Every Tongue Got to Confess

By: Zora Neale Hurston

Narrated by: Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis

African-American folklore was Zora Neale Hurston's first love. Collected in the late 1920's Every Tongue Got to Confess, from the celebrated author of Their Eyes Were Watching God, is published here for the first time, beautifully performed by Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.

Hilarious, bittersweet, and often saucy, these folk-tales provide a verdant slice of African-American life in the rural South at the turn of the twentieth century. They capture the heart and soul of the vital, independent, and creative community that so inspired Zora Neale Hurston.

In Every Tongue Got to Confess, Hurston records, with uncanny precision, the voices of ordinary people -and no two actors better capture this world than Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. They pay tribute to the richness of Black vernacular -- its crisp self-awareness, singular wit, and improvisational wordplay. These folk-tales reflect the joys and sorrows of the African-American experience, celebrate the redemptive power of storytelling, and showcase the continuous presence in America of an Afticanized language that flourishes to this day.

Performed by Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis

Great American writer as read authentically

The greatest American acting couple on both stage and screen bring great authenticity to their readings of the great American novelist Zora Neale Huston's well researched reporting of many traditional American folktales and fables. I wish audible would offer Ossie Davis's reading of Muhammed Ali's literate autobiography Soul Of A Butterfly. Ruby Dee is warmly loved by all and their readings here open widely hearts and minds and souls.

Wonderful short stories

Ruby and Ozzie were a perfect choice to narrate these amazing works of art!! The cadences and accents they used really brought these folk tales to life! I could see myself sitting on a porch somewhere down south just listening these tales for hours! Loved the experience!

I truly enjoyed this I recommend

the narration was great I like Ruby Dee and Ozzy Davis the storytelling was funny at points and serious and others

Zesty, Delightful Southern Folk Tales

Zora Neale Hurston’s ability to capture the rich use of figurative language, wisdom, humor, and sentiment of folk tales from people who inhabited little known areas of the south is a testament to her incredible skills as an anthropologist. This reader felt a range of emotions from appreciation for how life lessons were passed from one generation to another, to tales that showcased hyperbolic, fantastical imaginings. Miss Hurston captures the full use of language of the time period is raw based upon the speaker and at times makes one cringe. It is also undeniable the spotlight placed on the type of interactions that existed between males and females, and between African Americans and Caucasians.

A delightful listen. Reminds me of my parents.

I absolutely loved it!
I'll listen to it again and again.
I'll also share it.