Black Star, Kwame Alexander
Black Star, Kwame Alexander
2 Rating(s)
List: $25.98 | Sale: $18.19
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Black Star

Author: Kwame Alexander

Narrator: Angel Pean, Dominic Hoffman, Nile Bullock, Karen Chilton, Aaron Goodson

Unabridged: 3 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/24/2024


Synopsis

The riveting second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Door of No Return trilogy stars Kofi’s granddaughter, Charley, who’s set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball but who soon has to contend with the tensions about to boil over in her segregated town.You can’t protect her from knowing. The truth is all we have.
 
12-year old Charley Cuffey is many things: a granddaughter, a best friend, and probably the best pitcher in all of Lee’s Mill. Set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional ball, Charley doesn't need reminders from her best friend Cool Willie Green to know that she has lofty dreams for a Black girl in the American South.
 
Even so, Nana Kofi's thrilling stories about courageous ancestors and epic journeys make it impossible not to dream big. She knows he has so many more to tell, but according to her parents, she isn't old enough to know about certain things like what happened to Booker Preston that one night in Great Bridge and why she can never play on the brand-new real deal baseball field on the other side of town.
 
When Charley challenges a neighborhood bully to a game at the church picnic, she knows she can win, even with her ragtag team. But when the picnic spills over onto their ball field, she makes a fateful decision.
 
A child cannot protect herself if she does not know her history, and Charley's choice brings consequences she never could have imagined.
 
In this thrilling second book of the Door of No Return trilogy, set during the turbulent segregation era, and the beginning of The Great Migration, Kwame Alexander weaves a spellbinding story of struggle, determination, and the unflappable faith of an American family.

About Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander is a poet, an educator, and the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-five books, including his Newbery Medal–winning middle grade novel The Crossover. Some of his other works include Booked, which was longlisted for the National Book Award; The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life; Swing; the picture books How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem (coauthored with Deanna Nikaido), both illustrated by Melissa Sweet; and The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and won the Caldecott Medal, a Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. He is a regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, currently serving as their poet ambassador. He lives in Virginia with his family. Visit his website at kwamealexander.com. 


Reviews

Wow... Have you ever been blown away by an authors ability to beautiful capture such a dark, but true part of history? Two years ago, I was blown away by the first book in this series The Door of No Return. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the sequel, but it did not disappoint. Although I......more

Goodreads review by kate

Having adored The Door of No Return, I was apprehensive about picking up its sequel but I had no need to worry. Black Star was just as unforgettable, powerful and compelling as its predecessor. I devoured this in a few hours, finding it impossible to pull myself away from. I am incredibly intrigued......more

Goodreads review by Julia

This book is brilliant and devastating. “Without seeing / we can have no imagination / and without imagination / there is no possibility…”......more

Goodreads review by Matt

I devoured this book and loved every second of it. Much like the first book in the series, I found this book to be exceptional in every way. Alexander's pacing is as fantastic as his characters, which are almost as fantastic as his writing. It's possible that what I liked the most about this novel is......more