Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Fire This Time  By  cover art

The Fire This Time

By: Jesmyn Ward
Narrated by: Cherise Boothe, Michael Early, Kevin R Free, Korey Jackson, Susan Spain
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.44

Buy for $17.44

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward, read by Cherise Boothe, Michael Early, Kevin R Free, Korey Jackson and Susan Spain.

The New York Times best seller.

Edited by two-time National Book Award winner and Women’s Prize shortlisted-author Jesmyn Ward, a timely and groundbreaking collection of essays and poems about race in America.

In this best-selling collection of essays and poems, Jesmyn Ward gathers a new generation of writers and thinkers to speak on race.

From Claudia Rankine to Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, Kiese Laymon to Carol Anderson, these voices shine a light on the darkest corners of American history, wrestle with the struggles the country faces today and imagine a better future.

Envisioned as a response to The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin’s groundbreaking 1963 essay collection, The Fire This Time considers the black experience in modern America. Significant progress has been made in the 50 years since Baldwin's essays were published, but America is a long distance away from a post-racial society - a truth that must be confronted if the country is to continue to work towards change.

Baldwin's 'fire next time' is now upon us, and it needs to be talked about. Sage, urgent and impassioned, this is an essential collection edited by one of America’s greatest writers.

©2020 Jesmyn Ward (P)2020 Recorded Books LLC

Critic reviews

"A harrowing yet hopeful book about race." (Observer)

"A stirring anthology that takes more cues from Baldwin than just its title. Every poem and essay in Ward’s volume remains grounded in a harsh reality." (New York Review of Books)

"Mixing anecdote, humour, passion, fear, anger and a call to arms, it’s a powerful read." (Unmissable Books to Read this Spring, Stylist)

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen everywhere

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Reach your reading goals

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Placeholder Image Alt Text

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for $0.00 $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

What listeners say about The Fire This Time

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.