Black

The Black Series, Book 1

By: Joan Vassar

Narrated by: Jakobi Diem

Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

In August 1831, Nat Turner leads a group of escaped slaves in a rebellion that rocks the South. The revolt comes to a quick and violent end. In November, Nat is publicly hanged, and as his body swings, a false sense of peace washes over Jerusalem, Virginia.

Unbeknownst to the world, on the day Nat Turner dies, his son, Nat Hope Turner, is born. Reared by Big Mama on the Turner plantation, young Nat's identity is kept secret to keep him safe. As Nat grows to manhood, he leads his own uprising against slavery and is forever after known as Black.

Fate - by way of Big Mama - leads Black to rescue a young female slave, Sunday, before the plantation owner can sell her. Black has lived for liberty until the day he comes face to face with the alluring Sunday. As the two embark on a sexually charged ride toward love and freedom, they set off a chain of events that forces Black to risk his own liberty for hers.

Black shares the appealing tale of a passionate love between a man and a woman bound together to change their destiny.

©2016 Joan Marlo Quintyne (P)2020 Joan Marlo Quintyne

Best of 2020

I don't even know where to start with this book! This is my first historical listen and Joan Vassar created a masterpiece. With slavery as a background she was able to showcase love, growth, hardship, perseverance, strength and all other feels. Black and Sunday's love is pure and genuine (took some time to get there, but they got there)! This book was just simply beautifully written. This entire book is narrated by Jakobi Diem and I must say, this is his best work yet! The talent this man possesses is incredible. The versatility in his voice and the acting he did to portray SO MANY characters is unbelievable. He can do the alpha-male Black, to the pure innocent Sunday, to a Southern white man to Big Mama! I mean, the man must have portrayed 20 chatacters in this book and I can tell who is who! The sex scenes were hot and I didn't miss a female voice at all! This is completely different from all other books I've listened to, this is an EXPERIENCE that everyone should have! I loved it and highly recommend!

Must Listen!

Deserves more than 5 stars! I couldn't stop listening/reading this one! I didn't know what to expect when I initially started it, especially because it was historical fiction about slavery, but it definitely exceeded by expectations. This story is very very well written, the character development, the growth into who he becomes, especially knowing who his dad was and what he did-the son of Nat Turner and why his name was hidden, his determination to fill those shoes. His love for Sunday and how they were each other strengths. This story captivates you from the very beginning. It keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next for sure Jakobi Diem narrated-enough said! Can't get any better than that!

Fade to Black

This is my first book by novelist Joan Vassar, and I honestly don’t know how I had not come across her work earlier. BLACK is the first installment in a series currently housing four books, aptly labeled The Black Series, and gives an account of Nat Turner’s fictional son, known as Black, and his quest to maintain his freedom from the antebellum south, in the years leading up to the U.S. Civil War. Ms. Vassar’s writing is, in a word, brilliant. Her style possesses a beautiful ebb and flow of character building with historical context and language, while pulling in the reader’s emotions with suspenseful storytelling. The power of Ms. Vassar’s writing is often in the unspoken. The point-of-view is decidedly omniscient, and the reader has the pleasure of being immersed in the characters’ thoughts and feelings. Reflecting the people of the time, words are chosen carefully and deliberate looks are exchanged that communicate understanding. Jakobi Diem narrates no less than 20 unique characters for the entirety of the book with ease and complete authenticity, particularly because the setting requires multiple interpretations of southern accents. In BLACK, he shows himself to be an incredibly talented actor, bringing a pitch-perfect expression of the characters’ moods and the richness that the dialogue deserves. I have always been a fan of his work, but this performance was simply stellar. Black is a very nuanced and complicated character, balancing the pressures of living under the legacy of his father, delivering his people to freedom, and contending with the newfound feeling of allowing himself to fall in love. But more than Black being a romantic love story, it is a love story between a mother and son, between brothers, between a love lost, between a man and his own humanity. The joy of this book is that all the main characters possess the same level of complexity. Ms. Vassar and Mr. Diem tell this story in a beautiful fashion, with humor and empathy. Even if you are not a fan of historical romances, particularly against the backdrop of American slavery, I’m confident in recommending this experience will be unlike anything you’ve ever listened to. Five stars, no question.

Ugh so over slave stories.... So glad this ain't just that

I was ecstatic to learn that Jakobi Diem had a new book out but was disappointed that it was about slavery. In today's political climate and all the racial injustices going on around the globe I thought it would just add more fuel to my fire. Oh child, I was wrong!!!!!! So Wrong!!! It's emotional but it's refreshing. This was my first listen from Ms. Vassar but not my last. She has an amazing talent and Jakobi... Well, he is Jakobi...... I also ordered a hard copy to display on my bookcase the cover is also amazing.

this book !

I listened to this book in one setting... I couldn't put it down... it is a work of art... Not what you might expect... but a love story indeed! ... love is a strong emotion always remember that 💛 Narrator Jakobi doing what he does as always *good job

Black

loved this story and Mr Jakobi Diem he makes all stories worth listening too

Great story and presentation

After getting many suggestions for this title from various book groups online I decided to give it a chance. I mean who doesn't like Jacobi Diem? Book is very well written and I loved every minute of it. the author was very descriptive of the characters and you can also see them as you listen. I really enjoy this audible.

Loved Everything About It!

Black Joan Vassar, what a remarkable novel! There are some who feel like enough already with the slave narrative novels.Then there are those of us who cannot get enough! Those of us who our heart still beats for our ancestors and their struggles through the African American experience. What a beautiful story of love, and historical fiction! The storytelling coupled with the velvety smooth voice of Jakobi Diem had my total attention from start to finish! Simply remarkable! This book screams motion picture!

Absolutely Wonderful

Bravo, Ms Vassar! This book was moving, entertaining, and educational. I loved watching the story of Black and Sunday unfold, their love and growth...If you want to read or listen to something spectacular, pick up this book. Bravo to Jakobi Diem for putting a voice to a wonderful story.

Exceptional story

I enjoyed listening to this story. I loved the storyline, the love story, and the characters. Black was no joke!!! The narrator did an excellent job with the different voices and the dialect. Looking forward to book 2.