Showing results by narrator "Sharon Washington" in All Categories

Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her widowed father, Andrew, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiancé, and her own search-and-rescue bloodhound, which she uses to find missing persons. But as Delia plans her wedding, she is plagued by flashbacks of a life she can't recall. And then a policeman knocks on her door, revealing a secret that changes the world as she knows it.

Gil (Domingo) is a struggling NYC actor who heads home to Philadelphia after the passing of his mother, Adelaide (Winfrey). The plan is to tidy-up her affairs as quickly and efficiently as possible, until a few unpredictably hilarious detours ensue. With his Aunt Glo (Washington) insisting on a proper burial, but an urn of ashes already in his hand, Gil gets thrown into a car by his best friend (Newell).

Lexi, Jewel, Jermane, Capri, and Angel are women trying to hold on to their friendship, even while the messiness of life gets in the way. They share many things - complicated relationships with men, the stress of professional life, and closeness to God. Fortunately, their lively Sunday brunch sessions keep them on track through their whimsical adventures.

Norma L. Jarrett's novels are peppered with humor, tragedy and faith in the Lord. In this raucous follow-up to Sunday Brunch, five girlfriends - Lexi, Capri, Jermane, Angel, and Jewel - find their lives becoming more and more chaotic, even as they discover God's plans have ways of making themselves clear.

Award-winning journalist Elyse Singleton delivers what Essence calls “a gem - the perfect book to curl up with.”

Best friends Lilian and Myraleen, two African American women from rural Mississippi, travel to Europe during World War II to act as members of the Women’s Army Corps. During this time of segregation and destruction, both women discover love and heartbreak, triumph and defeat.

For a book-obsessed kid with a big imagination and a flair for drama, could anything be luckier than living in a library? Capturing her remarkable childhood and its impact, Sharon Washington's autobiographical Off-Broadway show brings its sense of wonder and bittersweet realism into your home and heart as an enthralling audio experience. Only from Audible, Feeding the Dragon celebrates the role of books in opening Washington's mind to worlds of possibilities - including a career in acting.

Rochelle Alers is an Essence best-selling author and winner of two Gold Penn Awards. Lessons of a Lowcountry Summer, another shining example of her exciting work, is a testament to her reputation as one of the most popular authors of romantic literature. Disturbing circumstances bring together three people to sultry, secluded McKinnon Island where each gives the others the courage to make life-altering decisions. Modern women will find inspiration in the independent characters and realistic social challenges.

Blamed as a child for her baby sister's death, Dianne Rucker swore she'd never come back to Dentonville, Texas. But the kind aunt who took her in after her mother abandoned her is getting remarried, and she misses the cousins who came to be sisters, Yolanda and Regina. Going back to Dentonville also means facing her drug-addicted mother, now slipping even farther into schizophrenia. But Dianne isn't the only one struggling, and Aunt Gloria may have the most life-altering secret of all.

Essence best-selling author Jacquelin Thomas has garnered many honors for her acclaimed novels, including a nomination for the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times. With Defining Moments she crafts the stirring tale of one woman’s journey toward emotional and spiritual fulfillment. Recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Sheila Moore strikes up an invigorating friendship with the handsome Nicholas Washington. But Nicholas is also a good friend to the wife of Sheila’s former lover. Can he be trusted?

Award-winning Civil Rights advocate Mary Frances Berry sheds new light on the fight for reparations. Callie House, an ex-slave who led the fight, founded the Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty, and Pension Association in 1899. Defying conventions of race, class, and gender, Callie led the organization in an attempt to petition the government for the pension promised them as freedmen.

Coreen Treadwell heads a prominent social welfare agency, but she is haunted by her past. Raped and impregnated as a teenager, she gave up her baby without ever seeing her. Now the legacy of violence continues in her daughter's life. Abused by her adoptive father, the young woman has vowed vengeance on Coreen for abandoning her.

Reverend Grayson Young and his wife Chyna seem to have the perfect marriage. Yet despite Grayson and Chyna's public railings against adultery, they're both involved in multiple affairs. And then the lecherous poser catches his wayward wife in flagrante.

In this acclaimed collection of short stories, Pulitzer Prizewinning author Stephen Millhauser shares the dark suspense and humor that have gained him a cult following. Millhauser’s imagination and creativity are on full display with stories featuring artists gone mad, egomaniacal architects, and a historical society that’s given up its chronicling of history. Characterized by “phenomenal clarity and rapacious movement” each story “focuses on the misery wrought by misdirected human desire and ambition.” ( Publishers Weekly)

When your dreams come crashing down, what's next? In Essence bestselling author Grace Octavia's moving new novel, one woman must begin again when betrayal shatters the life she knew…Dawn Jones's sorority sisters thought she made a big mistake marrying blue-collar Reginald. But thanks to hard work and belief in each other, Dawn and Reginald left the big city and made their own happiness, complete with a comfortable home and two lively children. Dawn can't wait to show everyone just how perfect her choices were - especially when her mega-successful best friend, Sasha, shows up to visit.

In the 1930s, Black singer Marian Anderson was not allowed to perform at Constitution Hall. But with help from Eleanor Roosevelt, Anderson staged an amazing concert at the Lincoln Memorial and became an activist for civil rights.

Claudia Mair Burney's mysteries featuring Amanda Bell Brown have been praised for their sassy combination of smarts and spirituality. Brown is a forensic psychologist with a spiritual background. When a murder investigation unearths connections to a past she'd rather forget, she's dragged into the turmoil before she knows it. She'll need a strong faith in the Lord to get through this one - and having a very fine detective on her side won't hurt either.

Although Summer and Misa secretly share the same family curse, each handles it differently. And then, one rainy night at a family reunion, an argument and an accident trigger a chain reaction that unravels years of family secrets and misunderstandings. Norma L. Jarrett pens this inspirational Essence Book Club Pick about two feuding sisters who struggle to reconcile differences and renew their faith in God.

In Blues from Down Deep, Forster tells the story of Regina Pearson, a woman searching for the family she has never known. Unfortunately, her quest does not bring her the love and acceptance she expects. But just as the disappointment seems unbearable, Regina meets a man who is willing to show her what family is all about.

Essence best-selling author and winner of the Nubian Literary Award, Karen E. Quinones Miller was also named Author of the Year by Turning Pages Book Club. Passin' introduces Shanika Ann Jenkins - a light-skinned black woman who decides to remake herself. Shanika is blonde and beautiful. But after being rejected for a job she makes an incredible choice: to use her God-given assets to become the white woman she always imagined she could be.

columnist who regularly contributes to The Nation and The Village Voice, Patricia J. Williams is also a professor of law at Columbia University and the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” award. In Open House, she shares her unique views on modern American culture and tells stories of her remarkable life. Her voice is powerful, provocative, and utterly charming.