Play Audiobook Sample
Matriarch: A Memoir Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(5.00) - 1 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
A revealing personal life story like no other—enlightening, entertaining, surprising, empowering—and a testament to the world-making power of Black motherhood
“You are Celestine,” she said. She squatted to push the hair off my face and pull leaves off my pajama legs. “Like my sister and my grandmother.” And there, under the pecan tree, as she did countless times, that day my mother told me stories of the mothers and daughters that went before me.
Tina Knowles, the mother of iconic singer-songwriters Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Solange Knowles, and bonus daughter Kelly Rowland, is known the world over as a Matriarch with a capital M: a determined, self-possessed, self-aware, and wise woman who raised and inspired some of the great artists of our time. But this story is about so much more than that.
Matriarch begins with a precocious, if unruly, little girl growing up in 1950s Galveston, the youngest of seven. She is in love with her world, with extended family on every other porch and the sounds of Motown and the lapping beach always within earshot. But as the realities of race and the limitations of girlhood set in, she begins to dream of a more grandiose world. Her instincts and impulsive nature drive her far beyond the shores of Texas to discover the life awaiting her on the other side of childhood.
That life’s journey—through grief and tragedy, creative and romantic risks and turmoil, the nurturing of superstar offspring and of her own special gifts—is the remarkable story she shares with readers here. This is a page-turning chronicle of family love and heartbreak, of loss and perseverance, and of the kind of creativity, audacity, and will it takes for a girl from Galveston to change the world. It’s one brilliant woman’s intimate and revealing story, and a multigenerational family saga that carries within it the story of America—and the wisdom that women pass on to one another, mothers to daughters, across generations.
Download and start listening now!
"Phenomenal well written, I could see exactly what the words were saying. It was as if I were there."
— Golden (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Both her great-grandmother and grandmother fought to keep their children from being sold away or otherwise separated in slavery. How remains a mystery. Matriarchs, Knowles writes, ‘are filled with the most enduring and ferocious love.’”
— New York Times -
“A remarkable family portrait beginning with one intrepid young girl and rippling out into the past and present. It’s the story of motherhood, of growing up in a changing America, and of blazing the trail for more to come.”
— Barnes&Noble.com -
“We learn how the strength and wisdom of the women who came before her fueled Tina’s passion to achieve and gave her the ability to nurture her own daughters into the incredible women they are today.”
— Oprah Winfrey -
“A great story of a singular American life.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
-
An Oprah Book Club Pick
-
An Amazon Editor’s Top Pick in Memoirs
-
A #1 Amazon Bestseller
-
A #1 New York Times Bestseller
-
A New York Times Bestseller in Audio
-
Finalist for the 2026 Audie Award for Best Narration in Memoirs
Matriarch Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
About Tina Knowles
Tina Knowles is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, art collector, and activist. Born Celestine Ann Beyoncé in Galveston, Texas, to a longshoreman father and seamstress mother, she learned dressmaking at an early age. In 1986, she opened Headliners, a groundbreaking hair salon that became a multimillion-dollar phenomenon in Houston. As a stylist, designer, and mother, she helped guide the day-to-day path of Destiny’s Child—the music group comprised of Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams—to global commercial success. With her daughter Beyoncé she cofounded and ran the House of Deréon, a clothing line named for her mother, later adding the Miss Tina line, which revolutionized size inclusivity. In 2024, she helped to create Cécred, Beyoncé’s hair-care line. Her philanthropic portfolio includes the nonprofit performing arts organization WACO Theater Center; The Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth in Houston; and Tina’s Angels, her thriving mentoring program for at-risk youth in South Central Los Angeles. She serves as chairwoman of BeyGOOD, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing economic equity through a wide array of initiatives. Tina Knowles is a grandmother of six and a Matriarch to many.
About the Narrators
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is a multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning recording artist who is acclaimed for her thrilling vocals, videos, and live shows. She captured the public’s eye as lead vocalist of the R&B group Destiny’s Child. She later established a solo career with her debut album Dangerously In Love, becoming one of music’s top-selling artists with sold-out tours and a slew of awards.
Kelly Rowland has been a global pop star since the age of sixteen and grew up in the spotlight as a member of Destiny’s Child, one of the most popular groups of all time. Her powerful voice was a key ingredient in the group’s awe-inspiring list of chart toppers and dance-floor smashes, including four number one singles in the US and more than 60 million albums sold worldwide.