Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Caucasia: A Novel
    Caucasia: A Novel
    Caucasia: A Novel
    Audiobook14 hours

    Caucasia: A Novel

    Written by Danzy Senna

    Narrated by January LaVoy

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    From the author of New People and Colored Television, the extraordinary national bestseller that launched Danzy Senna’s literary career

    “Superbly illustrates the emotional toll that politics and race take … Haunting.” —The New York Times Book Review

    Birdie and Cole are the daughters of a black father and a white mother, intellectuals and activists in the Civil Rights Movement in 1970s Boston. The sisters are so close that they speak their own language, yet Birdie, with her light skin and straight hair, is often mistaken for white, while Cole is dark enough to fit in with the other kids at school. Despite their differences, Cole is Birdie’s confidant, her protector, the mirror by which she understands herself. Then their parents’ marriage collapses. One night Birdie watches her father and his new girlfriend drive away with Cole. Soon Birdie and her mother are on the road as well, drifting across the country in search of a new home. But for Birdie, home will always be Cole. Haunted by the loss of her sister, she sets out a desperate search for the family that left her behind.

    A modern classic, Caucasia is at once a powerful coming of age story and a groundbreaking work on identity and race in America.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Audio
    Release dateNov 6, 2018
    ISBN9781984832801
    Author

    Danzy Senna

    Danzy Senna was born in Boston in 1970. She graduated from Stanford University and received her MFA in creative writing from the University of California. FROM CAUCASIA, WITH LOVE is her first novel.

    More audiobooks from Danzy Senna

    Related to Caucasia

    Related audiobooks

    Literary Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      When We Were Birds

      Jan 26, 2022

      RELEASED 10 FEBRUARY 288 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook Author Ayanna Lloyd Banwo Publisher Hamish Hamilton By the time you read this, review, the days will be getting longer. At the time of writing it, though, we’re firmly in the darkest time of t

      1 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      'The Reformatory' Tells A Story Of Ghosts, Abuse, Racism — And Sibling Love

      Nov 2, 2023

      Tananarive Due's haunting, unflinching novel delves deep into the realities of the Jim Crow South and the very real horrors that took place at Florida reformatory schools in the 1950s.

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      'How To Say Babylon' Centers On Resisting Patriarchy And Colonialization

      Oct 11, 2023

      Safiya Sinclair's memoir follows her journey from a scared and sheltered Rasta girl in Jamaica to a strong and self-assertive woman — exploring just how poetry became her savior.

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A Year in Reading: Robert Jones, Jr.

      Dec 2, 2021

      This year I realized that there is a distinct difference between reading books as an average reader and as someone whose own book is now out in the world, The post A Year in Reading: Robert Jones, Jr. appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      In 'Martyr!,' An Endless Quest For Purpose In A World That Can Be Cruel And Uncaring

      Jan 29, 2024

      Engaging and wildly entertaining, Kaveh Akbar's debut novel will undoubtedly be considered one of the best of the year because it focuses on very specific stories while discussing universal feelings.

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      'Wellness' Is A Perfect Novel For Our Age, Its Profound Sadness Tempered With Humor

      Sep 20, 2023

      Nathan Hill's stunning new novel about the stories we tell about our lives and our loves, and how we sustain relationships throughout time, is both funny and heartbreaking, sometimes on the same page.

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      A Year in Reading: Nadia Owusu

      Dec 15, 2020

      If anyone were to ask me for recommendations of books for America’s new leaders to read before they are sworn in, this collection would be on my list. The post A Year in Reading: Nadia Owusu appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Cj Carey

      May 19, 2021

      OCCASIONALLY, A WRITER CAN TELL YOU exactly how a book began life. In the case of CJ Carey (a pseudonym), she’d gone out for lunch with a friend, who had offered condolences over the 2018 death of her husband, the novelist Philip Kerr. But there was

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Fields Of Dreams

      Oct 16, 2022

      Fields Of Dreams
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Shipstead, Ryan, Walker, and More

      May 17, 2022

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from Maggie Shipstead, Eimer Ryan, Sarai Walker, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read our most recent book preview. Want to help The Millio

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Q&A With With Hanif Abdurraqib, Author Of ‘A Little Devil In America’

      Mar 31, 2021

      Black Americans have shaped the pop culture landscape, which poet and critic Hanif Abdurraqib says can be traced back to Black innovation.

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Little House

      Jun 5, 2023

      On Monday nights our mother made popcorn and served it to us in mugs with milk poured over. My younger sister and I carried our mugs into the family room and ate the popcorn with spoons, like cereal. We were five and seven. Until we were allowed to s

      21 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Survival Mode

      Jan 12, 2022

      Survival Mode
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Lucky Were the Bodies

      May 3, 2022

      Lucky Were the Bodies
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Shanda

      Jan 1, 2024

      Shanda
      13 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Caucasia

    4/5

    192 ratings13 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This book has been on my TBR for years, nearly forgotten, until I read an interview with Percival Everett where he mentioned that Senna is his wife, and according to him the funny one in the family. I hate to admit that I finally picked up this book because of Senna's spouse, but it is true -- not because she married well, but because I trust Everett's taste in literature without question and I assume he would not marry a bad writer. This is illogical, but I am a romantic. In this case, it also appears I am 100% correct. Senna is a wonderful writer and has a unique perspective, a sharp dry wit, and an eye for finding pathos in the most unexpected places. I also love that Senna is not afraid to leave giant questions to the reader, if you are afraid of ambiguity this is not for you. This book lives in that gray truth, that everyone is experiencing everything differently, that you can be sitting beside someone having an experience, and only parts of it are shared, most of the experience is what each unique person brings to the moment.

      I don't want to talk too much about the story because I don't think I can do that without ruining some of its surprises, but I will share the setup. We see this story through the eyes of Birdie Lee, the youngest daughter of an interracial couple in 1960s Boston. Her parents are both involved in the Black Power movement, her Black father as an academic and her White mother as a committed if erratic revolutionary running from her Boston Brahmin past. Birdie and her sister Cole are collateral damage as their parents' marriage and the Black Power movement implode. Cole is dark-skinned and nappy-haired (the only family member able to pick out a decent afro) and Birdie is light-skinned and straight-haired, with people assuming she is Sicilian, Puerto Rican, and Jewish in different parts of the story. Their lives after the implosion (and to a lesser extent even before the implosion) are defined in many ways by the way people perceive their race. It was interesting how Senna ground the "race is a construct" discussion under her heel because for these purposes, for these little girls, it just does not matter if it is a construct, it is their reality and the world makes them choose up sides, or more accurately the world chooses for them. They create an alternate world and language, Elemeno, where there is no such thing as race, and where everyone can transform at will, but sadly they are the only two who live there.

      This is where I am going to stop talking about what happens in the story, though for those interested I am sure other reviews cover it. I have not read other reviews, and I enjoyed being surprised by the way the story rolled out. I will say that the story places Birdie in different environments, and those changes impact everything about her life. I liked seeing how race was a sort of aggravating factor in other experiences and facts such as physically maturing, being the new kid in school, connecting to romantic partners, and pursuing academic success.

      Ultimately I found this story challenging and moving and also really engrossing. Birdie is a great companion to travel with. She is wise and a bit world-weary but she is also a child and Senna never loses sight of that.
    • 4/5
      This novel is kind of an African American/Caucasian version of "The Parent Trap". When the parents split up, the Black parent takes the darker kid, and the Caucasian parent takes the lighter kid. This story is told through the perspective of the lighter kid, who knows about as much about the location of her father and sister for most of the novel as the girls in "The Parent Trap". Somehow, improbably in my opinion, Senna makes it all work.
    • 5/5
      This novel left me speechless and emotional. As a mom of of biracial daughter it moved me on levels that are quite obvious but pushed me to think about things that are all too personal to me. Definitely worth reading. Any one who is interested in the complexities of race relations, self-identity, and the personal connections. I want more! So much more.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite books of all time--tied for second place with She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. This convincing, contemporary "coming of age" story about a girl who is technically both "black" and "white" will draw you in and prompt you to think critically about the idea of "race." Narrated from the perspective of a strong girl who doesn't play the victim of race wars but rather wishes she could, I left this novel with contentment rather than outrage for the injustices committed by "the white man" like I usually do!
      I LOVE this novel and could read it again and again. I laughed and cried throughout.
    • 4/5
      what a terrific journey! I couldn't put this book down and at the same time didn't want it to end.
    • 4/5
      A stunning look into the life of a young mixed-race girl as she tries to find her place in her family, the world, and within herself. Set in the 1970s and early 80s, Birdie's journey from 8 year old girl to 15 year old young woman, growing up in a highly politicized household is an extraordinarily candid look at both what race is as well as realizing that race is nothing but a society constructed idea. Beautifully executed, Senna's characters are human and flawed in a way that makes them identifiable and empathetic, even when it is sometimes difficult to like them.
    • 3/5
      This is not my normal fare - I usually like my novels light and flaky. It came highly recommended however, and I found myself very quickly drawn in by the story and the characters. I enjoyed it very much. The end felt a little abrupt, but even that seemed to fit with the overall theme of seeking to find ways to define race and reality.

      Recommended by: Anne R.
    • 4/5
      A heartwarming story about a biracial coming of age girl (Birdie) growing up in the 70's. I found the parents to be very dysfunctional and obsessed with race. Very powerful story about a biracial girl looking for her identity and place in society. Good read!
    • 4/5
      I raced through this book--I was pretty immediately drawn in and couldn't put it down. I could strongly relate to the horror of Birdie's having to grow up as a liar, because she can not tell the truth (of her biracial heritage) for her family's safety. This seems a weird aspect of the book to grab me perhaps but I know what it is like to grow up with something about yourself that you can not tell other people and how that stops you from developing real relationships or trusting any relationships that you do develop. There are lots of other horrors in the book and her story illustrates well issues of racism in America. Her characterization is not that subtle...but it feels very real nonetheless, like an autobiography.
    • 4/5
      amazing story line!
    • 4/5
      This was a great surprise of a book, chosen for our book club. The main character, Birdie, is wonderful for her honesty and naivete. The story was engrossing with enough depth to make it stick in your mind. Also, having grown up in Massachusetts during the same years, I felt a strong connection to the story.
    • 5/5
      Caucasia is amazingly written to reveal the experience of a child being born white and black. Birdie looks white and her sister looks black which for that reason alone are treated differently by their parents and respective families and society. This book clearly talks about identity and how culture and people can influence it. It also reveals a period in history in the 70's when there was radical thinking and a desire for radical change. Clearly, Danzy Senna intelligently described race and class issues in humanity. It's a very interesting and engaging book. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Born to a biracial family in 1970s Boston, Birdie witnesses her family disintegrate from racial tensions. Her father and older sister move to Brazil, hoping for utopia, and Birdie and her mother go underground, adopting new identities. Birdie eventually sets out to find her sister and reconnect with and examine her past. A stimulating story about race and skin color, and how both have profound powers to shape our experiences.