• Long Division

  • By: Kiese Laymon
  • Narrated by: Sean Crisden
  • Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (224 ratings)

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Long Division  By  cover art

Long Division

By: Kiese Laymon
Narrated by: Sean Crisden
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Publisher's summary

Long Division contains two interwoven stories. In the first, it's 2013: After an on-stage meltdown during a nationally televised quiz contest, fourteen-year-old Citoyen "City" Coldson becomes an overnight YouTube celebrity. The next day, he's sent to stay with his grandmother in the small coastal community of Melahatchie, where a young girl named Baize Shephard has recently disappeared.

Before leaving, City is given a strange book without an author called Long Division. He learns that one of the book's main characters is also named City Coldson - but Long Division is set in 1985. This 1985 City, along with his friend and love-object, Shalaya Crump, discovers a way to travel into the future and steals a laptop and cell phone from an orphaned teenage rapper called…Baize Shephard.

They ultimately take these with them all the way back to 1964, to help another time-traveler they meet protect his family from the Klan.

City's two stories ultimately converge in the mysterious work shed behind his grandmother's, where he discovers the key to Baize's disappearance.

©2013 Kiese Laymon (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Laymon's debut novel is an ambitious mix of contemporary southern gothic with Murakamiesque magical realism." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Long Division

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A strange book about racism, coming of age and time travel

The start of this book had me confused and I had trouble understanding the narrative language. But soon it became more interesting and important in how, City, the main character loved his family and community and would do anything to help them in his travels, including attempting to change the future.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

it's a very interesting book and holds

your attention. the problem is the book jumps alot but ultimately doesn't answer the nadir questions that you have in the end.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars!

Brilliant book written by a brilliant author. Kiese is truly a treasure for this generation.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Why isn't this a movie yet?

This book is amazing! I had to read it twice to get it, but it was totally worth the second read! I could probably read it again!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Kept my attention

Very engaging and different than any other story I've read. There were times where I was confused which year the story had switched to but that wasn't a big issue. The audiobook narrator also did an amazing job.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So funny and unlike any other novel

There’s so much to learn and expand on this conversation. You won’t put it down!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome Story

The story was written well. Several relevant topics from love, friendship, race relations and so much more. Overall a well written book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Provocative story

I found this story gripping. As I usually do, I listen and read a hard copy of the book simultaneously. Layers of meaning and nuance, echoes, appear across the different mediums. I wasn't thrilled with the narrator's voice, which ended up blurring characters more than the story may have intended/required. But it was a tricky story to narrate too, with the different times and same-named characters and similar relationships between those characters. More than anything, the story is alive and moving and makes you think. Awesome piece of writing. Read and listen, listen and read. It's worth it.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Kiese Laymon does it again

Beautiful writing that takes you on a tender, melancholy, and hopeful journey through time and Mississippi.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not Worth the Time

The story was disjointed. While I liked the premise the author didn't pull it off well.

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1 person found this helpful