, and Remembrances
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Narrated by:
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Kwame Alexander
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By:
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Kwame Alexander
About this listen
This powerful memoir from a #1 New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Medalist features poetry, letters, recipes, and other personal artifacts that provide an intimate look into his life and the loved ones he shares it with.
In a powerfully intimate and non-traditional (or "new-fashioned") memoir, Kwame Alexander shares snapshots of a man learning how to love. He takes us through stories of his parents: from being awkward newlyweds in the sticky Chicago summer of 1967, to the sometimes-confusing ways they showed their love to each other, and for him. He explores his own relationships—his difficulties as a newly wedded, 22-year-old father, and the precariousness of his early marriage working in a jazz club with his second wife. Alexander attempts to deal with the unravelling of his marriage and the grief of his mother's recent passing while sharing the solace he found in learning how to perfect her famous fried chicken dish. With an open heart, Alexander weaves together memories of his past to try and understand his greatest love: his daughters.
Full of heartfelt reminisces, family recipes, love poems, and personal letters, Why Fathers Cry at Night inspires bravery and vulnerability in every listener who has experienced the reckless passion, heartbreak, failure, and joy that define the whirlwind woes and wonders of love.
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When America is not so beautiful, or right, or just, it can be hard to know what to do. Best friends Walt and Noah decide to use their voices to grow more good in the world, but first they've got to find cool. Walt is convinced junior year is their year, and he has a plan to help them woo the girls of their dreams and become amazing athletes. Never mind that he and Noah failed to make the high school baseball team yet again, and Noah's love interest since third grade, Sam, has him firmly in the friend zone.
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Powerful and important read especially for boys
- By The Mrs. on 11-07-18
By: Kwame Alexander, and others
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Walk Through Fire
- A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph
- By: Sheila Johnson
- Narrated by: Sheila Johnson
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Filled with sharply drawn, emotionally powerful senses, Walk Through Fire traces the hardships Sheila faced in her marriage and her professional life. Despite her skills as a violinist and music teacher, as well as her obvious entrepreneurial talent, she had to fight to overcome self-doubt and fears of failure. Sheila vividly details her struggles, including battling institutional racism, losing a child, suffering emotional abuse in her thirty-three-year marriage, and plunging into a deep depression with her divorce. And yet, out of that pain came renewed purpose and meaning.
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I am The Salamander
- By Dee Burton on 09-27-23
By: Sheila Johnson
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Booked
- By: Kwame Alexander
- Narrated by: Kwame Alexander
- Length: 2 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In this middle grade novel-in-verse by the Newbery Medal-winning and Coretta Scott King Honor Award-winning author of The Crossover, soccer, family, love, and friendship take center stage as 12-year-old Nick learns the power of words when he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate, Coby; and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read.
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Amazing
- By TAMALA on 07-21-18
By: Kwame Alexander
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Solo
- By: Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
- Narrated by: Kwame Alexander, Randy Preston - music
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Blade never asked for a life of the rich and famous. In fact, he’d give anything not to be the son of Rutherford Morrison, a washed-up rock star and drug addict with delusions of a comeback. Or to no longer be part of a family known most for lost potential, failure, and tragedy, including the loss of his mother. The one true light is his girlfriend, Chapel, but her parents have forbidden their relationship, assuming Blade will become just like his father.
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Phenomenal Book
- By Rachael Street on 06-06-18
By: Kwame Alexander, and others
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I Am Nobody's Slave
- How Uncovering My Family's History Set Me Free
- By: Lee Hawkins
- Narrated by: Lee Hawkins
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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A 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist and former Wall Street Journal writer exhaustively examines his family’s legacy of post-enslavement trauma and resilience, in this riveting memoir. I Am Nobody’s Slave tells the story of one Black family's pursuit of the American Dream through the impacts of systemic racism and racial violence. This book examines how trauma from enslavement and Jim Crow shaped their outlook on thriving in America, influenced each generation, and how they succeeded despite these challenges.
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Outstanding
- By Anonymous User on 03-05-25
By: Lee Hawkins
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Rules of Engagement
- By: Stacey Abrams, Selena Montgomery
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Dr. Raleigh Foster, an operative for a top-secret intelligence organization, knows that her undercover work has its risks. So she doesn't hesitate when asked to infiltrate Scimitar, the terrorist group that has stolen lethal environmental technology. But when she's assigned a partner—brooding, sexy Adam Grayson—to pose as her lover, Raleigh discovers that the most dangerous risk of all...is falling in love.
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First time reader
- By Candice Bailey on 04-05-23
By: Stacey Abrams, and others
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Mirror Me
- A Novel
- By: Lisa Williamson Rosenberg
- Narrated by: Torian Brackett
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Eddie Asher arrives at Hudson Valley Psychiatric Hospital panicked that he may have murdered his brother’s fiancée, Lucy, with whom he shared a profound kinship. He can’t imagine doing such a terrible thing, but Eddie hasn’t been himself lately. Eddie’s anxiety is nothing new to Pär, the one Eddie calls his Other, who protects Eddie from truths he’s too sensitive to face. Or so Pär says. Troubled by Pär’s increasing sway over his life, Eddie seeks out Dr. Richard Montgomery, a specialist in dissociative identities.
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Good probably better to read than listen.
- By Lulu Dx on 12-05-24
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Rebound
- By: Kwame Alexander
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Before Josh and Jordan Bell were streaking up and down the court, their father was learning his own moves. In this prequel to Newbery Medal winner The Crossover, Chuck Bell takes center stage, as listeners get a glimpse of his childhood and how he became the jazz music worshiping basketball star his sons look up to. A novel in verse with all the impact and rhythm listeners have come to expect from Kwame Alexander, Rebound will go back in time to visit the childhood of Chuck "Da Man" Bell during one pivotal summer when young Charlie is sent to stay with his grandparents, where he discovers basketball and learns more about his family's past.
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Book
- By Cookie crumbs on 07-09-19
By: Kwame Alexander
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Brothers and Keepers
- By: John Edgar Wideman
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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“A rare triumph” (The New York Times Book Review), this powerful memoir about the divergent paths taken by two brothers is a classic work from one of the greatest figures in American literature: a reflection on John Edgar Wideman’s family and his brother’s incarceration—a classic that is as relevant now as when originally published in 1984.
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Beautifully Told
- By Allison on 12-21-23
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The Playbook
- 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life
- By: Kwame Alexander
- Narrated by: Ruffin Prentiss
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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You gotta know the rules to play the game. Ball is life. Take it to the hoop. Soar. What can we imagine for ourselves? What if we were the star players, moving and grooving through the game of life? What if we had our own rules of the game to help us get what we want, what we aspire to, what will enrich our lives? The Playbook is intended to provide inspiration for kids ages 10 and up to help them succeed on and off the court.
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GREAT!!
- By Anonymous User on 04-12-18
By: Kwame Alexander
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Dear Black Girls
- How to Be True to You
- By: A'ja Wilson
- Narrated by: A'ja Wilson
- Length: 3 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Despite gold medals, WNBA championships, and a list of accolades, A’ja Wilson knows how it feels to be swept under the rug—to not be heard, to not feel seen, to not be taken seriously. As a fourth grader going to a primarily white school in South Carolina, A’ja was told she’d have to stay outside for a classmate’s birthday party. Wilson tells stories like this, about how even when life tried to hold her down, it didn’t stop her. She shares her contribution to “The Talk,” and how to keep fighting, all while igniting strength, passion, and joy.
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The way she spoke out about her truth.. about the things she went through.
- By Noel on 04-24-25
By: A'ja Wilson
What listeners say about Why Fathers Cry at Night
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- IG
- 10-23-23
Absolutly beautiful
I don’t possess the poet’s mastery of words, so I will just say; read it, listen to it, gather with your family and read aloud, listen again, and again. You will laugh, cry, think, feel, learn about yourself and about others close to you. This book is a gift to all of us. Thank you Kwame Alexander!
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- Ben
- 10-18-23
As a father, on point
Raw, introspective of encounters with ours. Power of holding on to thoughts that have aged 20+ years and to hopefully look toward tomorrow
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- Sarah Montambo
- 08-01-23
Immediately on repeat!
This was beautiful. I do want to get a paper copy for another reread, but don't miss it when a poet does their own audio! Kwame forever! 🙌🏼
The Nikki Giovanni content is so good, but I'm an elementary school librarian, so I'm invested. ❤️
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2 people found this helpful
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- Donita
- 01-29-24
Beautiful book.
Every word I found to be touching, and there are recipes, too! Pure pleasure with excellent narration.
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- regina
- 08-30-24
Just beautiful...
This is a book for the heart and soul. Loved all of it. The writing, the gorgeous narration and OH MY GOODNESS the poetry. This is balm for the soul.
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- Upstate New Yorker
- 06-04-23
Just WOW
I didn’t want it to end!
Such a treasure and a gift.
Thank you, Mr. Alexander!
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3 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 10-16-23
Beautiful writing
This was a wonderful memoir of love gained and lost over a lifetime of loving words. Thank you, Kwame Alexander, for sharing them.
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- Tonja
- 06-01-23
Loved it.
I love the mix of stories, poems, and recipes. I was hoping a PDF of the recipes would be included in the Audible version.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Sherry Stewart
- 09-06-23
Beautiful memoir
Love when the author reads his own work. His honesty in self-examination is inspiring.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Diane Miller
- 06-18-23
Thought provoking and insightful
I listened to Kwame’s stories, poems and recipes and was brought back to my own childhood, both painful and joy filled. I felt culturally connected. His family dynamics and relationships with his parents were beautifully and colorfully expressed. The love for his wife and children and his journey as a writer are shared in such a way that I felt his longing, hope and despair. It is a beautiful work.
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3 people found this helpful