Coleman Hill
by Kim Coleman Foote
Narrated by Bahni Turpin, Dion Graham
Why Listen?
Turpin and Graham's dual narration captures three generations of Black families navigating the Great Migration's broken promises—their distinct voices make the interwoven timelines feel like overhearing real lives unfold.
About This Audiobook
Two mothers who migrate north during the Great Migration find their families' destinies forever entangled in this sweeping multigenerational saga. Celia Coleman and Lucy Grimes arrive in 1916 New Jersey seeking opportunity but discover that the promised land offers its own harsh realities. When tragedy leaves both women widowed, their friendship becomes a lifeline as they navigate raising children in an unwelcoming new world. However, their bond fractures when their adolescent children become involved in a scandal that forces the mothers to choose sides. The resulting rift sends shockwaves through three generations, revealing how one moment of impropriety can reshape entire family legacies.
Bahni Turpin and Dion Graham deliver powerfully nuanced performances that capture the distinct voices across decades and generations. Their seamless alternation between characters creates an immersive family chronicle where each personality emerges with vivid authenticity. The dual narration particularly excels during tense confrontations between the feuding families, where Graham and Turpin's contrasting vocal textures heighten the emotional stakes. Their pacing allows Kim Coleman Foote's rich historical detail to unfold naturally while maintaining narrative momentum across the novel's ambitious timeline, making this complex family epic feel both intimate and expansive in audio form.