Audiobook11 hours
Only the Strong
Written by Jabari Asim
Narrated by JD Jackson
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this audiobook
Moved by the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Lorenzo "Guts" Tolliver decides to abandon his career as a professional leg-breaker and pursue a life of quiet moments and generous helpings of banana pudding in the company of his new, sensuous lover. His erstwhile boss, local kingpin Ananias Goode, is also thinking about slowing down-but his tempestuous affair with Dr. Artinces Noel, a prominent pediatrician, complicates his retirement plans. Meanwhile, Charlotte Divine, the doctor's headstrong protegee, struggles with trials of her own.
With prose that's sharp, humorous, and poetic, Jabari Asim skillfully renders a compelling portrait of urban life in the wake of the last major civil-rights bill. Massive change is afoot in America, and these characters have front-row seats.
With prose that's sharp, humorous, and poetic, Jabari Asim skillfully renders a compelling portrait of urban life in the wake of the last major civil-rights bill. Massive change is afoot in America, and these characters have front-row seats.
Author
Jabari Asim
Jabari Asim is the author of the critically acclaimed The N Word. He is editor-in-chief of The Crisis—the magazine of the NAACP—and former editor at and frequent contributor to the Washington Post, and his writing has appeared on Salon and in Essence, the Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He divides his time between Maryland and Illinois with his wife and five children.
More audiobooks from Jabari Asim
We Can't Breathe: On Black Lives, White Lies, and the Art of Survival Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Only the Strong
Rating: 4.136363572727273 out of 5 stars
4/5
11 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Slice of life (and time) novel of St. Louis in the 70s. I grew up across the river and worked in St. Louis for a few years (actually, in the period the book is set within), so it was interesting to see familiar places and street names referenced. A little too slow-moving for me, with dialogue that didn't seem very realistic.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Emerson College professor writes in the mode of Walter Mosley, but in a fictionalized of St. Louis in the late '60s-early '70s. Almost all the neighborhood folks are traumatized by their earlier lives down South and still, by Jim Crow.From Guts, the enforcer for Ananias Goode, a gangster turned legit businessman; Goode's lover, the baby saver Dr. Artinces Noel, guardian of Charlotte, pre-med student and admirer of fellow student Percy Conway; Crenshaw, an MVP on the local baseball team; and Playfair, whose car trunk holds "everything a black man or woman would want" - each and every one has their internal thoughts and motivations powerfully laid bare.There are many so strong characters and shifting points of view, making for a riveting read, and hopefully, a return to Gateway City.