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Middle Passage Audiobook
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(4.00) - 22 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
After the Confederacy falls, newly freed slave Rutherford Calhoun is eager to avoid marrying a prim schoolteacher and boards the first ship he finds moored at a New Orleans port. Unbeknownst to Calhoun, the vessel is a slave ship enroute to Africa. On the return trip, Calhoun is put to work as a cabin boy and quickly assists the newly captured slaves in revolting against the drunken crew. This compelling adventure is filled with a perfect blend of colorful narrative, historical romance and suspense.
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"National Book Award winner. "Peopled with vivid and unforgettable characters, nimble in its interplay of comedy and serious ideas, this dazzling modern classic is a perfect blend of the picaresque tale, historical romance, sea yarn, slave narrative, and philosophical novel." "
— Laurie (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Blending confessional, ship’s log, and adventure, the narrative interweaves a disquisition on slavery, poverty, race relations and an African worldview at odds with Western materialism.”
— Publishers Weekly
Middle Passage Listener Reviews
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" Ostensibly a novel about the slave trade, but really an exciting sea story with philosophical undertones. As usual, Johnson's writing style manages to be acerbic and witty while exploring some of the darker sides of human nature. It certainly deserved the national book award in 1990. "
— Matthew, 3/27/2011 -
" One of the most captivating voices I've read in awhile. "
— Anna, 3/20/2011 -
" Thought this would be historical fiction about the slave trade. NOT! I'm still not sure where the author was going with this one. I closed the book and had no idea what I had just read. "
— Erika, 3/11/2011 -
" A scary historical fiction about the reality of slavery and the slave trade. "
— Diane, 2/18/2011 -
" Loved this book. The author is phenomenal. "
— Lisa, 2/7/2011 -
" A really good book. My dad recommended this to me when I had to read a book for school. It was actually a very interesting story and better than I expected. "
— Allison, 1/29/2011 -
" Historical fiction at its finest. Loved it! "
— Elizabeth, 1/6/2011 -
" Read this book in 2005. Don't recall plot, but it must have been very good. "
— Louise, 12/29/2010 -
" Rutherford Calhoun, a stowaway aboard the Republic, a slave ship, has life changing experiences. My book group had thoughtful, and insightful discussions about the characters in the book, as well as the author's writing style. "
— Jennifer, 11/15/2010 -
" Excellent and engaging story of how one man struggles with his African American identity as a slave boat crew member. Don't be fooled. This is no ordinary work of historical fiction. It also manages to navigate mystical territory without ever really coming across as unrealistic. "
— Amy, 9/28/2010
About Charles Johnson
Captain Charles Johnson is a pseudonym for an unknown British author of the book A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates, published in 1724. There are no records of a captain by that name. Some scholars believe that the author was actually Daniel Defoe, who was known to have written about pirates. Others believe it was Nathaniel Mist, a journalist, publisher, and former seaman who had sailed in the West Indies. It was Mist’s name that was attached to the first filing of this book with the office of Her Majesty’s Stationery.
About Dion Graham
Dion Graham is an award-winning narrator named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine. He has been a recipient of the prestigious Audie Award numerous times, as well as Earphones Awards, the Publishers Weekly Listen Up Awards, IBPA Ben Franklin Awards, and the ALA Odyssey Award. He was nominated in 2015 for a Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Narration. He is also a critically acclaimed actor who has performed on Broadway, off Broadway, internationally, in films, and in several hit television series. He is a graduate of Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, with an MFA degree in acting.