Listen free for 30 days
-
Behold the Dreamers
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayem
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Free Food for Millionaires
- By: Min Jin Lee
- Narrated by: Shelly Frasier
- Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Casey Han's years at Princeton have given her a refined diction, an enviable golf handicap, a popular white boyfriend and a degree in economics. But no job, and a number of bad habits. As Casey, the daughter of working-class Korean immigrants, navigates an uneven course of small triumphs and spectacular failures, a clash of values, ideals and ambitions plays out against the colourful backdrop of New York society.
-
-
Obsessed
- By nicci wright on 10-05-22
-
Learning to Swim
- By: Clare Chambers
- Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abigail Jex never expected to see any of the Radleys again. They were extraordinary, captivating creatures transplanted from a bohemian corner of North London to outer suburbia, and the young Abigail found herself drawn into their magic circle: the eccentric Frances, her new best friend; Frances' mother, the liberated, headstrong Lexi; and of course the brilliant, beautiful Rad. Abigail thought she'd banished the ghost of her life with them and the catastrophe that ended it, but 13 years later a chance encounter forces her to acknowledge that the spell is far from broken.
-
-
Wonderful coming of age novel
- By Molly on 19-01-22
-
An Orchestra of Minorities
- By: Chigozie Obioma
- Narrated by: Chukwudi Iwuji
- Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young farmer named Chinonso prevents a woman from falling to her death. Bonded by this strange night on the bridge, he and Ndali fall in love, but it is a mismatch according to her family who reject him because of his lowly status. Is it love or madness that makes Chinonso think he can change his destiny? Set across Nigeria and Cyprus, An Orchestra of Minorities, written in the mythic style of the Igbo tradition, weaves a heart-wrenching tale about fate versus free will.
-
-
Orchestra of Minorities
- By Hugh M. Clarke on 28-01-19
-
How Beautiful We Were
- By: Imbolo Mbue
- Narrated by: Allyson Johnson, Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, How Beautiful We Were tells the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of clean-up and financial reparations to the villagers are made-and ignored. The country's government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interest only. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back.
-
-
Very sad but interesting story
- By sue winstanley on 21-09-21
-
The Book of Lost Names
- By: Kristin Harmel
- Narrated by: Katherine Press, Francine Brody
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1942, Eva is forced to flee Paris after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small mountain town, she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children escaping to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva realises she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember their own identities.
-
-
What a great page turner
- By Christineb on 17-02-22
-
'Round Midnight
- By: Laura McBride
- Narrated by: Joy Osmanski, Will Damron
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spanning the six decades when Las Vegas grew from a dusty gambling town into the melting pot metropolis it is today, 'Round Midnight is the story of four women - one who falls in love, one who gets lucky, one whose heart is broken, and one who chooses happiness - whose lives change at the Midnight Room.
-
Free Food for Millionaires
- By: Min Jin Lee
- Narrated by: Shelly Frasier
- Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Casey Han's years at Princeton have given her a refined diction, an enviable golf handicap, a popular white boyfriend and a degree in economics. But no job, and a number of bad habits. As Casey, the daughter of working-class Korean immigrants, navigates an uneven course of small triumphs and spectacular failures, a clash of values, ideals and ambitions plays out against the colourful backdrop of New York society.
-
-
Obsessed
- By nicci wright on 10-05-22
-
Learning to Swim
- By: Clare Chambers
- Narrated by: Antonia Beamish
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Abigail Jex never expected to see any of the Radleys again. They were extraordinary, captivating creatures transplanted from a bohemian corner of North London to outer suburbia, and the young Abigail found herself drawn into their magic circle: the eccentric Frances, her new best friend; Frances' mother, the liberated, headstrong Lexi; and of course the brilliant, beautiful Rad. Abigail thought she'd banished the ghost of her life with them and the catastrophe that ended it, but 13 years later a chance encounter forces her to acknowledge that the spell is far from broken.
-
-
Wonderful coming of age novel
- By Molly on 19-01-22
-
An Orchestra of Minorities
- By: Chigozie Obioma
- Narrated by: Chukwudi Iwuji
- Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young farmer named Chinonso prevents a woman from falling to her death. Bonded by this strange night on the bridge, he and Ndali fall in love, but it is a mismatch according to her family who reject him because of his lowly status. Is it love or madness that makes Chinonso think he can change his destiny? Set across Nigeria and Cyprus, An Orchestra of Minorities, written in the mythic style of the Igbo tradition, weaves a heart-wrenching tale about fate versus free will.
-
-
Orchestra of Minorities
- By Hugh M. Clarke on 28-01-19
-
How Beautiful We Were
- By: Imbolo Mbue
- Narrated by: Allyson Johnson, Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, How Beautiful We Were tells the story of a people living in fear amidst environmental degradation wrought by an American oil company. Pipeline spills have rendered farmlands infertile. Children are dying from drinking toxic water. Promises of clean-up and financial reparations to the villagers are made-and ignored. The country's government, led by a brazen dictator, exists to serve its own interest only. Left with few choices, the people of Kosawa decide to fight back.
-
-
Very sad but interesting story
- By sue winstanley on 21-09-21
-
The Book of Lost Names
- By: Kristin Harmel
- Narrated by: Katherine Press, Francine Brody
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1942, Eva is forced to flee Paris after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small mountain town, she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children escaping to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva realises she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember their own identities.
-
-
What a great page turner
- By Christineb on 17-02-22
-
'Round Midnight
- By: Laura McBride
- Narrated by: Joy Osmanski, Will Damron
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spanning the six decades when Las Vegas grew from a dusty gambling town into the melting pot metropolis it is today, 'Round Midnight is the story of four women - one who falls in love, one who gets lucky, one whose heart is broken, and one who chooses happiness - whose lives change at the Midnight Room.
-
All My Mothers
- By: Joanna Glen
- Narrated by: Polly Edsell
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between her emotionally absent mother and her physically absent father, there is nobody to answer them. Eva is convinced that all is not as it seems. Why are there no baby pictures of her? Why do her parents avoid all questions about her early years? When her parents’ relationship crumbles, Eva begins a journey to find these answers for herself. Her desire to discover where she belongs leads Eva on a journey spanning decades and continents—and, along the way, she meets women who challenge her idea of what a mother should be and who will change her life forever....
-
-
An absolute, must, must listen!
- By Rachel Redford on 18-08-21
-
Vegas Rich
- By: Fern Michaels
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 21 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a heart full of dreams, Sallie Coleman leaves Texas and heads west determined to get as far from the squalor of her dirt poor beginnings. With its shifting sands, smoky saloons, and bingo palaces, Las Vegas seems like a paradise. A paradise where an extraordinary twist of fate makes Sallie the most powerful businesswoman in Nevada.
-
-
Great story of a family
- By Clare on 12-09-13
-
The Nix
- By: Nathan Hill
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 21 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet Samuel: stalled writer, bored teacher at a local college, obsessive player of online video games. He hasn't seen his mother, Faye, in decades, not since she abandoned her family when he was a boy. Now she has suddenly reappeared, having committed an absurd politically motivated crime that electrifies the nightly news, beguiles the Internet, and inflames a divided America. The media paints Faye as a radical hippie with a sordid past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother was an ordinary girl who married her high school sweetheart.
-
-
Brilliant novel
- By Will J Bailey on 24-05-17
-
Case Study
- By: Graeme Macrae Burnet
- Narrated by: Serena Manteghi, Graeme Rooney
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1965. An unworldly young woman believes that a charismatic psychotherapist, Collins Braithwaite, has driven her sister to suicide. Intent on confirming her suspicions, she assumes a false identity and presents herself to him as a client, recording her experiences in a series of notebooks. But she soon finds herself drawn into a world in which she can no longer be certain of anything. Even her own character.
-
-
As Good as His Bloody Project
- By Manda N on 10-10-21
-
The First Woman
- By: Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
- Narrated by: Pauline Babula
- Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Smart, headstrong Kirabo is raised by her grandparents in rural Uganda. But as she enters her teens, she starts to feel overshadowed by the absence of the mother she has never known. At once epic and deeply personal, The First Woman is the bold and piercing story of one young girl’s discovery of what it means to be a woman in a family, a community and a country that seem determined to silence her. Steeped in the rich folklore of Uganda but with an eye firmly on the future, Jennifer Makumbi has written a sweeping, effervescent tale of longing, femininity and courage.
-
-
Lovely read
- By Book Lover on 10-08-21
-
The Last Green Valley
- By: Mark Sullivan
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 16 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In late March 1944, as Stalin’s forces push into Ukraine, young Emil and Adeline Martel must make a terrible decision: Do they wait for the Soviet bear’s intrusion and risk being sent to Siberia? Or do they reluctantly follow the wolves - murderous Nazi officers who have pledged to protect “pure-blood” Germans? The Martels are one of many families of German heritage whose ancestors have farmed in Ukraine for more than a century.
-
-
Another great story based on true events …
- By Anonymous User on 27-09-21
-
Black Cake
- By: Charmaine Wilkerson
- Narrated by: Lynnette Freeman, Simone McIntyre
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eleanor Bennett won't let her own death get in the way of the truth. So when her estranged children - Byron and Benny - reunite for her funeral in California, they discover a puzzling inheritance. First, a voice recording in which everything Byron and Benny ever knew about their family is upended. Their mother narrates a tumultuous story about a headstrong young woman who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder, a story that cuts right to the heart of the rift that's separated Byron and Benny. Second, a traditional Caribbean black cake made from a family recipe.
-
-
Black Cake? What recipe!
- By jss on 01-03-22
-
Born a Crime
- Stories from a South African Childhood
- By: Trevor Noah
- Narrated by: Trevor Noah
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The compelling, inspiring (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed. One of the comedy world's brightest new voices, Trevor Noah is a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics, race and identity, sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life.
-
-
Excellently read
- By OldskoolHrdcore on 25-08-17
-
The Son
- By: Philipp Meyer
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Shepherd, and others
- Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Part epic of Texas, part classic coming-of-age story, part unflinching portrait of the bloody price of power, The Son is an utterly transporting novel that maps the legacy of violence in the American West through the lives of the McCulloughs, an ambitious family as resilient and dangerous as the land they claim. Love, honour, children are sacrificed in the name of ambition, as the family becomes one of the richest powers in Texas, a dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege.
-
-
Masterful
- By Objective, unbiased on 18-09-16
-
How We Disappeared
- By: Jing-Jing Lee
- Narrated by: Angela Lin, Ryun Yu
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Singapore, 1942. As Japanese troops sweep down Malaysia and into Singapore, a village is ransacked, leaving only two survivors and one tiny child. In a neighbouring village, 17-year-old Wang Di is bundled into the back of a troop carrier and shipped off to a Japanese military brothel where she is forced into sexual slavery. After 60 years of silence, what she saw and experienced there still haunts her present.
-
-
heart wrenching but full of hope
- By Kindle Customer on 07-03-20
-
Maude
- By: Donna Mabry
- Narrated by: Shana Gagnon
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1906 I was barely over 14 years old, and it was my wedding day. My older sister, Helen, came to my room, took me by the hand, and sat me down on the bed. She said, "You've always been a good girl, Maude, and done what I told you. Now you're going to be a married woman, and he will be the head of the house. When you go home tonight after your party, no matter what he wants to do to you, you have to let him do it. Do you understand?"
-
-
such a stoic brave life....
- By marianne on 11-05-21
-
The Book of Memory
- By: Petina Gappah
- Narrated by: Chipo Chung
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Memory, the narrator of The Book of Memory, is an albino woman languishing in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she has been convicted of murder. As part of her appeal her lawyer insists that she write down what happened as she remembers it. As her story unfolds, Memory reveals that she has been convicted for the murder of her adoptive father. But did everything happen exactly as she remembers?
-
-
A slow-burner, but a real treat.
- By bookylady on 28-08-16
Summary
A powerful and timely story of marriage, class, race and the pursuit of the American dream.
Behold the Dreamers is a dazzling debut novel about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - and of what we're prepared to sacrifice to hold on to each of them.
'We all do what we gotta do to become American, Abi.'
New York, 2007: a city of dreamers and strivers, where the newly arrived and the long established jostle alike for a place on the ladder of success. And Jende Jonga, who has come from Cameroon, has just set his foot on the first rung. Clark Edwards is a senior partner at Lehman Brothers bank. In need of a discrete and reliable chauffeur, he is too preoccupied to closely check the paperwork of his latest employee.
Jende's new job draws him; his wife, Neni; and their young son into the privileged orbit of the city's financial elite. And when Clark's wife, Cindy, offers Neni work and takes her into her confidence, the couple begin to believe that the land of opportunity might finally be opening up for them. But there are troubling cracks in their employers' facades, and when the deep fault lines running beneath the financial world are exposed, the Edwards' secrets threaten to spill out into the Jongas' lives.
Faced with the loss of all they have worked for, each couple must decide how far they will go in pursuit of their dreams - and what they are prepared to sacrifice along the way.
Critic reviews
"Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It's our good luck that she and her stories are American." (Jonathan Franzen)
"Realistic, tragic, and still remarkably kind to all its characters, this is a special book." ( Kirkus, starred review)
"A debut novel that illuminates the immigrant experience in America with the tenderhearted wisdom so lacking in our political discourse.... Mbue is a bright and captivating storyteller." ( Washington Post)
"Mbue writes with great confidence and warmth.... A capacious, big-hearted novel." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"Warm and captivating." ( People)
"A heartfelt rumination on immigration, race, class, marriage, and hope." ( Buzzfeed)
"Imbolo Mbue's masterful debut about an immigrant family struggling to obtain the elusive American Dream in Harlem will have you feeling for each character from the moment you crack it open." ( In Style)
" Behold the Dreamers challenges us all to consider what it takes to make us genuinely content, and how long is too long to live with our dreams deferred." ( O: The Oprah Magazine)
"Reminiscent of Jonathan Franzen and Joyce Carol Oates...a finely nuanced examination of the American Dream." ( Sydney Morning Herald)
More from the same
What listeners say about Behold the Dreamers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lin Becker
- 21-09-18
The Dreamers see the American Dream & Nightmare
Jende and Neni are beautifully and painstakingly rendered in this novel. Their arrival in Harlem from Limbe, Cameroon (where the author is from) is driven by a pure need for escape and hunger for a future. As if their lives are not already full of struggle, they are caught out in an unexpected way by the fall of Lehman Brothers. They try to react to everything that's been thrown at them in an honest and honorable way. But Neni starts to think about making immoral and unethical choices in order to remain in the US. It's a fascinating read to see her calculus of decision making. Jende and Neni can see the American dream and nightmare all captured in one frame. Despite that, they would like to stay. This is a heartbreaking read.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TheZee
- 20-04-18
Viscerally beautiful
This book is of superb quality. I felt every emotion with every character. It's so real and interesting in the process of hoping for a better life in another country. I was moved by the whole book. The narrator is excellent. The author captures so much in this wonderful literary work.
Behold the Dreamers is viscerally beautiful.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Don
- 28-02-17
Excellent!
This is the equivalent of a five star hotel, where everything is of the highest quality. The story is captivating, the characters believable, and the narrator has made this my most enjoyable listen. I came to it through reading a review of the book in the Sunday Times Culture section. Just out of curiosity I looked to see if it had been released on Audible, and am glad that I did. Superb.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 22-07-21
A story about immigrants' dreams
This was an unexpected pleasure. The story of doing ABSOLUTELY anything to push forward is a core part of who I am. As well as every immigrant that has carried the creation of America. This is a story of a dreaming big even if the world (or recession) says you should not.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shannon Harrison
- 20-06-21
Taken By Surprise !!
This book sneaks up on you. You don’t realise the moment you are invested. The main theme of this book was loyalty.
Jende is my RUBIX cube I still do not know how to figure him out or how I feel about him. He did right, he did wrong. Maybe Mbue wanted him to be human and relatable and if so job done!
Neni caught me off guard. She is the definition of desperate and that reflected in her virtues.
Clarke was the character that surprised me the most. His character developed so much during the course of the book and the enlightening moments were heartwarming.
Cindy - well the least said the better.
Vince made me smile and reminded me to be brave and tackle anything that comes your way.
Listening to this book aided the experience. The narration was easy to listen to and the change in voices helped keep track of the various characters.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sigrin
- 11-05-21
It’s not a dream it’s a plan.
Firstly Prentice Onayem has the most beautiful voice, full of life and expression.....even the phone directory would sound interesting with his narration.
Great book on the lives of a Cameroon family living in New York, adapting and finding their way, whilst learning the customs of the city, all as black illegal immigrants.
They are a hardworking proud family and soon things start to look up when Jende gets a job as a chauffeur for an executive at Lehman bothers pre crash.... as you can imaging the story unfolds with this as a back drop.
No spoilers, it’s a wonderful story full of the light and dark of family life for an affluent all American family and a black Cameroonian family.
Highly recommend.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- R. A. KING
- 11-07-20
Dreams of America
Really good character building.
The story of shared and conflicting dreams of New York. Enjoyable and it feels like there's a part coming soon
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 28-02-20
LOVED IT!
Entertaining read but also beautifully captures the plight of economic immigrants and asylum seekers to western countries.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Adeleke Adewole
- 25-02-18
A good story, excellently read.
The voice, the accents, the music bring this story of African life in New York to life.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 17-01-18
Touching & compelling novel wonderfully read!
I loved this novel - you really get to know and love the characters well, and root for them throughout. Very poignant and relevant for today, even though it's set in '08. I can't say enough about Prentice Onayem either, his delivery and voices were so natural and beautifully done. Both narrator and writer are great talents.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Sylvia Ngenga
- 13-09-20
Relatable Read
Loved It! It told a story many never hear about and one that many experience
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- David
- 26-08-19
Great Listen
I finished this book in just two days. It's a great story and the narrator really brings it to life. It was written over 10 years ago but it seems as though the author knew what would be coming! Really glad I listened!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mueni Masambia
- 29-06-19
Loved it
Having lived as an immigrant in the US, I could totaly relate to this book. It brings out the struggle and frustration quiet clearly. Its well written and captivating. Kept me hooked to the end