Training School for Negro Girls by Camille Acker audiobook

Training School for Negro Girls

By Camille Acker
Read by Bahni Turpin  and Janina Edwards

Blackstone Publishing 9781936932375
5.71 Hours • Unabridged
Format : Digital Download (In Stock)
  • 3 Formats: Digital Download
  • 3 Formats: CD
  • 3 Formats: MP3 CD
  • $19.95
    or 1 Credit

    ISBN: 9781982601911

  • $29.95

    ISBN: 9781982601898

  • $29.95

    ISBN: 9781982601904

This debut collection is a complicated love letter to Washington, DC, and to those who call it home: a TSA agent who’s never flown, a girl braving new worlds to play piano, and a teacher caught up in a mayoral race. These characters navigate life’s “training school”―with lessons on gentrification and respectability—and fight to create their own sense of space and self.

Learn More
Membership Details
  • Only $12.99/month gets you 1 Credit/month
  • Cancel anytime
  • Hate a book? Then we do too, and we'll exchange it.
See how it works in 15 seconds

Summary

Summary

A Literary Hub Pick of the Ultimate Books for Fall

This debut collection is a complicated love letter to Washington, DC, and to those who call it home: a TSA agent who’s never flown, a girl braving new worlds to play piano, and a teacher caught up in a mayoral race. These characters navigate life’s “training school”―with lessons on gentrification and respectability—and fight to create their own sense of space and self.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“The life experience of Acker’s Washingtonian women is broad…but they all share a shrewd understanding of the narrow perceptions they face as black women. When underestimated they’re often fiercely, beautifully unyielding.” —New York Times
“This flawlessly executed work reinvigorates the short fiction genre.” —Bust
“Training School for Negro Girls is a symphony of story: the clear, true voices of girls and women shaping who they might be against the constraints of the weights and counterweights of race and history and gender. Marvelous.” —Veronica Chambers, author of The Go-Between
“A timely, welcome book.” —Millions
“This brilliant collection of stories…offers insights into the times in life where we learn the truths that define our path forward, that make us who we are.” —Nylon
“Explores the irony and tragicomedy of ‘respectability’ and the role it plays in the lives of a wide-ranging cast of characters.” —LiteraryHub
“Narrators Bahni Turpin and Janina Edwards trade off the saucy short stories in this collection. Their liveliness will have listeners laughing out loud at the audacity of the characters…We experience the ups and downs of gentrification through Turpin and Edwards’ creative styles. They move smoothly from male characters to female ones with believable voices and cadences. Whether they’re depicting sassy women or deep-voiced men, this is a quick listen as the stories are told at a rapid-fire pace, creating an enjoyable experience throughout.” —AudioFile
“This sharp and sensitive collection, Acker’s debut, traces the lives of black women and girls in Washington, DC, across different neighborhoods, socioeconomic statuses, and decades…Grappling with ideas like gentrification and social-climbing through the fine-tuned eyes of her characters, Acker never oversimplifies or neatens the complexities that make up life.” —Publishers Weekly
“Beautifully rendered characters struggle to find a sense of themselves in their complex lives.” —Booklist
“Acker shows that the lives of black girls and women are vast and varied, pushing back on the monolithic ways they are often portrayed.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Acker navigates her characters’ lives with humor, heart, and grace. I loved these stories.” —Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers

Reviews

Reviews

Be the first to review this product

Author

Author Bio: Camille Acker

Author Bio: Camille Acker

Camille Acker holds a BA in English from Howard University and an MFA in creative writing from New Mexico State University. She has worked for social justice non-profits and taught in a variety of educational spaces including Chicago Writers Studio and University of Illinois at Chicago. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in Fiction for the creative writing program at New Mexico State University.

Titles by Author

Details

Details

Available Formats : Digital Download, CD, MP3 CD
Category: Fiction/Women
Runtime: 5.71
Audience: Adult
Language: English

We love books, and we believe that you should be able to enjoy your favorite book whenever, wherever, or whatever you are doing. Audiobooks allow that freedom.

©2025 Urban Audio Books . All rights reserved. Privacy Terms of Use Purchase Terms Cookie Policy ©2025 Urban Audio Books . All rights reserved.