Before Her

The One, Book 1

By: Jacqueline Woodson

Narrated by: Jacqueline Woodson

In this eloquent memoir, the National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming traces the relationships in her past that would eventually deliver her to the love of a lifetime.

Before Jacqueline Woodson met Juliet, before her own self-realization, there were decades of friends, lovers, and family who defined the woman she’d become. In this haunting story of memory and identity, Jacqueline shares the profound impact they had on bending the path of her life; how they informed the dreams of her future; and how each one - some lost, all loved - would bring her to Juliet, her one and only.

Jacqueline Woodson’s Before Her is part of The One, a collection of seven singularly true love stories of friendship, companionship, marriage, and moving on. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single sitting, with or without company.

©2019 Jacqueline Woodson (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"In this brief yet affecting memoir...Woodson narrates with the unhurried pace of an author who knows just how her words should land; even the occasional stilted pauses add to the intimacy of the performance, evoking the feeling of a live reading. No less profound for its brevity, this is a must-listen for adult Woodson fans." (AudioFile)

Before Him

I would love to know more about the lonely "him" in her relationships. It was very ironic that she got pregnant after her grandma died. I guess I wanted to know more about that. I felt like the rest of her exes was a who's who of relationships that came and gone. And the author was the only survivor.

Great insight into a life of love

I enjoyed this review of this author's life through the eyes of her heart. Her voice is easy to listen to and feel her emotion.

The story

The description of the relationships in the story were absolutely beautiful! It was such a nice and short read!

Enjoyed It!

I enjoyed listening to this short, well written and well narrated story. I got all caught up in it and, before I knew it, it was over! Well worth the short amount of time it takes to listen. I could see myself listening to a longer version of this story, or other works by this author! Thanks, Ms. Woodson....☺️

Difficult to follow; narration was a distraction

I found this story hard to follow, due to a narrative spoken in a choppy monotone and having an odd cadence (think, William Shatner). Had I read the selection, as opposed to listening...it’s possible I would've found it more interesting; perhaps, entertaining?

The selection was read by the author, yet at times it sounded like the narrator had no connection to or knowledge of the story. Instead of a narrative, what I heard seemed simply a litany of items on a list; some substance, little story.