AUDIBLE EDITOR

Margaret Hargrove

Margaret is a former magazine editor and podcast addict who balances her love of dark and twisty domestic thrillers with a healthy dose of sweet and sappy rom-coms. As a busy single mom, she enjoys listening to audiobooks while cooking, commuting, and doing almost anything so she can keep up with her favorites titles and authors.

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Celebrate Black History with our special collection of
best sellers, influential classics, and new authors.
Enjoy my selection below!

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Looking beyond the viral moment

Here’s the premise: A young black woman in an upscale grocery store in Philadelphia is accused of kidnapping the white toddler she’s babysitting. And it’s recorded on a bystander’s camera phone. It’s an all-to-familiar scene that Kiley Reid deftly turns on its head in her debut novel that’s a funny, fast-paced, and empathetic examination of privilege in America.

In Such a Fun Age, Reid carefully examines the delicate and very complex relationships between black women and their white women employers. I was often struck by a feeling of déjà vu watching the interactions between Emira, mired in her own millennial anxieties about adulting, and Alix, her well-to-do white boss.

As Alix launches an obsession-level campaign to get to know Emira, plying her with glasses of wine and Googling things like How do you pronounce the name SZA?, Emira is preoccupied with real life, like the fact that she’s about to be kicked off her parents’ health insurance. Emira’s code-switching between two worlds is a dance I know well, as the inner-city kid who attended predominately white schools where I was often asked, why don’t you wash your hair every day?.

I was blown away by Reid’s accurate depictions of racial microaggressions in a book she calls a comedy of good intentions, as she gives voice to those uncomfortable nuances that serve as reminders that the thin line between wokeness and ignorance is more like a gulf. —Margaret, Audible Editor

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NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

SURPRISINGLY INSPIRING

Our picks for (sometimes unexpected) listens to spark a better, happier you. Enjoy my recommendation below.

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Love, loss and finding your way forward

When my husband died three years ago, I desperately sought out resources, books, groups, anything at all that would help me through the grieving process. When people hear the word widow, they imagine a silver-haired old lady surrounded by her already-grown kids and grandkids. But there I was, still (relatively) young at 34, with only a few grays (at the time), and a 3-year-old daughter I would now have to raise on my own. Before I even started working at Audible, I was a fan of the Audicted podcast. When Editor Katie, now a dear colleague, mentioned this memoir of a young widow, my ears perked up. I couldn’t download it fast enough, and it was right on time for a road trip to visit family. As I sobbed down I-95 listening to Tembi’s gorgeous narration of her own eerily similar story, I felt like some of the shattered pieces of my heart were slowly being put back together. Tembi articulated so much of my anger, disbelief, and incredible sadness over my husband’s untimely death, words I had been struggling for years to find. Being a widow is not a club I ever wanted to be member of, but after listening to From Scratch, I know I’m not alone and I can draw on Tembi’s incredible strength for a little bit of my own.

Margaret

Audible Editor

Leave the World Behind

A Novel

By: Rumaan Alam

Narrated by: Marin Ireland

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Release date: 10-06-20

Language: English

3.5 out of 5 stars 3,155 ratings

Apocalypse now

I was a bit reluctant to add Leave the World Behind to my library. The premise was eerily familiar—a world seemingly in chaos and the uncertainty and isolation that ensue. But it wasn’t easy to ignore the buzz for Rumaan Alam’s third novel, and when I heard that Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts had optioned it for a Netflix film (hello, The Pelican Brief!) I immediately hit ''Add to cart.'' Brooklynites Clay and Amanda have rented an Airbnb in the Hamptons for a summer vacation with their two teens. Less than 24 hours into their getaway, there’s a knock at the door. The owners of the house, a well-heeled older Black couple, are seeking refuge from a mysterious power outage that has left New York City in the dark. Cue the herd of deer stampeding through the woods and flock of flamingos splashing in the pool (I’m not kidding). Narrator Marin Ireland is a wonder, seamlessly stepping into the headspace of each character. Weaving in the characters’ private thoughts and fears around race, class, and privilege, the brisk chapters tick toward an ominous final act.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X

As Told to Alex Haley

By: Malcolm X, Alex Haley

Narrated by: Laurence Fishburne

Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins

Release date: 09-10-20

Language: English

5 out of 5 stars 12,430 ratings

An American classic in audio for the first time

With Laurence Fishburne’s voice booming through my headphones and jazz music segueing between chapters, The Autobiography of Malcolm X was theater for my ears. Available for the first time in full audio since it was published in 1965, it felt as if Malcolm X was speaking directly to me. Fishburne’s impassioned performance captures the essence of Malcolm X, amplifying his larger-than-life presence while honoring his humanity. From his childhood in Michigan to his work as a courageous activist for the empowerment of Black Americans, Malcolm X’s story is my story, is *our* story, and serves as a foundational document not just of the history of American civil rights, but of American history itself. Now, more than ever, is the moment to hear how much the world has changed and how much it has stayed the same.
The Black Kids

By: Christina Hammonds Reed

Narrated by: Kiersey Clemons

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Release date: 08-04-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 214 ratings

Debut YA novel packs a powerful, timely punch

It’s 1992 and Ashley Bennett lives a charmed life with her wealthy friends in Los Angeles. Nearing the end of their senior year, the teens split their time between prom prep and ditching school to lounge by the pool. Yet everything changes when Rodney King is beaten, the white LAPD officers involved are acquitted, and violent riots cause sections of the city to burn. This novel is scarily relevant to our times. Coming mere months after the impassioned protests following the death of George Floyd, there’s an eerie prescience to The Black Kids, which makes this story so important, not just for teens but for adults too. Actress Kiersey Clemons’s raw performance beautifully captures the essence of our main character and makes her easy to relate to. We’re all a little unsure of ourselves, of how to make the right choices, and whom we consider an ally. Following Ashley Bennett’s journey as she tries to figure that out is heartening and enlightening, and makes me feel there really is hope for change.
Someone Else's Secret

A Novel

By: Julia Spiro

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins

Release date: 07-01-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 353 ratings

A summer of secrets

While I count down the weeks until my own trip to Martha’s Vineyard later this summer, Someone Else’s Secret instantly transported me to the quaint Massachusetts island. Debut author Julia Spiro, who lives on the island year-round, dishes up a behind-the-scenes look at the tension that exists between full-time residents (or ''townies'') and affluent summer vacationers, as well as the seasonal staff brought on to tend to these wealthy families. It's also a timeless coming-of-age story that feels extremely poignant in the wake of the MeToo movement. Spiro’s powerful storytelling and narrator Brittany Pressley's deft performance create detailed renderings of characters so real you see yourself in them, both good and bad.
The Vanishing Half

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

By: Brit Bennett

Narrated by: Shayna Small

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Release date: 06-02-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 25,812 ratings

Disappearing acts

The idea of ''passing,'' that is, when a Black person with light skin ''passes'' for White has always intrigued me. As a kid, I endured many family movie nights watching the 1959-film adaption of Imitation of Life. That iconic scene—when the White ''passing'' daughter of the Black protagonist throws herself on her mother's coffin, therefore publicly revealing her true identity—has always haunted me. The Vanishing Half is just as affecting. Brit Bennett’s provocative portrait of ''passing'' in the post-civil rights era follows identical twin sisters who choose to live in two very different worlds, one Black and one White. I interviewed Bennett recently, and it’s no coincidence she also grew up watching *Imitation of Life.
It's Not All Downhill from Here

A Novel

By: Terry McMillan

Narrated by: Terry McMillan

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Release date: 03-31-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 2,997 ratings

The best is yet to come

When Waiting to Exhale came out in 1992, I was 10 going on 20, sneaking my mom’s copy into the bathroom when she wasn’t looking to devour a couple pages at at time. Nearly 30 years later, I still can’t contain my excitement over a new Terry McMillan novel. Instead of the heartache, unrequited love, and failed marriages the women in their 30s grappled with in Exhale, Loretha Curry and her group of 60-something friends face a new set of challenges in It’s Not All Downhill from Here: grief, aging, hip replacements, and more. I’ve long marveled at McMillan’s rich, husky voice in her interviews with Oprah over the years, and hearing her narrate is a special treat. It felt like I was catching up with an old friend over a plate of french toast (one of Loretha’s favorites), laughing out loud at the surprisingly funny inflections she gives the sometimes-grumpy diabetic grandmother as she finds joy in getting older, despite some painful losses.
Saint X

A Novel

By: Alexis Schaitkin

Narrated by: Alex Hyde-White, Bailey Carr, Dana Dae, Dave Fennoy, Dean Gallagher, Denise Nelson, Ella Turenne, Josh Petersdorf, Kate Orsini, Melinda Wade, Prentice Onayemi, Ron Butler, Ryan Vincent Anderson, Tristan Wright

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Release date: 02-18-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 629 ratings

What happened to Alison?

As the child of Caribbean immigrants, I’ve always been intrigued by the notion that my family lives in places that many people only think of as vacation destinations. The often uneasy relationship between the working-class residents and the wealthy tourists who visit the islands is at the heart of Alexis Schaitkin’s haunting debut. Eighteen years after her sister turned up dead during a family vacation on fictional Saint X, Claire Thomas runs into one of the local men accused of Alison’s murder. The multi-cast narration features not only the three central characters, but also guests at the hotel, the girl who found the body, students and teachers and ex-boyfriends who knew Alison, and even the actress who played Alison in a TV movie. Every voice rings true to unspool this mystery, with an ending no one will see coming.
Followers

By: Megan Angelo

Narrated by: Jayme Mattler

Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins

Release date: 01-14-20

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 617 ratings

The price of fame

I imagine that Orla Cadden would balk at recent news that Instagram is testing removing likes. When we meet the blogger in 2015, at the height of ''celebrity culture'', her entire life is focused on making her New York City roommate, Floss, famous. After a fateful incident on the stairs at an Urban Outfitters store catapults them both to fame, these overnight celebrities end up getting more than they bargained for. Unlike Orla and Floss, Marlow doesn’t want to be famous. It’s 2051, she lives every moment of her life on a reality show set in Constellation, CA (think Calabasas on speed), and she can’t get out. Until one day she does, and jets off to NYC to find the truth about her past, hurtling her toward a reckoning with events that happened 35 years ago. Megan Angelo’s debut novel is not only an engrossing story of these three women and their desire to be liked, but an important lesson for us all in this influencer-fueled world where we’ll do anything for the 'gram', but at what cost?
The Revisioners

A Novel

By: Margaret Wilkerson Sexton

Narrated by: Myra Lucretia Taylor, Adenrele Ojo

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Release date: 11-05-19

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 576 ratings

Family magic

I must admit, what first drew me to this title is that the author and I share a first name. Then when I learned that Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s first novel, A Kind of Freedom, was longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award, I was curious to see how she would follow up such a dazzling debut. Moving back and forth in time, The Revisioners tells the haunting story of Josephine’s conjured escape from slavery as a child, her life as a widow and farm-owner, and the dangerous friendship she forms with her white neighbor as the Ku Klux Klan takes root in post-Reconstruction South. Fast-forward 100 years, and Josephine’s great-great-great-granddaughter, Ava, has reluctantly moved in with her white grandmother who’s spiraling into dementia—or is it something more? What happens in between is the heart of this sweeping, multigenerational saga that's beautifully performed by Myra Lucretia Taylor and Adenrele Ojo.