The Other Side of Paradise Audiobook By Staceyann Chin cover art

The Other Side of Paradise

A Memoir

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Other Side of Paradise

By: Staceyann Chin
Narrated by: Staceyann Chin
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Staceyann Chin has appeared on television and radio, including The Oprah Winfrey Show , CNN, and PBS, discussing issues of race and sexuality. But it is her extraordinary voice that launched her career as a performer, poet, and activist. Here, she shares her unforgettable story of triumph against all odds in this brave and fiercely candid memoir.

No one knew Staceyann's mother was pregnant until a dangerously small baby was born on the floor of her grandmother's house in Jamaica, on Christmas Day. Staceyann's mother did not want her, and her father was not present. No one, except her grandmother, thought Staceyann would survive. It was her grandmother who nurtured and protected and provided for Staceyann and her older brother in the early years. But when the three were separated, Staceyann was thrust, alone, into an unfamiliar and dysfunctional home in Paradise, Jamaica.

Told with grace, humor, and courage, Chin plumbs tender and unsettling memories as she writes about drifting from one home to the next, coming out as a lesbian, finding the man she believes to be her father, and ultimately, discovering her voice.

©2009 Staceyann Chin (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Art & Literature Authors Cultural & Regional Women Memoir Inspiring Witty Thought-Provoking

Listeners also enjoyed...

MotherStruck! Audiobook By Staceyann Chin cover art
MotherStruck! By: Staceyann Chin
Assata Audiobook By Assata Shakur, Angela Davis - foreword cover art
Assata By: Assata Shakur, and others
The Thing Around Your Neck Audiobook By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie cover art
The Thing Around Your Neck By: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Redefining Realness Audiobook By Janet Mock cover art
Redefining Realness By: Janet Mock
Finding Me Audiobook By Viola Davis cover art
Finding Me By: Viola Davis
Black Boy Out of Time Audiobook By Hari Ziyad cover art
Black Boy Out of Time By: Hari Ziyad
If I Survive You Audiobook By Jonathan Escoffery cover art
If I Survive You By: Jonathan Escoffery
The Sun Is Also a Star Audiobook By Nicola Yoon cover art
The Sun Is Also a Star By: Nicola Yoon
Angela Davis Audiobook By Angela Davis cover art
Angela Davis By: Angela Davis
Purple Hibiscus Audiobook By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie cover art
Purple Hibiscus By: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Demon Copperhead Audiobook By Barbara Kingsolver cover art
Demon Copperhead By: Barbara Kingsolver
You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train Audiobook By Howard Zinn cover art
You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train By: Howard Zinn
The Things We Cannot Say Audiobook By Kelly Rimmer cover art
The Things We Cannot Say By: Kelly Rimmer
Hijab Butch Blues Audiobook By Lamya H cover art
Hijab Butch Blues By: Lamya H
The Ugly Cry Audiobook By Danielle Henderson cover art
The Ugly Cry By: Danielle Henderson
The Color Purple Audiobook By Alice Walker cover art
The Color Purple By: Alice Walker
Mighty Justice Audiobook By Dovey Johnson Roundtree, Katie McCabe cover art
Mighty Justice By: Dovey Johnson Roundtree, and others
Wade in the Water Audiobook By Nyani Nkrumah cover art
Wade in the Water By: Nyani Nkrumah
The Book of Lost Friends Audiobook By Lisa Wingate cover art
The Book of Lost Friends By: Lisa Wingate
The Girl with the Louding Voice Audiobook By Abi Daré cover art
The Girl with the Louding Voice By: Abi Daré

Critic reviews

"The listener, especially one who is familiar with Jamaican patois, will be delighted by the author's narration of this true coming-of-age tale.... The quick shifts in the story and Chin's whip-fast delivery put listeners on a roller coaster ride." (AudioFile)
Captivating Memoir • Inspiring Life Story • Powerful Narration • Gripping Storytelling • Powerful Personal Journey
Highly rated for:
Most relevant  
The author performing her own reading of this book gave the story so much richness. Chin's Jamaican accent and dialect gave a deep authentication to her story.

Fascinating Memoir

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Pretty much every single episode recounted in this memoir is gripping, terrifying, or inspiring
I highly highly recommend reading it

Fantastic and moving memoir

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Absolutely Riveting! Thank you StaceyAnn Chin for speaking your truth so authentically, vulnerably, and powHerfully! Every single page of this book stirred my soul. I’m so glad I listened to the audio book because hearing you narrate it all made me feel more and more deeply connected to you. I resonated with many parts of your life journey and really felt the pain of StaceyAnn as a child. I experienced a rollercoaster of emotions that were sometimes so intense that I needed to take many breaks. In the end it took me 3 months to finish it. I actually started it just days before Covid-19 was confirmed as a global pandemic. Needless to say, this season has been like a spiritual bootcamp and I have worked through many deep layers of healing. Reading this book has definitely informed parts of my healing journey. The world is blessed to have women like you in it. Black, lesbian, and proud! Thank you and Asé. 🙏🏾

Therapy For My Soul

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I’m really amazed at Staceyann’s story. I was called to her through her poetry on Youtube, but reading her memoir has really given me another layer of respect for her! Beautifully written and told! A must read!

WOW! (In a good way)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

After hearing Stacyanne Chin’s Audible Original, MOTHERSTRUCK, I was eager to learn more about her life and hear her perform. This was an enthralling life story and She is such an amazing performer I hope there are more works by Stacyanne Chin in the future!

Incredible life, incredible performer

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This story is riveting from start to finish. I root for Staceyann and want her to win throughout the entire memoir. Her bravery and resilience is incredible and truly inspirational.

Amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Being Jamaican this story took me back and reminded me of another side of Jamaica I only heard about. Staceyann did an incredible job of telling her story or would be a shame to read it and not listen to her immerse you into her life. Excellent book!!!!

Heartbreaking and real

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Stacyann's journey is a powerful demonstration of a woman discovering her voice! I loved it and want to know more about Ms. Chinn!!

POWERFUL

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Staceyann Chin is always excellent in her performance of her own work. Her writing comes across as authentic; not overly filtered or sanitized. This book reveals a side of Jamaica and, frankly, many Caribbean and other formerly colonized countries that people do not know. It is interesting to see how she navigated relationships and experiences, and boldness, even at a young age, to ask for what she wanted. This is, in some ways, a story about escape, but also of many triumphs. I am glad I just read this, after following her for years and getting a glimpse into her life as she is living it now.

Escape and triumph

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Excellent and worth every penny! The only thing better is seeing Staceyann perform it live.

Gifted storyteller! Had me completely captivated!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews