The Talented Ribkins
- Author Ladee Hubbard
- Narrator Kevin Kenerly
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date 10 October 2017
- Run Time 7 hours and 21 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Contemporary fantasy, Family life fiction, Fiction: general and literary.
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Listen to a sample
What to expect
At seventy-two, Johnny Ribkins shouldn’t have such problems: he’s got one week to come up with the money he stole from his mobster boss or it’s curtains.
What may or may not be useful to Johnny as he flees is that he comes from an African American family that has been gifted with superpowers that are a bit, well, odd. Okay, very odd. For example, Johnny’s father could see colors no one else could see. His brother could scale perfectly flat walls. His cousin belches fire. And Johnny himself can make precise maps of any space you name, whether he’s been there or not.
In the old days, the Ribkins family tried to apply their gifts to the civil rights effort, calling themselves the Justice Committee. But when their, eh, superpowers proved insufficient, the group fell apart. Out of frustration Johnny and his brother used their talents to stage a series of burglaries, each more daring than the last.
Fast forward a couple decades and Johnny’s in a race against the clock to dig up loot he’s stashed all over Florida. His brother is gone, but he has an unexpected sidekick: his brother’s daughter, Eloise, who has a special superpower of her own.
Inspired by W. E. B. Du Bois’ famous essay “The Talented Tenth” and fueled by Ladee Hubbard’s marvelously original imagination, The Talented Ribkins is a big-hearted debut novel about race, class, politics, and the unique gifts that, while they may cause some problems from time to time, bind a family together.
Critics Review
“Narrator Kevin Kenerly depicts several generations of family members as Johnny Ribkins retrieves money to pay off his mobster boss…allowing Kenerly, through tone and inflection in particular, to show his facility with characters of all ages. Kenerly is particularly adept at depicting strong women as he shows the family dynamics in action. At each stop, Ribkins reconnects with a part of his history, recapturing his sense of pride, an attitude that Kenerly gradually builds into his persona. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
“[A] rip-roaring adventure.”
“If you love the works of Paul Beatty and Colson Whitehead, you’ll enjoy Ladee Hubbard’s wholly unique view of family and legacy with her dazzling first novel.”
“[A] sly, pleasurable first novel.”
“This is a first novel, and it’s great fun to read.”
“Ladee Hubbard delivers a fascinating twist on DuBois’ notion of the Talented Tenth in her debut novel…The Talented Ribkins recalls Colson Whitehead’s first novel, The Intuitionist.”
“Ladee Hubbard has written a celebration of family, as well as of the individual.”
“Takes you on a magical-realist road trip.”
“Hubbard weaves this narrative with prodigious skill and compelling warmth. You anticipate a movie while wondering if any movie could do this fascinating family…well, justice.”
“Hubbard’s ear for dialogue and creative character construction make the Ribkins family’s story fly.”
“A charming and delightful debut novel with a profound heart. Ladee Hubbard’s voice is a welcome original.”
“Magical.”
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