Untethered Audiobook

Sometimes family is found in the most unlikely of places . . .

In the small college town of Troy, Alabama, amidst the backdrop of 1967, Katia Daniels lives a life steeped in responsibility. At the Pike County Group Home for Negro Boys, she pours her heart into nurturing the young lives under her care, harboring a longing for children of her own. Katia's romantic entanglement with an older man brings comfort but also stirs questions about the path she's chosen.

The weight of her family's history bears down on her; a twin brother is missing in action in the heart of the Vietnam War. Having lost her father to cancer, Katia took up the mantle of caretaker, ensuring her mother and brothers were looked after. Her sense of duty extends to the boys at the group home, creating a web of obligations that stretches her emotional bandwidth thin.

Amidst a power struggle at work with the board, Katia finds solace in the pages of romance novels and the soothing melodies of Nina Simone. When Seth Taylor, a familiar face from her high school days, reenters Katia's life, he brings with him a breeze of nostalgia and a reminder of a time when her dreams felt less tethered. As their friendship rekindles, Katia grapples with the idea of making choices for herself, even as the realization that she can no longer have children weighs heavily on her.

This novel is a poignant tale of a woman torn between the demands of her heart and the responsibilities she's shouldered for so long. Set against the backdrop of a changing South, this novel delves into the complexities of love, family, and self-discovery in a time of transformation and upheaval.

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"There is no shortage of pain in this world, and certainly not for a Black woman trying to do good work against all odds. Katia Daniels, the protagonist of Angela Jackson-Brown's dynamic new novel, UNTETHERED, spoke directly to my soul with her servant's heart, her hidden sorrows, and her resolve to be strong for everyone around her. This character gave me such a powerful mirror in which I could gaze and feel seen, and this novel showed me the ways that faith can waver but always win, love can delay but not be lost, and grief can sometimes give us pause so we can breathe into joy. Angela Jackson-Brown has once again proven that Black characters are fully human and that we, Black girls from Alabama who strive daily to make this world sing, are worthy of celebration and immortality in the pages of great literature. This is a remarkable book."

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