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 Twelve Tribes of Hattie  By  cover art

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

By: Ayana Mathis
Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo, Bahni Turpin, Adam Lazarre-White
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

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

A debut of extraordinary distinction: through the trials of one unforgettable family, Ayana Mathis tells the story of the children of the Great Migration, a story of love and bitterness and the promise of a new America.

In 1923, 15-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness a few pennies could have prevented. Hattie gives birth to nine more children, whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. She vows to prepare them for the calamitous difficulty they are sure to face in their later lives, to meet a world that will not love them.

Captured here in 12 luminous narrative threads, their lives tell the story of a mother’s monumental courage and the journey of a nation. Beautiful and devastating, Ayana Mathis’s The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is glorious, harrowing, unexpectedly uplifting, and blazing with life.

©2013 Ayana Mathis (P)2013 Random House Audio

What listeners say about The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    626
  • 4 Stars
    406
  • 3 Stars
    260
  • 2 Stars
    97
  • 1 Stars
    60
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    715
  • 4 Stars
    321
  • 3 Stars
    140
  • 2 Stars
    47
  • 1 Stars
    29
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    530
  • 4 Stars
    334
  • 3 Stars
    242
  • 2 Stars
    85
  • 1 Stars
    63

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

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

Well performed !

Good story but the ending left me wanting more. This is a great example of how large families sometimes struggle.

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

Brilliant Story! Such a glorious tapastry.

This is a beautifully crafted story. A bruise and a balm of a ride. The characters are brought to life with the melodious voices of the narration team. Handing the story to each other like a torch illuminating for a time their perspective.

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

Great Read

This will be my third time reading this book and I always find something new .
Won’t regret it

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
    4 out of 5 stars

Who is number twelve?

I enjoyed the progression/regression of time and entertained by the children's point of view. I'm intrigued more when every little thing isn't spelled out. However comma I'm greedy for more. What happened to Floyd? Where's Ruthie? Is Alice in treatment? Did Franklin get back? Regardless of these blanks, mental health was the true protagonist; fully developed and shining bright.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Just ok...

I had a hard time finishing this book. I didn't even realize what it was really about until it was almost over. 🤦🏾‍♀️ It was kind of all over the place to me.

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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Treasure

This is a full and robust story. I’ve never read something with such commitment to truth. I absolutely loved and it gutted me.

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

This is worth reading

This was a great read. It tells the story of Hattie, who has a hard life, and in turn, each of her children who have had the same. I felt empathy for her from the very beginning when her first two babies died. The book covers mental illness, false religious commitment, violence, homosexuality, and other topics that are real and impact many families. Looking now for more from the author.

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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Strong Woman made stronger

This book was so very entertaining, the struggles women endure raising children trying to live up to social norms of being pious and holy while rotten cheating scoundrels have no judgement. This book kept me engaged and in shock. I enjoyed the narrations and the characters. The characters from the whoring pastors to the lose your lifesaving gambler then the ever so popular taboo undercover brother yessss everything and then the women peering down their nose at Hattie's one moment of infidelity judging her with such scorn and still she stood. Oh the beginning the tragedy of losing children had me in tears. OMG Great book!!!

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

This book has so many layers to it. Loved it.

The writing was descriptive. The stories were captivating. overall, one of the best books that i have read.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

disjointed

I struggled to finish this book. I wanted to like it. The twelve tribes felt like random, disconnected short stories. It was a challenge to keep up with the timelines and the jumps. The content was ok, but the structure was so annoying, it made me forget about the plot.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!