Details:
- author: Soraya Palmer
- full title: The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts
- narrator: Jaimi Gray
- genre: literary fiction
- topics: #family, #folkstories, #mythology, #lgbt
- publisher: Dreamscape Media
- publish date: 28 Mar 2023
- timing: 9:11:00
My Rating of the Audiobook:
- content: 💙💙💙💙
- narration: 💙💙💙💙💙
 |
| Goodreads |
Excerpt from the Book:
Once upon a time there was a girl. And this girl grew to be a woman. And this woman had the ability to conjure stories from ghosts. Now the conjure woman had three daughters who loved her stories so much that these stories had a life before them. That this book had a life before me.
You see, the woman and her family existed in a place called Brooklyn where the maples lined the pavement, and the houses were made from limestone and brownstone that glittered like stars do under moonlight. It must have been divine providence that whitefolks refused to live on these streets, believing they were haunted, therefore leaving the most beautiful houses to be claimed by the descendants of slaves from all across the Atlantic.
My Thoughts:
Zora and Sasha Porter are sisters from a Jamaican-Trinidadian family living in Brooklyn. They tell each other folk stories of their ancestors to forget family issues (father’s infidelity and mother’s illness). At a young age, they were very connected, but lately, they are slowly drifting apart. Sasha discovers chest binding, Zora writes in her journal, and wants to be a writer.
In between the story of the two sisters, there are several shorter folk stories and some from the past. These stories are interwoven with the main. Surreal elements often create a dreamlike story.
Sometimes, stories from the past are too long. You are thrown from the main story and can easily get confused.
The narration is fabulous! Jaimi Gray made this story come to life with all those accents. The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts is definitively one of those books for me that is way better in an audiobook form because the narrator did such a wonderful job.
About the Author:
Soraya Palmer is a Flatbush-born-and-raised writer and licensed social worker who advocates for survivors of gender-based violence who are facing criminal charges related to their abuse. She has been awarded a residency at Blue Mountain Center and interviewed for her work against police brutality, gentrification, and violence in The New York Times and BuzzFeed News. She lives in New York.
About the Narrator:
Jaimi Gray is an actress, voice artist, & on-air host based in Los Angeles, California. She has worked on several VO projects including audiobooks, pre-lay animation VO, live-action & animated dubbing, e-learning, radio commercials, anime, & more. Jaimi's passion & efforts are undeniable and she has built a great rapport with clients.
