We Speak for Ourselves, D. Watkins
We Speak for Ourselves, D. Watkins
List: $17.99 | Sale: $12.59
Club: $8.99

We Speak for Ourselves
A Word from Forgotten Black America

Author: D. Watkins

Narrator: D. Watkins

Unabridged: 4 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/23/2019


Synopsis

From the row houses of Baltimore to the stoops of Brooklyn, the New York Times bestselling author of The Cook Up lays bare the voices of the most vulnerable and allows their stories to uncover the systematic injustice threaded within our society. Honest and eye-opening, the pages of We Speak for Ourselves “are abundant with wisdom and wit; integrity and love, not to mention enough laughs for a stand-up comedy routine” (Mitchell S. Jackson, author of Survival Math).

Watkins introduces you to Down Bottom, the storied community of East Baltimore that holds a mirror to America’s poor black neighborhoods—“hoods” that could just as easily be in Chicago, Detroit, Oakland, or Atlanta. As Watkins sees it, the perspective of people who live in economically disadvantaged black communities is largely absent from the commentary of many top intellectuals who speak and write about race.

Unapologetic and sharp-witted, D. Watkins is here to tell the truth as he has seen it. We Speak for Ourselves offers an in-depth analysis of inner-city hurdles and honors the stories therein. We sit in underfunded schools, walk the blocks burdened with police corruption, stand within an audience of Make America Great Again hats, journey from trap house to university lecture, and rally in neglected streets. And we listen.

“Watkins has come to remind us, everyone deserves the opportunity to speak for themselves” (Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author) and serves hope to fellow Americans who are too often ignored and calling on others to examine what it means to be a model activist in today’s world. We Speak for Ourselves is a must-read for all who are committed to social change.

About The Author

D. Watkins is editor-at-large for Salon. He’s also a college professor at the University of Baltimore and founder of the BMORE Writers Project. His work has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and other publications. Watkins is the author of The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir and The Beast Side: Living (and Dying) While Black in America. He lives in East Baltimore.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Andre on May 15, 2019

Yep, easily a 5💥 read. Full review is here.......D. Watkins has found his lane and he is wonderfully navigating it. Although, he eschews the belief that a voice can be a microphone for the voiceless--quoting scholar and activist Dr. Su’ad Abdu Khabeer, “You don’t need to be a voice for the voiceless......more

Goodreads review by Esther on October 26, 2019

I wished this book didn’t end. Every chapter gave me only a glimpse into a world that is completely unknown to me and probably most of America. It’s raw and real and gritty, allowing the reader to at least grasp that they can’t grasp this unless they have lived it. Keep writing. I want to read it al......more

Goodreads review by kelly on June 04, 2019

As with "The Cook Up" and "The Beast Side," D. Watkins continues to share his account of growing up in an impoverished Black community in East Baltimore. The message behind his book is simple: in today's age, poor Black people do not want or need to spoken for by White liberals or Black middle and u......more

Goodreads review by Vnunez-Ms_luv2read on February 27, 2019

Another winner from Mr. Watkins. Great selections of essays that will make you laugh, cry and say preach man preach!!!! This book will give you food for thought. This author is a beast. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receivi......more

Goodreads review by Bblacksin on May 19, 2019

A clear concise window into a black man's life/consciousness/experiences in East Baltimore USA. D Watkins is insightful, witty, and knows how to shout it out. what more can i say-i loved this book. Highly recommended.......more


Quotes

"In this audio memoir narrated by the author, D. Watkins argues that he is a more authentic black voice than other writers of color who speak about black community from a privileged distance. He delivers his narration in a vocal style that reflects his upbringing in a crime-ridden Baltimore neighborhood. The style works effectively and generates a sense of authenticity in Watkins's stories."