Some Sing, Some Cry

By: Ntozake Shange, Ifa Bayeza

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Length: 26 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Audible presents the multigenerational epic Some Sing, Some Cry. Created by Ntozake Shange and Ifa Bayeza, this audiobook takes listeners on a journey through Reconstruction, two world wars, the Harlem renaissance, and Vietnam to modern day America.

Some Sing, Some Cry begins at the threshold of one family’s freedom. We meet Betty Mayfield, newly emancipated from Sweet Tamarind, a lush and haunted rice plantation off the Carolina coast. Betty and her feisty teenage granddaughter Eudora are leaving for the mainland, bringing with them the ghosts, scars, and songs they have carried for so long as they meet unknown challenges ahead. From there, we meet seven generations of Mayfield men and women, and hear the songs that provide the score to their lives. Acclaimed narrator Robin Miles goes beyond the prose to transform song lyrics sprinkled throughout the book into beautiful music, making this a uniquely rich literary and audio experience.

Playwright, poet, and novelist Ntozake Shange’s Obie Award-winning for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf will be a star-studded major motion picture this fall, directed by Tyler Perry.

Ifa Bayeza is an Edgar Award-winning playwright, producer, and conceptual theater artist.

Yale Drama School-trained Robin Miles has appeared on stage and TV and narrated over 100 audiobooks.

Free with this audiobook: an exclusive interview with the authors.

©2010 Ntozake Shange, Ifa Bayeza (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“If there are shoulders modern African-American women's literature stands upon they belong to Ntozake Shange who revolutionized theater and literature with her iconic work for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf in the 1970's. Any of us writing today are inheritors of her genius. Some Sing, Some Cry will show her to be as potent and irrepressible a force as she was thirty years ago.” (Sapphire, author of Push)

“In this epic saga, the sister-sister author combination of Bayeza and Shange offers a richly detailed and boldly colored account of one family’s experience in slavery and its legacies for the generations that followed. Some Sing, Some Cry is both moving and arresting.” (Annette Gordon-Reed, author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family)

“This is a complex poetic treatise on race, culture, love, and family, the use of regional vernacular, dialect, and pure song, resulting in a provocative fictional history.” (Publishers Weekly)

"Vibrant... Some Sing, Some Cry is Shange and Bayeza at their poetic best." (Essence)

"Keeps the reader turning page after page…. This story of lifesaving music and heartbroken maternity is engaging from start to finish. The Mayfield women are hilarious and sexy, gorgeous and strong." (New York Times Book Review)

Excellent Some Sing Some Cry

Would you consider the audio edition of Some Sing, Some Cry to be better than the print version?

I am unable to answer this question because I have not read the book. However, if the audio was done from reading the book, the audio is better. It was wonderful and alive to hear the words. The narrator did a phenomenally superb job with her portrayal of every word of this historical story. I was there every step of the way. Enjoyed immensely.

What other book might you compare Some Sing, Some Cry to and why?

I would compare it to Roots. The journey from enslavement to world renown artists tells to story of the continual struggle and succeeding in spite of it.

Which scene was your favorite?

I do not have a favorite. Each scene seem to be filled with bits of happiness but the rug of happiness snatched from underneath the family members.

If you could rename Some Sing, Some Cry, what would you call it?

n/a

Any additional comments?

I had this book in my library for quite some time and finally took to time to listen to it. During the beginning, I was irritated by the brutally of overt racism and mistreatment of people. As I continue to listen, I got to know the family and appreciated hearing their story.

Wow. Performance, story, history...great listen!!!

Where does Some Sing, Some Cry rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among my very favorite - loved the prose, the characters, the storyline, and the reader added so much I can't imagine just reading this.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to say,but I loved how each of the main characters, even the most "bad" one, had good and bad qualities, though some had fewer good than others....just like real life. I found each of them very real and believable.

What about Robin Miles’s performance did you like?

She was the biggest "wow" of the listen - amazing!! This story incorporates music, including singing, of various types and she performed each of them flawlessly and without missing a beat. She read the characters with each their own voices, as well. Just a fantastic, and challenging, performance. She added so much to the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

the rhythms of our lives

Any additional comments?

wonderful book, you will learn history rarely talked about, grow to care about the characters and root for them, and be sorry when the story ends.

Stunning!

Would you consider the audio edition of Some Sing, Some Cry to be better than the print version?

I don't know how this audio edition compares to the print version since I have not read the print version. I can only comment on the audio version which was absolutely stunning! The story can alive with clarity interest that heightened the images in my mind. Robin Miles did a great job of reading and singing enhancing an already engaging story. The collaboration of Shange with her sister Bayeza was brilliantly written in one voice. My only regret is that I did not

What did you like best about this story?

I especially liked the deeply developed characters and the several generational storyline.

Disappointing

What did you like best about Some Sing, Some Cry? What did you like least?

First, Robin Miles gave an excellent narration. Not only reading the story well, but she has a beautiful singing voice and was able to give life to the music in the story. Unfortunately the editors of the audio didn't do a great job and there are a few instances where comments while recording are still in the audio track.
Now to the story. It seems the characters in the story rarely get a break. And to be honest, it was just too much of a bad thing over and over again. There were also missing pieces where I was left wondering what happened, such as in the sale of the farm property. I needed back story on why they weren't paid. There were other gaps and occurrences which left too many holes for me and made some of the character's actions implausible. Too many love at first sights, too many occurrences with no foundation.

Beautiful story

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. The authors beautifully weave together the story of seven generations of women from slavery to modern day. The book is full of music, history, love, loss and accomplishment.

Excellent Narration

Robin Miles has pulled off a coup with this read. She has handled the many colourful characters
in this audio book with an impressive array of accents and interpretations, sometimes including 3 or 4 characters in a conversation. As a relatively new Brit-aussie listener, I have found some of the American Narrators difficult to listen to...personal taste. But Robin Miles I would look for again.

Takes a looooooong time to get into

Overall I enjoyed listening, but I think it probably works better as a novel to be read rather than listened to. It took a few hours of listening to get into, and I wasn't sure that the end result was worth it. I like my audiobooks to be a bit faster paced than books I might choose to read, as I find that's what works for me. But it is a reasonably good novel and well narrated.

One of the best Narrators I have listened to

This is a wonderful story.. I have been an Audible Customer for many years. This is the First Review I have felt compelled to Write.. This is a beautiful Story. Told by one of the best Narrators I have heard in a long time. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED IN THIS BOOK..

Awesome!!!!!

Would you listen to Some Sing, Some Cry again? Why?

I would absolutely listen to it again. Fulfilling and entertaining from beginning to the end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Some Sing, Some Cry?

one is too few to list, it is gripping and well written.

Have you listened to any of Robin Miles’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Her performance was magnificient. I rate her among the best. her accents, her singing and overall reading was wonderful.

If you could rename Some Sing, Some Cry, what would you call it?

The Mayfield Women

Any additional comments?

I am stumped why this book was never an Editor's pick,

It's a keeper

I truly enjoyed this book and learning about the authors at the end of the book was the frosting on top.