Red River
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Red River Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Lalita Tademy (Author), Bahni Turpin (Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 463 ratings
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April 13, 1873. What happened that day in the small Southern town of Colfax, Louisiana, was called "the Colfax Riot." But it was something far more devastating....

Weaving together history and the story of her own family, Lalita Tademy, author of the acclaimed New York Times best seller Cane River, has written an epic work of fiction: the dramatic, intertwining story of two families struggling to survive and thrive in an America deeply divided after the Civil War.

For the newly freed black residents of Colfax, Louisiana, the beginning of reconstruction promised them the right to vote, own property, and, at last, control their own lives. But in the space of a day, angry whites would take back Colfax in one of the deadliest incidents of racial violence in Southern history. In the bitter aftermath, the Tademys and the Smiths will have to deal with the wreckage, push on, and build a better life for their sons and daughters over the next 70 years.

A unique accomplishment, this is history never before told, brought to life through the unforgettable lives of three generations of African American husbands and wives, parents and children. A saga of violence, courage, and, most of all, dreams broken, repaired, and strengthened over time, Red River explores issues that resonate to this day...as it illuminates the sometimes heartbreaking choices we all must make to claim the legacy that is ours.

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  1. Listening Length
    13 hours and 27 minutes
  2. Author
    Lalita Tademy
  3. Narrator
    Bahni Turpin
  4. Audible release date
    December 28, 2006
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B000MDH7EM
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 13 hours and 27 minutes
Author Lalita Tademy
Narrator Bahni Turpin
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date December 28, 2006
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B000MDH7EM
Best Sellers Rank #160,977 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#880 in Black & African American Historical Fiction (Books)
#1,560 in Fiction Sagas
#1,945 in African American Literature

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
463 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Imani Mtendaji
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great and Important GenoChronicle
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2022
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Well Written Family Saga....A Well Done Great Timeline of Family and Community History, Culture and Traditions...Told in very real time...!
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5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
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I really enjoy reading novels based on actual historical facts. This followed generations of a black family from the end of the Civil War to the 1930’s. At times times it was brutal and hard to continue. But it gave me some insight into the courage and strength of a family who endured and succeeded despite all of the odds against them.
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Brett B
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written fiction based on true event. Good novel for English class. Not for History class.
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2021
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Lolita Tademy is a great author who knows how to evoke emotions in telling stories . Many reviews I’ve seen treat this book as true history yet it is a novel, a story, a fiction. This fact is easily lost as one reads along and comes to relate to and empathize with the characters Tademy develops. The intertwining of fact and fiction keeps ones interest and adds to the impact of the book.

The Colfax Incident did occur in reality yet historical records are limited. Records of the conversations, thoughts and actions of those involved are lacking yet Tademy has filled this gap using her imagination as she gives voice to one side of the conversation about the incident.

I had to read this book for a History class. It is thought provoking yet it cannot be taken out of context. The books cover states it is a novel and as such I really enjoyed it. As a true account of historical events at the micro level it is unsupportable. I feel this book is well suited for review in an English or a writing class yet time would be better spent studying more factually supported events in a history class.

I do and have recommended this book to others. It is a good read.
One person found this helpful
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sistah
5.0 out of 5 stars Raging Waters
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2012
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This book is wonderful. It's a family saga more then a book. It follows her 1st book "Cane River". It was very informative. I knew at once time the Repulican Party was the party for African-Americans. My great-mother told me how her mother was a Repulican. This book provides information from a personnal and historical perspective. It starts slow, but stay with it. I promise the end of the book is well worth the climb. It's one of those books where you know the people. You will love their character, strength and dignity. You'll want to read it again, you will share it with book lovers, and you will have to read "Cane River" . I almost forgot to mention the book was in wonderful condition. It was a Christmas gift and I shopped late. My book arrived Earlier than promised and it was Great price.
2 people found this helpful
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Cindy
5.0 out of 5 stars The tapestry of our ancestry
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2016
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I chose this book because I read Cane River. Another good read by the author.
This book was delightful to read. It was like I was there too. I felt the struggles. Cried at times even.
Red River is definitely a page turner. I wouldn't mind seeing these books unfold on the big screen.
This is a reminder for us all to know our history. A reminder for our elders to share it until we know it by memory.
3 people found this helpful
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Phyllis Hund
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2007
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This is hard for me, as it is coming from a 'white' perspective.However, my grandchildren are half black, but do not get much contact with that side of their family, and I wanted them to at least be aware of their history. Their mother has claimed from their conception that people's attitudes have changed and her children will be fine. No, they won't! In this country of the 'free', there will always be stigmatisom, whether you have a drop of Negro,Asian or whatever, blood,you will be treated differently! My grandson is 14, and has been through this '[...]' already. It breaks my heart! This book shows that it does not matter if you are as white as white can be, if anyone knows that you have one drop of Negro blood, then you are Negro.I did not invent this attitude, but I will fight for my granbabies until I die. Thankyou, so very much for writing this book!!!
2 people found this helpful
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JAMES McCUTCHON
4.0 out of 5 stars Having enjoyed Lalita Tademy's other two books
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2015
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Having enjoyed Lalita Tademy's other two books, I almost didn't read "Red River". I knew what happened in Colfax in 1873, and it was too horrible. However, I'm glad I did. Once I forced myself to start, it was hard to put down. The story has many terrible things in it, but the telling of it is superb, and, finally, we see the emergence of survival and hope for the future. When I was young, growing up in the New Orleans of the 1930s, I was afraid of Negroes. As I got older, I realized that it was rednecks of whom I must be afraid. The White League and the KKK are gone, a Negro is President
and people like Lalita Tademy have sprung from the Louisiana backwater. The Tademy drive for education and their love of God and family are reasons for celebration and signboards pointing the way to a better life for today's Negroes.
4 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars How accurate is the history we are given in school?
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2013
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Lilita Tademy has presented a situation in history that has been misrepresented, or not talked about in public schools. Calling an 1873 massacre a "riot" in Colfax, LA is such a huge misnomer, and I appreciate her efforts to set the record straight. But this is much more a story of a family's choice to survive and to educate their community, even though fulfilling their rights brought trouble at every turn. Amazing story of endurance!
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Christine Boos
4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive storytelling!
Reviewed in Germany on January 11, 2024
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Impressive lives!!! This novel based on the author's family 's life has moved me, angered me . This novel is thought provoking: survival, resilience, hope as opposed to being realistic make essential thinking. For instance, you need food and a roof to survive. That does not happen freely nor easily! You want your kids to have a better life through the possibility of education: how can you get that if you first need to work to survive???? The first part of the book describing the riot emphasizes the strength, courage and resilience of the community. I have a big respect for them all! The characters felt as if I knew them, and I will not forget their story.
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mlb
5.0 out of 5 stars RED RIVER
Reviewed in France on July 8, 2014
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JE REVIENS DE NEW ORLEANS ALORS WONDERFUL, DE PLUS JE L AI ACHETE SUR PLACE AVEC MON KINDLE ; CE QUE C EST PRATIQUE !!!!!
SUPER MERCI MARYSE
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Lucy Le'Mareschal
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2009
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After reading Cane River some years ago, I have frequently looked out for more novels by Lalita Tademy... and although years have passed, it's been well worth the wait.
Whereas Cane River was based upon Tademy's maternal family history, Red River is based upon her father's family history.
Once more the author manages to bring her own ancestry to life in this haunting and capitaving tale.
The scene is set in a post-civil war USA where slavery had ended, but the promises of a land, freedom, and the right to vote have not been met.
The blacks residents of Colfax, Louisiana, decide to take matters into their own hands and attempt to regain control of their town from the former confederacy. However, this soon becomes one of the most pivotal, violent episodes in the racial history of America, as a day-long bloody battle ensues.
The Tademy family must learn to live with the repercussions of that one deadly day, and must rebuild life.

This is a real page-turner.
6 people found this helpful
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Eve Drouin
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on May 4, 2015
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Enjoyed it very much. A very informative story of a life many endured.
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Colin Mackay
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2016
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Great sequel to Cane River.
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