Showing results by narrator "Leon Nixon" in All Categories

After Life is a collective history of how Americans experienced, navigated, commemorated, and ignored mass death and loss during the global COVID-19 pandemic, mass uprisings for racial justice, and the near presidential coup in 2021 following the 2020 election.

Yemaya, queen of the sea, first emerged in Yorubaland (now in modern Nigeria). A primordial deity, considered the mother of all, she is perceived by some to be at the root of numerous ancient goddesses, including Isis. During the Middle Passage, Yemaya accompanied her enslaved devotees to the Western Hemisphere, where her eventual association with the Virgin Mary helped her veneration take root and flourish.

When Audie wakes up after a devastating accident, her mind is a blank slate. The people around her—her devoted partner, her closest friends, even her own family—all claim to know who she is. But every version of her past is different. Contradictory. Suspicious. As Audie struggles to piece together the fragments of her life, a chilling realization sets in: the memory she lost may not be the worst part of her past. The real danger lies in what she is about to uncover.

Upon finding out Belly has been unfaithful, Blaise realizes that bringing yet another child into the world with a womanizing manipulator isn't ideal, so she must act accordingly. In the second installment, Belly learns that Blaise is a far cry from the sit-by-the-phone women he's used to. His suave demeanor, charming ways, and calculated words fall on blind eyes and deaf ears when it comes to the heartbroken and now callous Blaise. However the ever so determined Belly is always up for a challenge.

The music that would come to be known as hip-hop was born at a party in the Bronx in the summer of 1973. Now, fifty years later, it’s the most popular music genre in America. Just as jazz did in the first half of the twentieth century, hip-hop and its groundbreaking DJs and artists—nearly all of them people of color from some of America’s most overlooked communities—pushed the boundaries of music to new frontiers, while transfixing the country’s youth and reshaping fashion, art, and even language.

How do you deal with a childhood crush that you never grew out of? You don't. You force it back to the far recesses of your mind and push through, but it's never gone for long. Dominique has been drooling over AJ since she was a child. Time and proximity have done nothing to tamp down on this puppy love crush that has developed into mature longing. All she wants is a little piece of something with him, that's all, but when she gets that piece, will it be enough? Or is she willing to wait longer for his love?

Activist and abolitionist Frederick Douglass is one of the most famous anti-slavery writers in American history. Following 20 years of enslavement in Maryland, Douglass made a daring bid for freedom in 1838, travelling north via the "underground railroad" before arriving in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he would settle. It was not long before Douglass took up the cause of black Americans, risking his freedom through writing and lecturing, and travelling the globe to spread his message.

The cross and the lynching tree are the two most emotionally charged symbols in the history of the African American community. In this powerful work, theologian James H. Cone explores these symbols and their interconnection in the history and souls of black folk.

A bestselling historian takes listeners on an intellectual and cultural adventure, offering a carefully curated guide to great, short nonfiction works by some of the world’s most influential writers—from Plato to Toni Morrison, Ernest Hemingway to bell hooks, and Marcus Aurelius to Joan Didion. A delightful roadmap to a year’s worth of reading briefly, plus biographies, fascinating facts, and idea-rich insights into the lives of the thinkers, historians, and literary giants who have shaped our world.

It was the season that brought families together for trick-or-treating and Thanksgiving dinners. But for Octavia Davenport, this season symbolized an era in her life when she lost everything. For years, Octavia was alone living a moderately single life, but then she met the owner of Rose Security Group, and suddenly things began to change. A blossoming friendship evolved, and with it came an unrestrained indulgence to connect with him on every level. Desire had never stirred her until him, and Octavia didn't want to deny herself what she so hungrily craved.

Being known as the daughter of the Sageport’s town drunk always left Faith Stone defending her mother and herself. Her only solace was her boyfriend, Rome. Even as a teenager, Faith knew she wanted forever with Rome Atkins. Their small town, her mother’s struggles, and everyone’s opinions of their relationship couldn’t hold them back forever. After graduation, they would put Sageport behind them and start life anew together … but prom night changed everything.

The girl group sound, made famous and unforgettable by acts like The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas, took over the airwaves by capturing the mixture of innocence and rebellion emblematic of America in the 1960s. But while the songs are essential to the American canon, many of the artists remain all but anonymous to most listeners. But Will You Love Me Tomorrow?: An Oral History of 60s Girl Groups tells a national coming-of-age story that gives particular insight into the experiences of the female singers and songwriters who created the movement.

A long time ago, I helped her. Little tips about what to wear, how to leave a man wanting more, ways to be sexy without being too obvious. The guy she'd wanted was wrong for her, though. Still, she'd wanted him anyway and ended up with a broken heart. But she wasn't the only one, because even after I'd made my own intentions known, she walked away. Now, she's back in town. Still beautiful, still intelligent, still funny, and ready to start over after a bad breakup from someone who never deserved her in the first place.

In 1993, Jacqueline Tobin visited the Old Market Building in the historic district of Charleston, South Carolina, where craftspeople sell their wares. Amid piles of beautiful handmade quilts, Tobin met African American quilter Ozella Williams and the two struck up a conversation. With the admonition to "write this down," Williams began to tell a fascinating story that had been handed down from her mother and grandmother before her. As Tobin sat in rapt attention, Williams began to describe how slaves made coded quilts and then used them to navigate their escape on the Underground Railroad.

How one night turned into fifteen and counting is beyond me. I never imagined ending up here. I'm a Marriage Broker, not a matchmaker . . . Especially for myself! It was always a ruse. Perception, not reality. For a purpose, not for always. Business, not romance. Want to know my plan? A simple assist, a favor. Want to know my potential downfall? Him. His sincere eyes, his intoxicating smile, his scintillating personality. Oh, and our out-of-control chemistry.

Battle Mage or Magical Engineer? Like that was even a real question. Battle Mage...obviously. Magical Engineers live quiet, boring lives. I crave excitement. And as an agent for the Arcane Mage Intelligence Agency, that’s exactly what I get. It’s a pretty great life. I go on solo missions, kicking ass and taking names, I hook up with men whenever I want to blow off some steam, and I hang out with my family if I’m ever after company. Everything changes when my psycho uncle fails in his attempt to kill my father. Now, I’m in charge of the manhunt against him.

I’m on Prillon Prime for a surprise party. Me, the unmated Earth girl, a guest of the queen! I want to dress up and have fun. Not trip over my own two feet and fall into the arms of two of the hottest alien warriors I’ve ever seen. Ever. What happens on Prillon Prime stays on Prillon Prime. Before they touch me I make it clear that I’m not looking for a mate. Or two. I have to go back to the Colony. My life is there. But Prillon warriors are notorious for fighting for what they want. Apparently, what these two want…is me.

Axel Chamberlain hadn't foreseen ending one relationship, only to find himself immersed in another soon after. Emersyn Myers, on the other hand, returned to Los Angeles with her heart open to putting down roots in the city she's always known as home. For these two—while the unexpected had occurred—it was what they needed most.

Do you know the saying, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”? The same is true for Nirvana Hart. She has been dealt a bad hand in life. After a bombshell was dropped on her doorstep, she’s just trying to deal with the reality of finding her daughter. As far as she is concerned, the worst is over, but it is only the beginning when more secrets come to light. The only thing she knows for sure is her feelings for Blaze Banks.

By the 1970s, the country’s oldest continuously published newspaper had fallen on hard times, just like its nearly bankrupt hometown. When the New York Post was sold to a largely unknown Australian named Rupert Murdoch in 1976, staffers hoped it would be the start of a new golden age for the paper. Now, after the nearly fifty years Murdoch has owned the tabloid, American culture reflects what Murdoch first started in the 1970s: a celebrity-focused, noisy, one-sided media empire that reached its zenith with Fox News.