Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo

A Novel

By: Ntozake Shange

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

Ntozake Shange’s most beloved novel, Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, is the story of three “colored girls,” three sisters and their mama from Charleston, South Carolina. Sassafrass, the oldest, is a poet and a weaver like her mother, gone north to college and living with other artists in Los Angeles, trying to weave a life out of her work, her man, her memories, and her dreams. Cypress, the dancer, leaves home to find new ways of moving and easing the contractions of her soul. Indigo, the youngest, is still a child of Charleston - with “too much of the South in her” - who lives in poetry, can talk to her dolls, and has a great gift of seeing the obvious magic of the world.

©1982 Ntozake Shange (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc., and Buck 50 Productions, LLC

Critic reviews

“Miss Shange writes with such exquisite care and beauty that anybody can relate to her message.” ( New York Times)

“A marvel…Languages—colloquial, established, lyric—play together like the most lush chamber music, the coolest jazz, the brassiest marches, the hippest jug band…[It] leaves us filled with joy and yearning for more.” ( Philadelphia Inquirer)

“Possessed of poetry, motion, and light…Shange’s tale is poignant, surprising, and deep as she looks at the different worlds of women and their special places therein.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Black authers I love.

love the book, one of my favorites. It was great to have it read aloud.

Loved it!!!

One of my new favorites!!! My favorite line is "Do you want me to have me or to love me?" Powerful.

the Narrator really bought this Book to Life.

Great Story , Great Narrator. the Narrator really put me dead in the center of this book. it's filled with Spells & lessons that I recommend

Riveting

The narrator is amazing! She demonstrates her talent to lend distinct voices and personalities to each character in such a skillful and en hanging way. Such a wonderful and unique story, full of description, intrigue and humor. Great read!

Delightfully entertaining

Worth the read, worth the listen. An adorable story about 4 black women that defied the odds and remained.

Iconic novel is one of my favorites

I love Shange’s work & wanted to revisit the world of these 3 women & their mother. Allyson Johnson’s easing nailed it! 30 years after I read it in college, the work still resonates.

beautiful!

what a wonderful arrangement and reading Sassafras, Cypress & Indigo. This brought more life to an incredible novel

This is a beautiful story, told by people that speak a beautiful dialect

This is one of my favorite books. I re-read it for nostalgic reasons. Upon buying the audible I had hoped to hear the rich voices of the black people in Charleston SC. Having lived there for 4 years. I was so disappointed in the narration. It was a southern accent. Not the rich, deep melody of Gullah (Geechee) native tongue. A tonal language that reminds you of low country boils, windswept beaches, and sweet grass baskets.

Classic.

loved this book! it referenced a lot of ATR, if you know you know. but the narrator's mispronounced Oshun. other than that I'm adding to my top 10

ADORED THIS!

This was a very very different type of a book that touched me so spiritually! This is a book that I see re-visiting time and time again! The narrator was absolutely superb! I highly recommend this book!