The Marrow of Tradition


Read by James K. White

(4.8 stars; 43 reviews)

In The Marrow of Tradition, Charles W. Chesnutt--using the 1898 Wilmington, North Carolina massacre as a backdrop--probes and exposes the raw nerves and internal machinery of racism in the post-Reconstruction-era South; explores how miscegenation, caste, gender and the idea of white supremacy informed Jim Crow laws; and unflinchingly revisits the most brutal of terror tactics, mob lynchings. (Introduction by James K. White) (9 hr 52 min)

Chapters

Preface and Chapter I, At Break of Day 19:38 Read by James K. White
Chapter II, The Christening Party 28:16 Read by James K. White
Chapter III, The Editor At Work 22:34 Read by James K. White
Chapter IV, Theodore Felix 14:39 Read by James K. White
Chapter V, A Journey Southward 28:08 Read by James K. White
Chapter VI, Janet 7:53 Read by James K. White
Chapter VII, The Operation 20:10 Read by James K. White
Chapter VIII, The Campaign Drags 9:08 Read by James K. White
Chapter IX, The White Man's "Nigger" 15:55 Read by James K. White
Chapter X, Delamere Plays A Trump 18:41 Read by James K. White
Chapter XI, The Baby And The Bird 9:18 Read by James K. White
Chapter XII, Another Southern Product 11:18 Read by James K. White
Chapter XIII, The Cake Walk 13:37 Read by James K. White
Chapter XIV, The Maunderings Of Old Mrs. Ochiltree 15:30 Read by James K. White
Chapter XV, Mrs. Carteret Seeks An Explanation 13:30 Read by James K. White
Chapter XVI, Ellis Takes A Trick 24:35 Read by James K. White
Chapter XVII, The Social Aspirations Of Captain McBane 22:16 Read by James K. White
Chapter XVIII, Sandy Sees his Own Ha'nt 8:38 Read by James K. White
Chapter XIX, A Midnight Walk 6:22 Read by James K. White
Chapter XX, A Shocking Crime 9:48 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXI, The Necessity Of An Example 11:27 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXII, How Not To Prevent A Lynching 15:09 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXIII, Belleview 10:40 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXIV, Two Southern Gentlemen 14:21 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXV, The Honor Of A Family 11:33 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXVI, The Discomfort Of Ellis 11:00 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXVII, The Vagaries Of The Higher Law 25:49 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXVIII, In Season And Out 21:06 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXIX, Mutterings Of The Storm 11:22 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXX, The Missing Papers 26:11 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXXI, The Shadow Of A Dream 12:11 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXXII, The Storm Breaks 19:20 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXXIII, Into The Lion's Jaws 13:18 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXXIV, The Valley Of The Shadow 8:35 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXXV, Mine Enemy, Oh Mine Enemy 23:47 Read by James K. White
Chapter XXXVI, Fiat Justitia 22:29 Read by James K. White
Chapater XXXVII, The Sisters 13:54 Read by James K. White

Reviews

Great Book for a Long Trip


(5 stars)

Books of the 19th and early 20th century were often meant to be read aloud, and sometimes are better heard than read. This one, a black man's fictional take on race riots and an actual coup d'etat in Wilmingotn NC, might be a little repetative when read the traditional way, but comes to life when read aloud. This is an old fashioned book -- with a complicated plot, multiple characters, and interesting reversals of the usual literary stereotypes. Not everything resolves neatly (how could it, when the lead characters are black, and they are living in the South of 1900?) But the way this novel is constructed lends itself to a long car trip, or a couple of weeks of rush hour commutes.

Marrow of Tradition


(5 stars)

Chesnutt was an important writer of the post-Civil war era who deserves to be read. His characters of all colours are whole people. Human motivations are complex and he recognized that the amount of melanin in one's skin makes no difference to that. Many thanks to James White for his excellent reading. It might be hard to read this to oneself -- the dialect would be hard for me to understand -- but fortunately James has done it for us! TheBookworm Manchester, UK

Awesome! 5 Stars for story and reader


(5 stars)

Best reader I’ve ever heard. The story is gripping, well written and the characters are brought to life by the reader. He has a great ear for dialog, voices and emotions. A professional actor couldn’t do better. The author writes compellingly about race relations after the Civil War, and he gives us an insight into the racism against African Americans that still cripples the US to this day.

another excellent reading


(5 stars)

James K White has read several nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Afro-American texts for LibriVox. Every one I've listened to thus far has been excellent and this reading of Charles Chesnutt's seminal novel is no exception.

highly recommend this under appreciated book


(5 stars)

Excellent book. Highlights a part of American history that has been swept under the rug by our educational system. I wish they would included this book in high school curricula.


(5 stars)

This is one of the best read and best stories I've ever experienced in my 8 years of listening to this app. A must listen. This book should be required reading in public schools.


(5 stars)

It was hard to listen to the language but this is a good book . The reader is excellent . Thank you.


(5 stars)

This book should be in every classics list. And the reader is brilliant also