Ossie Davis has narrated 7 audiobooks on Listento.it by 5 authors, with an average listener rating of 5★ across 1 ratings. The most-rated is I Never Had It Made.
I Never Had It Made
Summary
A straightforward yet inspiring story of what it took to be the first man of color to break into the white world of professional sports. Jackie Robinson's story is more than a telling of his tremendous talent; it is also a recollection that showcases his tenacious spirit, bravery, and the courage of his ideals. From the early influences of family and friends, to his time at UCLA, to the Army, where he challenged racism and Jim Crow laws, Jackie Robinson traces his life to playing in the black leagues, frustrated by the abuses and restrictions of second-class status in professional baseball. As Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, began to look around for a player to break the color barrier in 1946, he knew he needed a man of character who could withstand the pressures of his "Noble Experiment". Choosing Robinson gave both of them the chance to prove what they believed in. Struggles that continued in his personal life and in response to the turbulent sixties are interpreted with insight by Robinson and will give listeners an added appreciation for the amazing strength of his character.
Public Domain (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
With Ossie and Ruby
Summary
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee: legendary stars of the American stage, television, and film, a beloved and revered couple cherished not just for their acting artistry but also for their lifelong commitment to civil rights, family values, and the Black community. Now they look back on a half-century of their personal and political struggles to maintain a healthy marriage and to create the record of distinguished accomplishment that earned each a Presidential Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. With Ossie and Ruby overflows with consummate storytelling skill developed by decades in the spotlight. From their early years as struggling actors in Harlem's Black theater to Broadway and Hollywood stardom, they regale the listener with colorful, entertaining tales of the places they've been and the people they've met. But their charming humor is leavened with a more serious side, as they share their experiences of keeping a family together in a world where scandal and divorce is the rule, and of being artists and political activists in an era of intense racial ferment. Born into the struggle, their characters were shaped by the dynamic collisions of life, politics, and art; and from those experiences, they achieved some sense of their worth as married people, friends, and lovers. Warm, positive, and compelling, this is a book that will surprise and challenge listeners everywhere - Black and White, male and female, young and old. Lifting the veil of public image, media hype, and mystique, Ossie and Ruby speak of the real-life dilemmas and rewards of their lifelong search for purpose and value. "They both keep the material fresh, which could be hard to do when talking about one's own life. This is an immensely captivating dual memoir and a real audio treasure, especially poignant since Davis has since passed away. The listener comes away with a true sense of the essence of these lives, the things that were and are important to them, and their accomplishments." (AudioFile magazine) " . . . this is a compelling read, effectively evoking the challenges and rewards that have attended the authors' roles as black leaders . . . " (Publishers Weekly, October 1998) "By turns sassy and sage . . . full of razor-sharp observations on who business, politics, race and love." (Ebony)
©1998 Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. All rights reserved. (P)2006 Time Warner AudioBooks
The Family Comes of Age
Summary
"The Family Comes of Age" is the third part of three in With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together. Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee are legendary stars of the American stage, television, and film, cherished not merely for their gifts as actors but also for their lifelong commitment to human rights, family values, and community. Now, in a joint memoir that celebrates half a century of successful marriage, they look back on the extraordinary careers that earned each a Presidential Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. With Ossie and Ruby overflows with consummate storytelling skill, but it's much more than a wonderfully engaging self-portrait. For as they reminisce in alternating chapters, Ossie and Ruby offer a vivid picture of the 20th-century African-American experience, both in the rural South and the urban North. For Ossie and Ruby, stardom and social responsibility were inseparable, so along with their theatrical stories of Broadway and Hollywood, where Black actors fought to escape racial stereotypes, they offer an insider's chronicle of political commitment that drew the wrath of Senator Joe McCarthy and, later, the friendship of both Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. And, perhaps most important to them, here is the story of their private lives and the family whose love and security more than repaid the sacrifices they made. Often funny, occasionally heartbreaking, and always clear-eyed and candid about themselves and the world they helped to shape, Ossie and Ruby have recorded a book sure to win the heart of anyone who cares about American theater, the struggle for civil rights, and the deep, inspiring values that have guided the lives of two great artists who blazed a triumphant trail. For the first time ever, experience this archival tour de force recording.
©1998 Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. All rights reserved. (P)2006 Time Warner AudioBooks
Before We Met
Summary
"Before We Met" is the first part of three in With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together. Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee are legendary stars of the American stage, television, and film, cherished not merely for their gifts as actors but also for their lifelong commitment to human rights, family values, and community. Now, in a joint memoir that celebrates half a century of successful marriage, they look back on the extraordinary careers that earned each a Presidential Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. With Ossie and Ruby overflows with consummate storytelling skill, but it's much more than a wonderfully engaging self-portrait. For as they reminisce in alternating chapters, Ossie and Ruby offer a vivid picture of the 20th-century African-American experience, both in the rural South and the urban North. For Ossie and Ruby, stardom and social responsibility were inseparable, so along with their theatrical stories of Broadway and Hollywood, where Black actors fought to escape racial stereotypes, they offer an insider's chronicle of political commitment that drew the wrath of Senator Joe McCarthy and, later, the friendship of both Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. And, perhaps most important to them, here is the story of their private lives and the family whose love and security more than repaid the sacrifices they made. Often funny, occasionally heartbreaking, and always clear-eyed and candid about themselves and the world they helped to shape, Ossie and Ruby have recorded a book sure to win the heart of anyone who cares about American theater, the struggle for civil rights, and the deep, inspiring values that have guided the lives of two great artists who blazed a triumphant trail. For the first time ever, experience this archival tour de force recording.
©1998 Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. All rights reserved. (P)2006 Time Warner AudioBooks
With Ossie and Ruby
Summary
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee are legendary stars of the American stage, television, and film, cherished not merely for their gifts as actors but also for their lifelong commitment to human rights, family values, and community. Now, in a joint memoir that celebrates half a century of successful marriage, they look back on the extraordinary careers that earned each a Presidential Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. With Ossie and Ruby overflows with consummate storytelling skill, but it's much more than a wonderfully engaging self-portrait. For as they reminisce in alternating chapters, Ossie and Ruby offer a vivid picture of the 20th-century African-American experience, both in the rural South and the urban North. For Ossie and Ruby, stardom and social responsibility were inseparable, so along with their theatrical stories of Broadway and Hollywood, where Black actors fought to escape racial stereotypes, they offer an insider's chronicle of political commitment that drew the wrath of Senator Joe McCarthy and, later, the friendship of both Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. And, perhaps most important to them, here is the story of their private lives and the family whose love and security more than repaid the sacrifices they made. Often funny, occasionally heartbreaking, and always clear-eyed and candid about themselves and the world they helped to shape, Ossie and Ruby have recorded a book sure to win the heart of anyone who cares about American theater, the struggle for civil rights, and the deep, inspiring values that have guided the lives of two great artists who blazed a triumphant trail. For the first time ever, experience this archival tour de force recording.
©1998 Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. All rights reserved.; (P)2006 Time Warner AudioBooks
Every Tongue Got to Confess
Summary
Every Tongue Got to Confess is an extensive volume of African American folklore that Zora Neale Hurston collected on her travels through the Gulf States in the late 1920s. The bittersweet and often hilarious tales, which range from longer narratives about God, the Devil, white folk, and mistaken identity to witty one-liners, reveal attitudes about faith, love, family, slavery, race, and community. Together, this collection of nearly 500 folktales weaves a vibrant tapestry that celebrates African American life in the rural South and represents a major part of Zora Neale Hurston's literary legacy.
©2001 Vivian Hurston Bowden, Clifford J. Hurston, Jr., Edgar Hurston, Sr., Winifred Hurston Clark, Lois Hurston Gaston, Lucy Anne Hurston, Barbara Hurston Lewis. John Edgar Wideman (Foreword) Carla Kaplan (Introduction) (P)2001 Harper Audio
47
Summary
In his first book for young adults, best-selling author Walter Mosley deftly weaves historical and speculative fiction into a powerful narrative about the nature of freedom. 47 is a young slave boy living under the watchful eye of a brutal slave master. His life seems doomed until he meets a mysterious run-away slave, Tall John. Then 47 finds himself swept up in a struggle for his own liberation. Deeply compelling, 47 is a rewarding narrative that will introduce a new generation of listeners to one of the most important writers in America.
©2005 Walter Mosley (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group