Juneteenth

A Novel

By: Ralph Ellison

Narrated by: John F. Callahan, Charles Johnson, Joe Morton

Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

From Ralph Ellison - author of the classic novel of African-American experience, Invisible Man - the long-awaited second novel. Here is the master of American vernacular - the rhythms of jazz and gospel and ordinary speech - at the height of his powers, telling a powerful, evocative tale of a prodigal of the twentieth century.

"Tell me what happened while there's still time," demands the dying Senator Adam Sunraider to the itinerate Negro preacher whom he calls Daddy Hickman. As a young man, Sunraider was Bliss, an orphan taken in by Hickman and raised to be a preacher like himself. Bliss's history encompasses the joys of young southern boyhood; bucolic days as a filmmaker, lovemaking in a field in the Oklahoma sun. And behind it all lies a mystery: how did this chosen child become the man who would deny everything to achieve his goals? Brilliantly crafted, moving, wise, Juneteenth is the work of an American master.

©2011 Ralph Ellison (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"[A] vastly ambitious informing allegory, an allegory made rich, as in Invisible man, with the sensory details of which Ellison was such a master." ( The New York Review of Books)

"[A]n extraordinary book, a work of staggering virtuosity. With its publication, a giant world of literature has just grown twice as tall." ( Newsday)

"[A] stunning achievement.... Juneteenth is a tour de force of untutored eloquence. Ellison sought no less than to create a Book of Blackness, a literary composition of the tradition at its most sublime and fundamental." (Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Time)

Astounding

"Invisible Man" and "Juneteenth" are necessary, brilliant and will have an undeniable physical, emotional, intellectual and moral impact on any reader. Stunningly written and beautifully voiced by Mr. Morton.

Hopefully would have been better if it was finishe

Would you try another book from Ralph Ellison and/or Joe Morton?

Yes

Would you be willing to try another book from Ralph Ellison? Why or why not?

Yes. His other book, Invisible Man has been on my list of books to read for a long time.

What does Joe Morton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's a great orator, which is a plus in this book with all it's orations. He also does the quieter parts well.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

It’s a shame Ralph Ellison never was able to finish his second novel. In this edition, editor John Callahan tells the story of how he was working on it for years and years, and just when he had it nearly finished, the manuscript, or at least a large part of it, was destroyed in a fire. He went back to working on it, but was never able to get it to that point again. Working with it after Ellison’s death, Callahan determined that the existing material could likely have become three novels, but none of them was completely finished. What he was able to put together as the most coherent part of the narrative is Juneteenth, which was apparently intended to be the middle part of the story. I think I would have liked the story better if all the parts had been there.
Senator Adam Sunraider, a politician who has built a career out of a blatantly racist attitude, is speechifying on the floor of the senate when somebody in the gallery starts shooting at him. As he is fighting for his life in the hospital, it is surprisingly an old black preacher he calls ‘Daddy Hickman’ that he asks for.
In a long series of flashbacks and reminiscences we learn the story of how Daddy Hickman raised Sunraider (known in childhood as ‘Bliss’) from birth, and of some of his exploits after he ran away from Daddy Hickman and the church.
Anyone who is a fan of good old-time black preaching will doubtless like the book, as a good portion of it is sermons from the long-ago past. The narrator, Joe Morton does an excellent job with this book.

Moreton's Brilliant Performance of Juneteenth

Where does Juneteenth rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best books and certainly one of the best narrators I've enjoyed in a decade of Audible experiences.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rev. A.Z. Hickman is a total, compelling protagonist, clear-eyed and poetic.

What does Joe Morton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think Joe Morton should be performing this book on stage. He paints this book with his voice, and listening to him is definitely a richer experience than reading the book in print.

Not good

Way too much religious rhetoric for me. Story was ok. Was expecting it to be on the level of his other work

Don't scream while recording an audiobook

The novel itself is better than it's remembered, but the performance deserves one star for the random ear-piercing shrieks the narrator performs, and the audioengineer overlooks. People listen to audiobooks with headphones--unexpected shrieks physically hurt. You would expect professionals to do a better job than this.

The Huckleberry Finn of the Twentieth Century

What did you love best about Juneteenth?

I love best the rich language of Juneteenth that combined preacher sermons, political diatribes, jazz, blues, and even Br'er Rabbit makes an appearance. Ellison states in his notes that he wrote a twentieth century version of Twain's Huckleberry Finn in that it features a modern day version of Huck and Jim exploring not only a new territory, but what it means to be black and white in America. The rich language tapestry also reminds me of Shakespeare, Melville, and Faulkner.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Juneteenth?

I do not want to give to much away, but it involves a casket at a Juneteenth revival meeting. You will be both shocked and tickled. The entire book and the trajectories of the characters pivot on this masterfully realized scene.

What about Joe Morton’s performance did you like?

As he did in Invisible Man, Joe Morton gives a masterful, rich performance that infused jazz, blues, playing the dozens, tall tales, preacher sermons, and political stump speeches. He can go deep with his baritone voice. With an ease, he shifts from character to distinct character without skipping a beat. No one can match his skill as a narrator of black dialect. He rose to the occasion to match and give voice to the author's vision of a tapestry of language.

Any additional comments?

Juneteenth is a must read for anyone who loved Invisible Man. It is even more ambitious than his signature work. It provides a nice bookend to explore his ideas of race in America.

great work, but not cohesive

I listened to this book and found myself admiring the incredible narration. individual chapters are extremely powerful. as a whole, though, it feels as those the pieces don't blend as well.

Joe "Daddy Pope" Morton is the perfect narrator!

I recently re-read Invisible Man and yearned for more. I love this story. At times, I had to rewind and relisten but thats ok. I highly recommend as this book is more relevant than ever!

What a wonderful powerful sad story story.

I can feel the love between the two men, and the tension
of American, in feeling like You don't have the right to
stand up and ask American to change, but that you can
stand up and push the country down the path of
entrenching its status quo.

Joe Morton Brings Ralph Ellison to Life

Ellison is a genius but not an easy read. Morton has studied the text and his delivery aides the listener as well as might a professor.