You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays is an audiobook by Zora Neale Hurston, narrated by Robin Miles. The unabridged Audible edition runs 15 hrs 19 mins.
Publisher’s Summary
Introduction by New York Times bestselling author Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Spanning more than 35 years of work, the first comprehensive collection of essays, criticism, and articles by the legendary author of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston, showcasing the evolution of her distinctive style as an archivist and author.
“One of the greatest writers of our time.”—Toni Morrison
You Don’t Know Us Negroes is the quintessential gathering of provocative essays from one of the world’s most celebrated writers, Zora Neale Hurston. Spanning more than three decades and penned during the backdrop of the birth of the Harlem Renaissance, Montgomery bus boycott, desegregation of the military, and school integration, Hurston’s writing articulates the beauty and authenticity of Black life as only she could. Collectively, these essays showcase the roles enslavement and Jim Crow have played in intensifying Black people’s inner lives and culture rather than destroying it. She argues that in the process of surviving, Black people re-interpreted every aspect of American culture—””modif[ying] the language, mode of food preparation, practice of medicine, and most certainly religion.”White supremacy prevents the world from seeing or completely recognizing Black people in their full humanity and Hurston made it her job to lift the veil and reveal the heart and soul of the race. These pages reflect Hurston as the controversial figure she was—someone who stated that feminism is a mirage and that the integration of schools did not necessarily improve the education of Black students. Also covered is the sensational trial of Ruby McCollum, a wealthy Black woman convicted in 1952 for killing her lover, a white doctor.
Demonstrating the breadth of this revered and influential writer’s work, You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays is an invaluable chronicle of a writer’s development and a window into her world and mind.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
Audiobook Details
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 15 hrs 19 mins
- Publisher: Amistad
- Release year: 2022
- Audible category: Literature & Fiction / Essays / Literature & Fiction
Listener Ratings
You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays holds an average listener rating of 4.5/5 from 60 Audible ratings.
On Audible, ratings for this title break down into narration performance and story separately:
- Performance (narration): 4.5/5
- Story: 4.5/5
- 5-star ratings: 63% of all ratings
What Audible Listeners Are Saying
5/5 stars — “Detailed AUTHENTIC!!!!”
The pace was perfect and Zora’s humor shines even in the serious genre of prose and facts.— 5oshun, Audible listener
5/5 stars — ” Masterpieces of historical information “
As usual, ZNH comes through in historic narrative. I learned a lot. thorough entertained.i will be reading more.— David M. Cassidy, Audible listener
4/5 stars — “Strong writing; a thorough if dry collection “
As one expects from Zora, the essay collection contains strong writing and thorough research.However, it is an often dry collection of essays touching upon work in areas including: anthropology, race relations, political/financial strife at Howard Univ. & her belief that Brown v BOE would hurt ultimately hurt the race it seeks to help.
Much of the text is dated, which is understandable as the essays range from 65-100+ years old. The subject matter is dry, but those who’ve read some of her other nonfiction (Barracoon, for one) will get much much more from the book than those only familiar with Their Eyes Were Watching God.— Kenneth Powell, Audible listener
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