AUDIOBOOK

Isaac's Song

A Novel

Daniel Black
4.4
(144)
Duration
8h 26m
Year
2025
Language
English

About

The beloved author of “Don't Cry for Me” and “Perfect Peace” returns with a poignant, emotionally exuberant novel about a young queer Black man finding his voice in 1980s Chicago—a novel of family, forgiveness and perseverance, for fans of “The Great Believers” and “On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous”.

Isaac is at a crossroads in his young life. Growing up in Missouri, the son of a caustic, hard-driving father, he was conditioned to suppress his artistic pursuits and physical desires, notions that didn't align with a traditional view of masculinity. But now, in late '80s Chicago, Isaac has finally carved out a life of his own. He is sensitive and tenderhearted and has built up the courage to seek out a community. Yet just as he begins to embrace who he is, two social catalysts, the AIDS crisis and Rodney King's attack, collectively extinguish his hard-earned joy.

At a therapist's encouragement, Isaac begins to write down his story. In the process, he taps into a creative energy that will send him on a journey back to his family, his ancestral home in Arkansas and the inherited trauma of the nation's dark past. But a surprise discovery will either unlock the truths he's seeking or threaten to derail the life he's fought so hard to claim.

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Reviews

Narrator JD Jackson delivers a stirring performance of this cathartic companion to Daniel Black's DON'T CRY FOR ME. Isaac, a young, queer Black man, undertakes therapy for help processing his emotions following the death of his father. His therapist encourages him to write down his life story to help him unpack its difficult circumstances. Jackson moves listeners with his raw characterization of I
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