• The People Could Fly

  • American Black Folktales
  • By: Virginia Hamilton
  • Narrated by: Andrew Barnes
  • Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (115 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The People Could Fly  By  cover art

The People Could Fly

By: Virginia Hamilton
Narrated by: Andrew Barnes
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.56

Buy for $15.56

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Virginia Hamilton (1936-2002), a giant in the world of children's literature, was the first African-American woman to win a Newbery Medal and the first children's book author to be awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant. In her prize-winning anthology of American Black folktales, The People Could Fly, Hamilton has gathered and retold a collection of stories that teach us much, move us deeply, and make us laugh out loud.

Savor this bridge to both the past and the future of a people and a nation as you hear these timeless tales brilliantly performed by Andrew Barnes.

©1985 Virginia Hamilton (P)2005 Audio Bookshelf

What listeners say about The People Could Fly

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    63
  • 4 Stars
    19
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    9
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    42
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    44
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

it's ok

Not all stories from the book are available, Especially the BEST ONES!! like Tailypo, and Raw Head Bloody Bones lol and a few others

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I’ve always loved this book

My aunt, grandma, and dad would read this to me and my siblings while we were growing up in place of Mother Goose or Aesop’s Fables. It was our first real experience with identifying who we were as Black people. The stories are amazing and full of African culture and it showed me that our stories live on. I understand them differently now that I’m an adult.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and educational

Would you listen to The People Could Fly again? Why?

The stories were fun and in the process my daughter and I learned much from the historic facts included in the audio.

What other book might you compare The People Could Fly to and why?

Is the first time I read / hear this type of literature.

What does Andrew Barnes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice is powerful, magical, it demands your attention.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes.

Any additional comments?

Great for quality time with your young one. Great dialogue starter.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Fly Indeed

I liked the book cover so I bought this book for a young lady. I started to browse to make sure it was appropriate for her and the book caught me and I found myself reading it from cover to cover. Excellent!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book!

We listened to this book alongside “Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky” by Kwame Mbalia. And they complimented each other beautifully! My boys would get so excited when characters from “The People Could Fly” appeared in the Tristan Strong book. For reference, my children are 11,9 and 3. We highly recommend this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and enthralling folklore!

I enjoyed the selections!
The narrator was able to give the listener an idea of what the different characters may have sounded like. He was very good!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

beautifully written

I loved it!!! I didn't get to grow up hearing black folktales, so this for me was an amazing experience.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Delightful!

Well written. well performed! What a pleasure. Not just the stories but the history. Excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Having not read these stories since I was a child it was a wonderful trip back down memory lane to listen to them being narrated! It is also very timely to listen to tales of magic, culture, and freedom. I highly recommend reading and listening to these wonderful tales as both child and adult! Excellent!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

fun and informative

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I didn't care for the narrator.'s voice The music between segments seemed really loud in comparison to the narration

Would you recommend The People Could Fly to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes The history of the different stories was very interestingI enjoyed the tales. But I love the Uncle Remus any way.My father used a lot of the techinques of the American Black folklore in his story telling when I was a child. So this made me think about my father a lot.

Did Andrew Barnes do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

You really didn't need to differentate the characters as there we usually only two peopleinvolved within the narative

Could you see The People Could Fly being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

NoIt did make me think of the movie Song of the SouthI wish that Disney would release it again. It's part of our history and the tales just make you smile.

Any additional comments?

I did like the book and will more than likely listen to it again. I rarely listen or read a book more than once

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!