I'm Still Here (Adapted for Young Listeners)

Loving Myself in a World Not Made for Me

By: Austin Channing Brown

Narrated by: Austin Channing Brown

Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

An adaptation of the powerful New York Times bestselling account of growing up Black and female in America, completely rewritten with new stories for young listeners

Austin Channing Brown’s first encounter with race in America came at age seven, when she discovered that her parents had named her Austin to trick future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools and churches, Channing Brown writes, “I had to learn what it means to love Blackness,” a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America’s racial divide as a writer, speaker, and expert helping organizations practice genuine inclusion.

In this adaptation of her bestselling and critically acclaimed memoir, she explores how America’s racial dynamics show up in the classrooms, friend groups, and conversations kids inhabit every day. “I love being a Black girl,” she writes. “And sometimes being a Black girl in America is hard.” Covering topics like representation, self-love, allyship, and being Black in public, Brown helps kids nourish their identity and make sense of how they fit into the world.

For students navigating a time of racial hostility, and for the adults and educators who care for them, I’m Still Here is an empowering look at the experiences of young Black kids, inviting the listener to confront apathy, find their voice, and discover how Blackness—if we let it—can save us all.

©2023 Austin Channing Brown (P)2023 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“For educators, parents, and kids alike, I’m Still Here is a joyful and vulnerable read. In these pages, Austin Channing Brown kneels down and speaks eye-to-eye to the child in all of us, with gentle attentiveness, compassion, and humor. When you get to the end, the child in you will feel a little more healed.”—Glennon Doyle, New York Times bestselling author of Untamed and founder of Together Rising

“In a world that is ever changing and can be confusing, voices like Austin Channing Brown’s are needed to help us make sense of it all. And I wish I had someone like her guiding the way when I was younger. This book is brilliant, vulnerable, and hopeful. Thank goodness for it and for her being in the world. Brava!”—Phoebe Robinson, author of You Can’t Touch My Hair

“Kids will be begging for time to read ‘just one more chapter’ of Austin Channing Brown’s I’m Still Here. It is full of riveting and relatable stories that will spur important conversations and understandings about race and identity. Unlike some books that teach kids to downplay the reality of racism, this book helps them love the skin they’re in—and everyone else’s, too.”—Jemar Tisby, PhD, author of The Color of Compromise and How to Fight Racism: Young Reader’s Edition

Being Black in America

Excellent depiction of being Black in America. It felt like home and was sad and empowering all at the same time. I’m 41 years old, and this version truly resonated with me; so, don’t let the “Young Listeners…” part of the title deter you.