Force of Beauty

A Newark Family Memoir

De: Mikki Taylor, Deborah Riley Draper

Narrado por: Mikki Taylor

My family. My Newark.

The story of three generations of Black women, one extraordinary friendship, and a not-often recalled history of the city that made them.

In Force of Beauty, Mikki Taylor, editor-at-large of Essence magazine and longtime activist, introduces us to her gifted grandmother, Bessie, her glamorous mother, Modina, and how Modina’s friendship with the legendary Sarah Vaughan shaped Mikki’s childhood. Taylor’s mini-memoir is a tribute to Newark in the '50s and '60s, of cool jazz clubs and close-knit neighborhoods, a handsome house on Avon Avenue, and one family’s tale of perseverance and ingenuity in a city they all loved.

At a time when Black women were marginalized, disrespected, overlooked, and unseen, Bessie and Modina showed Mikki how beauty and style can be a force for good.

The recording includes an introduction by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and a reading by Mayor Baraka of the poem his father, the esteemed Amiri Baraka, wrote about the Newark rebellion, which Taylor discusses living through as a young girl.

©2021 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.

Great story. God awful reader.

Very interesting compelling memoir and an important recounting of a fascinating history but with a lot of unexplained gaps that I wondered about. Desperately needed a better editor. Too bad they didn’t hire a professional reader.

Narration distracts from story

Interesting story about dynamic people but the narration makes it sound like a story acted out for 3 year old toddlers.

Black history

The book has been educational for me and I can continue to encourage others to learn about our history.

Great story but couldn’t get through it

This is a great glimpse into history but I can’t get past the narrator. Maybe I’ll try reading it

Positive and uplifting

What stood out the most was the positive and uplifting attitude throughout this story, especially for black women.

Wonderful memoir

Lays out the direction and scope of a life very different from my own, admirable and fascinating. Unfortunately the reader was pretty awful. Her i flections have nothing at all to do with the lines she is reading

Good story, torturous to listen to

I found the stories and the history fascinating, interesting and fun to hear about. However, the reader put an exclamation point after nearly every word and it was all I could do to continue listening.

Mikki Taylor's Interesting 3-generation memoir

I loved Mikki-Taylor's story about her familial influencers and how she became the iconic Essence editor. Surrounded by beauty and strong women, Mikki learned from her grandmother and mother to be independent, true to herself, and how to measure her worth. I loved her recollections of growing up in Newark and the struggles that faced her family.

Great Book & Exeptional Performance

The performance in this book is stellar. I could hear the emotions in her voice as the stories was being told. This story really captured my undivided attention and I enjoyed every minute of it. Great book.

Great story and great history . Don’t let the hater judge her by hear voice

Don’t let the voice through you off. If you ever hear Mikki talk at appearances, she has the same tone and she animates and enunciates her words. I glad to have an light upbeat that highlight 3’generations without stereotyping, cursing, snd being explicit. She sounded excited to share her story I enjoyed it. You couldn’t feel the love she had for her mom and grandmother.