
Matriarch
A Memoir
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $24.30
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Tina Knowles
-
Beyoncé
-
Solange
-
Kelly Rowland
-
Angie Beyincé
-
By:
-
Tina Knowles
About this listen
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • A revealing personal life story like no other—enlightening, entertaining, surprising, empowering—and a testament to the world-making power of Black motherhood
“You are Celestine,” she said. She squatted to push the hair off my face and pull leaves off my pajama legs. “Like my sister and my grandmother.” And there, under the pecan tree, as she did countless times, that day my mother told me stories of the mothers and daughters that went before me.
Tina Knowles, the mother of iconic singer-songwriters Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Solange Knowles, and bonus daughter Kelly Rowland, is known the world over as a Matriarch with a capital M: a determined, self-possessed, self-aware, and wise woman who raised and inspired some of the great artists of our time. But this story is about so much more than that.
Matriarch begins with a precocious, if unruly, little girl growing up in 1950s Galveston, the youngest of seven. She is in love with her world, with extended family on every other porch and the sounds of Motown and the lapping beach always within earshot. But as the realities of race and the limitations of girlhood set in, she begins to dream of a more grandiose world. Her instincts and impulsive nature drive her far beyond the shores of Texas to discover the life awaiting her on the other side of childhood.
That life’s journey—through grief and tragedy, creative and romantic risks and turmoil, the nurturing of superstar offspring and of her own special gifts—is the remarkable story she shares with listeners here. This is a binge-worthy chronicle of family love and heartbreak, of loss and perseverance, and of the kind of creativity, audacity, and will it takes for a girl from Galveston to change the world. It’s one brilliant woman’s intimate and revealing story, and a multigenerational family saga that carries within it the story of America—and the wisdom that women pass on to one another, mothers to daughters, across generations.
©2025 Tina Knowles (P)2025 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
How to Build a Fashion Icon
- Notes on Confidence from the World's Only Image Architect
- By: Law Roach
- Narrated by: Law Roach
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Law Roach is the mastermind behind looks that have broken the Internet time and again—from Zendaya at the Met Gala to Anya Taylor-Joy at the Golden Globes, from Lewis Hamilton’s iconic streetwear to Céline Dion’s style renaissance. Nobody knows better than Law how to turn an outfit into a moment of fashion history. Now, for the first time ever, Law shares the secrets of his approach. With How to Build a Fashion Icon, he takes listeners behind the scenes of his process and journey.
-
-
Inspiring Read!
- By Ashley Benoit on 11-04-24
By: Law Roach
-
Master of Me
- The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative
- By: Keke Palmer
- Narrated by: Keke Palmer
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keke Palmer thought she knew who she was. What it means to be a good person and what it takes to be a success. It all seemed so simple, until she realized the challenges she would have to face to prove to herself who she wanted to be. From feeling alienated to having to restart her career after ten years in to becoming a single mother just months after her son was born—everything she worked for in life that she felt granted her what she wanted now also reminded her that “life is going to life” and throw curveballs regardless of what you deserve.
-
-
Self-Help Book in Disguise
- By Anonymous User on 03-28-25
By: Keke Palmer
-
Happy Land
- By: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Ashley J. Hobbs
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nikki hasn’t seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, she’s determined to learn the truth while she still can. But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen.
-
-
History and Legacy
- By Rose1399 on 04-20-25
-
Reel
- By: Kennedy Ryan
- Narrated by: Eboni Flower, Jakobi Diem, Nicole Small
- Length: 17 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For months I stood in the wings, an understudy waiting for my time to shine. I never imagined he would be in the audience that night. Canon Holt. Famous film director. Talented. Fine. Before I could catch my breath, everything changed. I went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood. From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone's lips when Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic. But stars shine brightest in the dead of night. Forbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances beyond my control jeopardize my dream.
-
-
Kennedy Ryan is the truth
- By FeLisa on 06-22-21
By: Kennedy Ryan
-
Da Baddest
- By: Trina, Sesali Bowen - contributor
- Narrated by: Trina
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up in the Liberty City area of Miami, Florida, Katrina “Trina” Taylor spent her childhood feeling relatively sheltered by her mother and stepfather. Trina and her mother had an unbreakable bond, and Liberty City felt like a playground made just for her. And even at a young age, Trina knew what she wanted: to be a powerful, successful, and magnetic woman, a woman who was entirely self-reliant and independent. In Da Baddest, Trina’s voice is, as always, powerful, insightful, witty, and provocative, while also showcasing her vulnerability and deep love for her family, home, and music
-
-
Touching, transparent and entertaining.
- By Book Diva on 04-16-25
By: Trina, and others
-
The Day God Saw Me as Black
- The Journey to Liberated Faith
- By: D. Danyelle Thomas
- Narrated by: D. Danyelle Thomas
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Day God Saw Me as Black is a genre-defying, cultural critique of white supremacy in the Black Pentecostal religious experience through the lenses of race, gender, sexual expression, and class analyses. A narrative that weaves between critique and meditation, decolonization and reconciliation, the theoretical and the deeply personal, The Day God Saw Me as Black is an imagining of what could be if we stopped denying ourselves — and each other — full liberation.
-
-
Such a raw and glaringly honestly work.
- By Christina on 01-07-25
-
How to Build a Fashion Icon
- Notes on Confidence from the World's Only Image Architect
- By: Law Roach
- Narrated by: Law Roach
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Law Roach is the mastermind behind looks that have broken the Internet time and again—from Zendaya at the Met Gala to Anya Taylor-Joy at the Golden Globes, from Lewis Hamilton’s iconic streetwear to Céline Dion’s style renaissance. Nobody knows better than Law how to turn an outfit into a moment of fashion history. Now, for the first time ever, Law shares the secrets of his approach. With How to Build a Fashion Icon, he takes listeners behind the scenes of his process and journey.
-
-
Inspiring Read!
- By Ashley Benoit on 11-04-24
By: Law Roach
-
Master of Me
- The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative
- By: Keke Palmer
- Narrated by: Keke Palmer
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Keke Palmer thought she knew who she was. What it means to be a good person and what it takes to be a success. It all seemed so simple, until she realized the challenges she would have to face to prove to herself who she wanted to be. From feeling alienated to having to restart her career after ten years in to becoming a single mother just months after her son was born—everything she worked for in life that she felt granted her what she wanted now also reminded her that “life is going to life” and throw curveballs regardless of what you deserve.
-
-
Self-Help Book in Disguise
- By Anonymous User on 03-28-25
By: Keke Palmer
-
Happy Land
- By: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Ashley J. Hobbs
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nikki hasn’t seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, she’s determined to learn the truth while she still can. But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen.
-
-
History and Legacy
- By Rose1399 on 04-20-25
-
Reel
- By: Kennedy Ryan
- Narrated by: Eboni Flower, Jakobi Diem, Nicole Small
- Length: 17 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For months I stood in the wings, an understudy waiting for my time to shine. I never imagined he would be in the audience that night. Canon Holt. Famous film director. Talented. Fine. Before I could catch my breath, everything changed. I went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood. From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone's lips when Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic. But stars shine brightest in the dead of night. Forbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances beyond my control jeopardize my dream.
-
-
Kennedy Ryan is the truth
- By FeLisa on 06-22-21
By: Kennedy Ryan
-
Da Baddest
- By: Trina, Sesali Bowen - contributor
- Narrated by: Trina
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up in the Liberty City area of Miami, Florida, Katrina “Trina” Taylor spent her childhood feeling relatively sheltered by her mother and stepfather. Trina and her mother had an unbreakable bond, and Liberty City felt like a playground made just for her. And even at a young age, Trina knew what she wanted: to be a powerful, successful, and magnetic woman, a woman who was entirely self-reliant and independent. In Da Baddest, Trina’s voice is, as always, powerful, insightful, witty, and provocative, while also showcasing her vulnerability and deep love for her family, home, and music
-
-
Touching, transparent and entertaining.
- By Book Diva on 04-16-25
By: Trina, and others
-
The Day God Saw Me as Black
- The Journey to Liberated Faith
- By: D. Danyelle Thomas
- Narrated by: D. Danyelle Thomas
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Day God Saw Me as Black is a genre-defying, cultural critique of white supremacy in the Black Pentecostal religious experience through the lenses of race, gender, sexual expression, and class analyses. A narrative that weaves between critique and meditation, decolonization and reconciliation, the theoretical and the deeply personal, The Day God Saw Me as Black is an imagining of what could be if we stopped denying ourselves — and each other — full liberation.
-
-
Such a raw and glaringly honestly work.
- By Christina on 01-07-25
-
Cher: Part One
- The Memoir
- By: Cher
- Narrated by: Cher, Stephanie J. Block
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cher: The Memoir, Part One promises to be an engaging and exciting audiobook experience, befitting this incredible book. Read in part by Cher herself, the book is introduced, and each chapter launched, by the author. Rounding out each chapter as she continues the narrative is celebrated stage actor Stephanie J. Block. Stephanie starred on Broadway in The Cher Show for which she won a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award.
-
-
Cher is a great story teller and narrator.
- By Alli S. on 11-29-24
By: Cher
-
Uganda Be Kidding Me
- By: Chelsea Handler
- Narrated by: Chelsea Handler
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wherever Chelsea Handler travels, one thing is certain: she always ends up in the land of the ridiculous. Now, in this uproarious collection, she sneaks her sharp wit through airport security and delivers her most absurd and hilarious stories ever.
-
-
Hilarious!
- By Michelle on 02-24-15
By: Chelsea Handler
-
Sky Full of Elephants
- By: Cebo Campbell
- Narrated by: Leon Nixon, Erin Ruth Walker, Janina Edwards
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One day, a cataclysmic event occurs: all of the white people in America walk into the nearest body of water. A year later, Charlie Brunton is a Black man living in an entirely new world. Having served time in prison for a wrongful conviction, he’s now a professor of electric and solar power systems at Howard University when he receives a call from someone he wasn’t even sure existed: his daughter Sidney, a nineteen-year-old left behind by her white mother and step-family.
-
-
Ever wish that some folks would just disappear?
- By Alioop on 12-11-24
By: Cebo Campbell
-
White Fear
- How the Browning of America Is Making White Folks Lose Their Minds
- By: Roland S. Martin
- Narrated by: Roland S. Martin
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For two centuries, the deep-seated fear that many White people feel—of losing power, of losing economic standing, of losing a particular “way of life”—has been the driving force behind American politics and culture. And as we approach a future where White people will become a racial minority in the US, something estimated to occur as early as 2043, that fear is only intensifying, festering, and becoming more visible. Are we destined for a violent clash? What can we do to step into our country’s inevitable future, without tearing ourselves apart in the process?
-
-
an interesting and informative lesson
- By Mo Shaabazz on 09-14-22
By: Roland S. Martin
-
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert
- A Novel
- By: Bob the Drag Queen
- Narrated by: Bob the Drag Queen
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an age of miracles where our greatest heroes from history have magically, unexplainably returned to shake us out of our confusion and hate, Harriet Tubman is back, and she has a lot to say. Harriet Tubman and four of the enslaved persons she led to freedom want to tell their story in a unique way. Harriet wants to create a hip-hop album and live show about her life, and she needs a songwriter to help her. She calls upon Darnell Williams, a once successful hip-hop producer who was topping the charts before being outed on a BET talk show.
-
-
F**king brilliant
- By luminousshadow on 04-06-25
-
Who's That Girl?
- A Memoir
- By: Eve Eve Cooper, Kathy Iandoli
- Narrated by: Eve Eve Cooper
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive autobiography from Eve, the multiplatinum, Grammy Award®-winning, Emmy®-nominated rapper, singer-songwriter, actor, mother, philanthropist, and entrepreneur.
-
-
This took courage and determination
- By @astoldbylashuna on 09-22-24
By: Eve Eve Cooper, and others
-
I Am These Truths
- A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds
- By: Sunny Hostin, Charisse Jones
- Narrated by: Sunny Hostin
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Emmy Award-winning legal journalist and co-host of The View Sunny Hostin chronicles her journey from growing up in a South Bronx housing project to becoming an assistant US attorney and journalist in this powerful memoir that offers an intimate and unique look at identity, intolerance, and injustice.
-
-
South Bronx Stand Up
- By SJM on 10-01-20
By: Sunny Hostin, and others
-
Growing Up Urkel
- By: Jaleel White
- Narrated by: Jaleel White
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the tender age of twelve, Jaleel White auditioned for the role of Steve Urkel, the socially inept genius, who was in love with his next-door neighbor, Laura. Though Steve Urkel was intended to be in only one episode, Jaleel’s indelible performance catapulted Urkel into the pantheon of American pop culture. But success can cost as much as it pays. After nine years on the popular sitcom Family Matters, Jaleel is twenty-one, a UCLA undergrad, and adjusting to a world and industry that sees him as the nasally nerd in high water pants, suspenders, and coke bottle glasses.
-
-
Jaleel’s Truth
- By David Ortiz on 11-22-24
By: Jaleel White
-
What I Ate in One Year
- (And Related Thoughts)
- By: Stanley Tucci
- Narrated by: Stanley Tucci
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Food has always been an integral part of Stanley Tucci’s life: from stracciatella soup served in the shadow of the Pantheon, to marinara sauce cooked between scene rehearsals and costume fittings, to home-made pizza eaten with his children before bedtime. Now, in What I Ate in One Year Tucci records twelve months of eating—in restaurants, kitchens, film sets, press junkets, at home and abroad, with friends, with family, with strangers, and occasionally just by himself.
-
-
Boring. Don't bother.
- By Heather Flynn on 10-17-24
By: Stanley Tucci
-
You Should Sit Down for This
- A Memoir About Wine, Life, and Cookies
- By: Tamera Mowry-Housley
- Narrated by: Tamera Mowry-Housley
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most of us know Tamera Mowry-Housely as the beloved TV star and one‑half of the memorable duo on the hit show Sister, Sister and recently on FOX's talk show The Real. Tamera's fun-loving character stole the hearts of millions, but the transition from spunky teen-girl star to grown woman with a family and thriving career wasn't easy. Being raised in Hawaii as an army brat instilled her with the discipline she needed to succeed in Hollywood.
-
-
Love HER, just maybe not this book
- By Dineo Thompson on 10-09-22
-
Walk Through Fire
- A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph
- By: Sheila Johnson
- Narrated by: Sheila Johnson
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Filled with sharply drawn, emotionally powerful senses, Walk Through Fire traces the hardships Sheila faced in her marriage and her professional life. Despite her skills as a violinist and music teacher, as well as her obvious entrepreneurial talent, she had to fight to overcome self-doubt and fears of failure. Sheila vividly details her struggles, including battling institutional racism, losing a child, suffering emotional abuse in her thirty-three-year marriage, and plunging into a deep depression with her divorce. And yet, out of that pain came renewed purpose and meaning.
-
-
I am The Salamander
- By Dee Burton on 09-27-23
By: Sheila Johnson
-
And Then There Was Me
- A Novel of Friendship, Secrets and Lies
- By: Sadeqa Johnson
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bea and Awilda have been best friends from the moment Awilda threw her 14-year-old self across Bea’s twin-sized bed as if they had known each other forever. Bubbly, adventurous Awilda taught sheltered, shy Bea how to dress, wear her hair, and what to do with boys. She even introduced Bea to her husband, Lonnie, in college, who pledged to take good care of her for the rest of their lives. But philanderer Lonnie breaks that promise over and over again, leaving Bea to wrestle with her self-esteem and longtime secret addiction.
-
-
Loved it!
- By Ms Campbell on 09-24-22
By: Sadeqa Johnson
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Plain Jayne
- By: Jayne Kennedy
- Length: Not Yet Known
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From award-winning sports broadcaster and actress Jayne Kennedy comes a compelling, inspirational, and unflinchingly honest memoir about her rise in Hollywood and beyond.
By: Jayne Kennedy
-
Untitled Memoir
- By: Brandy
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the moment she first sang at church in McComb, Mississippi, Brandy knew her voice was special. At fourteen she landed her first record deal. At fifteen her album went platinum. At sixteen she was starring in the hit sitcom Moesha and became the first Black actress to play Cinderella on-screen alongside fairy godmother Whitney Houston. Now, for the first time, Brandy reveals the real story behind her life in the spotlight, the stratospheric highs and the unimaginable lows, the groundbreaking moments and the relatable journey she had to take to discover her authentic self—as Brandy.
By: Brandy
-
Notes to John
- By: Joan Didion
- Narrated by: Julianne Moore
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In November 1999, Joan Didion began seeing a psychiatrist because, as she wrote to a friend, her family had had “a rough few years.” She described the sessions in a journal she created for her husband, John Gregory Dunne. For several months, Didion recorded conversations with the psychiatrist in meticulous detail. The initial sessions focused on alcoholism, adoption, depression, anxiety, guilt, and the heartbreaking complexities of her relationship with her daughter, Quintana. The subjects evolved to include her work, which she was finding difficult to maintain for sustained periods.
By: Joan Didion
-
Truly
- By: Lionel Richie
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a storyteller second to none, Lionel Richie is ready to tell it all. In this intimate, deeply candid memoir, Lionel revisits hilarious and harrowing events to inspire all who doubt themselves or feel their dreams don’t matter. Lionel chronicles lessons learned during his unlikely story of remarkable success—his dramatic transformation from painfully shy, “tragically” late bloomer to world-class entertainer and composer of love songs that have played as the soundtrack of our lives.
By: Lionel Richie
-
Accidentally on Purpose
- By: Kristen Kish
- Narrated by: Kristen Kish
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Accidentally on Purpose dives into Kristen Kish’s childhood as a Korean adoptee in the Midwest, finding purpose in kitchens, and becoming the season 10 winner of—and now host—of Top Chef all the while navigating life in the spotlight, coming out in her adult years, and all the life lessons in between.
-
-
Enjoyable listen for fans…
- By NMwritergal on 04-23-25
By: Kristen Kish
-
Second Life
- Having a Child in the Digital Age
- By: Amanda Hess
- Narrated by: Amanda Hess
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As an internet culture critic for The New York Times, Amanda Hess had built a reputation among readers as a sharp observer of the seductions and manipulations of online life. But when Hess discovered she was pregnant with her first child, she found herself unexpectedly rattled by a digital identity crisis of her own. In the summer of 2020, a routine ultrasound detected a mysterious abnormality in Hess’s baby. Without hesitation, she reached for her phone, looking for answers.
By: Amanda Hess
-
Plain Jayne
- By: Jayne Kennedy
- Length: Not Yet Known
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From award-winning sports broadcaster and actress Jayne Kennedy comes a compelling, inspirational, and unflinchingly honest memoir about her rise in Hollywood and beyond.
By: Jayne Kennedy
-
Untitled Memoir
- By: Brandy
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the moment she first sang at church in McComb, Mississippi, Brandy knew her voice was special. At fourteen she landed her first record deal. At fifteen her album went platinum. At sixteen she was starring in the hit sitcom Moesha and became the first Black actress to play Cinderella on-screen alongside fairy godmother Whitney Houston. Now, for the first time, Brandy reveals the real story behind her life in the spotlight, the stratospheric highs and the unimaginable lows, the groundbreaking moments and the relatable journey she had to take to discover her authentic self—as Brandy.
By: Brandy
-
Notes to John
- By: Joan Didion
- Narrated by: Julianne Moore
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In November 1999, Joan Didion began seeing a psychiatrist because, as she wrote to a friend, her family had had “a rough few years.” She described the sessions in a journal she created for her husband, John Gregory Dunne. For several months, Didion recorded conversations with the psychiatrist in meticulous detail. The initial sessions focused on alcoholism, adoption, depression, anxiety, guilt, and the heartbreaking complexities of her relationship with her daughter, Quintana. The subjects evolved to include her work, which she was finding difficult to maintain for sustained periods.
By: Joan Didion
-
Truly
- By: Lionel Richie
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a storyteller second to none, Lionel Richie is ready to tell it all. In this intimate, deeply candid memoir, Lionel revisits hilarious and harrowing events to inspire all who doubt themselves or feel their dreams don’t matter. Lionel chronicles lessons learned during his unlikely story of remarkable success—his dramatic transformation from painfully shy, “tragically” late bloomer to world-class entertainer and composer of love songs that have played as the soundtrack of our lives.
By: Lionel Richie
-
Accidentally on Purpose
- By: Kristen Kish
- Narrated by: Kristen Kish
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Accidentally on Purpose dives into Kristen Kish’s childhood as a Korean adoptee in the Midwest, finding purpose in kitchens, and becoming the season 10 winner of—and now host—of Top Chef all the while navigating life in the spotlight, coming out in her adult years, and all the life lessons in between.
-
-
Enjoyable listen for fans…
- By NMwritergal on 04-23-25
By: Kristen Kish
-
Second Life
- Having a Child in the Digital Age
- By: Amanda Hess
- Narrated by: Amanda Hess
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As an internet culture critic for The New York Times, Amanda Hess had built a reputation among readers as a sharp observer of the seductions and manipulations of online life. But when Hess discovered she was pregnant with her first child, she found herself unexpectedly rattled by a digital identity crisis of her own. In the summer of 2020, a routine ultrasound detected a mysterious abnormality in Hess’s baby. Without hesitation, she reached for her phone, looking for answers.
By: Amanda Hess
-
Uncommon Favor
- Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three
- By: Dawn Staley
- Narrated by: Dawn Staley
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A three-time Olympic Gold medalist, six-time WNBA All-Star, and the first person to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award as both a player and coach, Staley has shattered expectations at every level of the game. While her name resonates with both longtime WNBA fans and newcomers, she has kept her personal life private. UncommonFavor reveals the journey that led to Staley’s success, including the challenges she faced.
By: Dawn Staley
-
The Hollow Half
- A Memoir of Bodies and Borders
- By: Sarah Aziza
- Narrated by: Sarah Aziza
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“You were dead, Sarah, you were dead.” In October 2019, Sarah Aziza, daughter and granddaughter of Gazan refugees, is narrowly saved after being hospitalized for an eating disorder. The doctors revive her body, but it is no simple thing to return to the land of the living. Aziza’s crisis is a rupture that brings both her ancestral and personal past into vivid presence. The hauntings begin in the hospital cafeteria, when a mysterious incident summons the familiar voice of her deceased Palestinian grandmother.
By: Sarah Aziza
-
The Trouble of Color
- An American Family Memoir
- By: Martha S. Jones
- Narrated by: Martha S. Jones
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Martha S. Jones grew up feeling her Black identity was obvious to all who saw her. But weeks into college, a Black Studies classmate challenged Jones’s right to speak. Suspicious of the color of her skin and the texture of her hair, he confronted her with a question that inspired a lifetime of introspection: “Who do you think you are?” Now a prizewinning scholar of Black history, Jones delves into her family’s past for answers. In every generation since her great-great-great-grandmother survived enslavement to raise a free family, color determined her ancestors’ lives.
By: Martha S. Jones
-
Marsha
- The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson
- By: Tourmaline
- Narrated by: Tourmaline
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
“Thank god the revolution has begun, honey.” Rumor has it that after Marsha P. Johnson threw the first brick in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, she picked up a shard of broken mirror to fix her makeup. Marsha, a legendary Black transgender activist, embodied both the beauty and the struggle of the early gay rights movement. Her work sparked the progress we see today, yet there has never been a definitive record of her life. Until now.
By: Tourmaline
-
My Next Breath
- A Memoir
- By: Jeremy Renner
- Narrated by: Jeremy Renner
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner was the second-most-googled person in 2023—and not for his impressive filmography. His searing portrayals on film ranged from an Iraq-based army bomb technician in The Hurt Locker and a Boston bank robber in The Town to a crooked Camden mayor in American Hustle before he became heir to the Jason Bourne franchise (The Bourne Legacy). Amongst other iconic roles, he also captured hearts as fan-favorite comic book marksman Hawkeye in seven Marvel films.
By: Jeremy Renner
-
Uptown Girl
- A Memoir
- By: Christie Brinkley
- Narrated by: Christie Brinkley
- Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1974, a twenty-year-old Christie Brinkley was “discovered” outside a Paris phone booth, which set off a meteoric modeling career that would land her on the covers of hundreds of magazines and cement her legacy as an All-American icon. Although she’s lived more than fifty years in the public eye, the full story of her roller-coaster life has never been told. Now, for the first time, Christie shares what life has been like, both in front of and behind the cameras
-
Searches
- Selfhood in the Digital Age
- By: Vauhini Vara
- Narrated by: Vauhini Vara, Anastasia Davidson
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When it was released to the public in November 2022, ChatGPT awakened the world to a secretive project: teaching AI-powered machines to write. Its creators had a sweeping ambition—to build machines that could not only communicate, but could do all kinds of other activities, better than humans ever could. But was this goal actually achievable? And if reached, would it lead to our liberation or our subjugation?
-
-
Brilliant!
- By Lisa on 04-19-25
By: Vauhini Vara
-
Ocean
- Earth's Last Wilderness
- By: Sir David Attenborough, Colin Butfield
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through personal stories, history and cutting-edge science, Ocean uncovers the mystery, the wonder and the frailty of the most unexplored habitat on our planet—and the one which shapes the land we live on, regulates our climate and creates the air we breathe. The book showcase the oceans' remarkable resilience: they are the part of our world that can, and in some cases has, recovered the fastest, if we only give them the chance.
By: Sir David Attenborough, and others
-
Run for the Hills
- A Novel
- By: Kevin Wilson
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since her dad left them twenty years ago, it’s just been Madeline Hill and her mom on their farm in Coalfield, Tennessee. While she sometimes admits it’s a bit lonely and a less exciting life than she imagined for herself, it’s mostly OK. Mostly. Then one day Reuben Hill pulls up in a PT Cruiser and informs Madeline that he believes she’s his half sister.
By: Kevin Wilson
-
Actress of a Certain Age
- My Twenty-Year Trail to Overnight Success
- By: Jeff Hiller
- Narrated by: Jeff Hiller
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While struggling to find success as an actor and pay the bills, something accidentally happened to Jeff Hiller: he aged. And while it’s one thing to get older and rest on the laurels of success from the blood, sweat, and tears of your youth, it’s quite another to be old and have no laurels. At forty, stuck in a temp job making spreadsheets, the dream of becoming a star seemed out of reach. But after twenty-five years of guest roles on TV and performing improv in a grocery store basement, he finally struck gold with a breakout role on HBO’s Somebody Somewhere, playing Joel.
By: Jeff Hiller
-
A Different Kind of Power
- A Memoir
- By: Jacinda Ardern
- Narrated by: Jacinda Ardern
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the former prime minister of New Zealand, then the world’s youngest female head of government and just the second to give birth in office, comes a deeply personal memoir chronicling her extraordinary rise and offering inspiration to a new generation of leaders.
By: Jacinda Ardern
-
Rewrite Your Rules
- The Journey to Success in Less Time with More Freedom
- By: Morgan DeBaun
- Narrated by: Morgan DeBaun
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hustle culture is out, intentional living is in. Morgan DeBaun, the visionary founder and CEO of Blavity Inc., is here to help you become the CEO of your life and revolutionize your approach to success and fulfillment.
-
-
Loved it!!
- By Nellie78 on 04-22-25
By: Morgan DeBaun
What listeners say about Matriarch
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jess
- 04-23-25
Amazing and Inspiring!
Each chapter is extraordinary and uplifting! I laughed and cried... I genuinely loved this book! Tina is a fantastic storyteller.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 04-24-25
Tina shares how she grew from Agnéz and Lumis’ daughter to a strong mom of 4 stars—while discovering herself along the way.
I loved how she offers a deeply personal and empowering narrative that goes beyond her identity as the mother of Beyoncé & Solange. Instead, it delves into her own journey of resilience, self-discovery, and the profound influence of Black motherhood and reflecting on how these generational teachings have shaped her own life and the lives of her daughters.
I give this a 5/5 because not only does she talk about her kids stories, but she talks about HER childhood, HER relationships, HER experiences, and HER Identity.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 04-23-25
BRILLIANT!
ive been a fan of all the girls so ive heard or seen momma T telling stories for 20 plus years but this was a real treat to lose myself in her story. ive always been intrigued by older black women’s wisdom, stories & their sayings she just reminds me of my grandmother & the older women I’ve befriended throughout my life that has gotten me through & some still are. this read has inspired me in many ways and humbled me you know how lifes experiences can sometimes divide a family core? that’s partly my life & during this read i was inspired to created a family group chat with my siblings & mother to share the memories of our childhood & laughs hopefully it puts on on the track to becoming close again. it’s so much i wanna say about how good this is my mind is everywhere so I’ll leave by simply saying thank you momma T for sharing.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful