Upstate, Kalisha Buckhanon
Upstate, Kalisha Buckhanon
1 Rating(s)
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Upstate
A Novel

Author: Kalisha Buckhanon

Narrator: Chadwick Boseman, Heather Simms

Unabridged: 5 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/01/2005

Categories: Fiction, Coming Of Age


Synopsis

This program is read by Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman

"Baby, the first thing I need to know from you is do you believe I killed my father?"

So begins Upstate, a powerful story told through letters between seventeen-year-old Antonio and his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Natasha, set in the 1990's in New York. Antonio and Natasha's world is turned upside down, and their young love is put to the test, when Antonio finds himself in jail, accused of a shocking crime. Antonio fights to stay alive on the inside, while on the outside, Natasha faces choices that will change her life. Over the course of a decade, they share a desperate correspondence. Often, they have only each other to turn to as life takes them down separate paths and leaves them wondering if they will ever find their way back together.

Startling, real, and filled with raw emotion, Upstate is an unforgettable coming-of-age story with a message of undeniable hope. Brilliant and profoundly felt, it is destined to speak to a new generation of listeners.

About Kalisha Buckhanon

Kalisha Buckhanon’s first novel, Upstate, won an American Library Association Alex Award and was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award in Debut Fiction. Terry McMillan selected her to receive the first Terry McMillan Young Author Award in 2006. A recipient of a 2001 Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship and an Andrew Mellon Fellow, Buckhanon frequently teaches writing and speaks throughout the country. She has a M.F.A. in creative writing from New School University in New York City, and both a B.A. and a M.A. in English language and literature from the University of Chicago. She was born in 1977 in Kankakee, Illinois.

About Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman is best known for his roles as Jackie Robinson in the film 42 and James Brown in Get On Up. Along with Heather Simms, Boseman read Kalisha Buckhanon’s Upstate, winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award and a 2006 Audie Award. Boseman has appeared on the television series Persons Unknown, The Express, and Lincoln Heights.  His other television credits include appearances on Law & Order, Third Watch, and All My Children.  A playwright and screenwriter, he is a graduate of Howard University and the British American Dramatic Academy at Oxford.

About Heather Simms

Heather Simms has appeared in many films, including Stream, Broken Flowers, Head of State, You Belong to Me, and The Nanny Diaries.  She has appeared on several episodes of The Good Wife, Law & Order, As the World Turns, and Friends.  She played the role of Denise Robinson in the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas computer and video game and lent her voice to the video game Red Dead Revolver.  Along with Chadwick Boseman, Simms read Kalisha Buckhanon’s Upstate, which won an AudioFile Earphones Award and a 2006 Audie Award.


Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Martha on 2011-01-12 13:33:43

Really enjoyed this. The more I listened, the more I got caught up in the story. I was very sorry when the book ended...I wanted more!

Goodreads review by Lulu on June 04, 2015

I didn't want it to end. LOL. I kept saying...one more letter...one more letter. I really enjoyed this one!......more

Goodreads review by Rashawnda on June 05, 2024

What a heartbreakingly beautiful story this was!!! Ugh it pulled at my heart strings but I enjoyed the story and how everything played out! Antonio is just 17 years old when he’s arrested for his father’s murder. His 16 year old girlfriend Natasha is ready to be a ride or die and stick beside her ma......more

Goodreads review by Kameel on January 31, 2022

A Beautifully Narrated story of life, love and Growth….this story depicted how we all grow at different times in our lives. Antonio took charge of his family and decided to actually take a manslaughter conviction for his little brother and spent almost five years in jail. This is the type of story w......more

Goodreads review by Sadia G on January 30, 2012

4 stars, out of 5 I rarely give books a 4 star rating so trust me, this book is something special. Upstate is the story of Natasha and Antonio. They're both 17 and in love, but then something horrible happens, and Antonio is sent to Jail. The book is written in the forms of letters. Antonio and Natasha......more

Goodreads review by Demetrius on June 03, 2024

Location: Harlem Date: January 25, 1990 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢, “𝘉𝘢𝘣𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘐 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳?” That is the beginning of the first of many letters sent from sixteen-year-old Antonio as he serves a ten-year sentence for the crime committed against his father. W......more


Quotes

“Wild and beautiful...The story is told using the epistolary form with a brilliant skill not seen since The Color Purple.” —Sapphire, national bestselling author of Push

“Heartbreaking and true...I'd read it again just for the power of the language.” —Dorothy Allison, National Book Award finalist and national bestelling author of Bastard Out of Carolina and Cavedweller


Awards

  • ALA Alex Awards Winner (Adult for Young Adults)
  • Audie Award Winner