Citizen

Citizen

  • by Claudia Rankine
  • Narrated by Allyson Johnson
  • 1 hrs and 37 mins
  • Unabridged Audiobook
4.57 (180
Ratings.
)

Publisher's Summary

Claudia Rankine's bold new audiobook recounts mounting racial aggressions in ongoing encounters in 21st-century daily life and in the media. Some of these encounters are slights, seeming slips of the tongue, and some are intentional offensives in the classroom, at the supermarket, at home, on the tennis court with Serena Williams and the soccer field with Zinedine Zidane, online, on TV - everywhere, all the time. The cumulative stresses come to bear on a person's ability to speak, perform, and stay alive. Our addressability is tied to the state of our belonging, Rankine argues, as are our assumptions and expectations of citizenship.

More

What the Critics Say

"Combining poetry, essay, and images from media and contemporary art, Rankine's poetics capture the urgency of her subject matter." (Publishers Weekly)

More

See More Like This

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful

Powerfully moving all round.

Reading poetry is often a private experience, the voice we hear is our own; but Johnson nails it. Her performance conveys Rankine's subtle use of language and powerful cultural critique. I loved the section on Serena Williams which made me want to scream, laugh and cry all at once.
Read full review

- Vincent O

Just getting along shouldn't be an ambition

This epic poem often had me leaning forward to find out what would happen next, even when — especially when — Rankine is narrating a tennis match she’s watching on TV. The general “poetic” parts about feelings/sensings were not particularly compelling but they acted as a respite from the racial parts, which fill you with rage. “because white men can’t/ police their imagination/ black men are dying.” And “Hold up, did you just hear, did you just say, did you just see, did you just do that? Then the voice in your head silently tells you to take your foot off your throat because just getting along shouldn’t be an ambition.” Grade: A
Read full review

- Mark

Book Details

  • Release Date: 04-21-2015
  • Publisher: Tantor Audio
Contact Us
Help
Promo Code
Conditions of Use Privacy Notice Full site
© Copyright 1997 - 2017 Audible, Inc.