Inner City Blues Free Audiobook Download by Paula L. Woods

A South African native, Fran Washington is a well known name in the audiobook industry. She has narrated over five hundred audiobooks and won numerous awards. This work tells a story of love, relationships and hope that takes place in a poor community.

I was pleasantly surprised by the story of Paula L. Woods's memoir, Inner City Blues. It is not an easy read, nor is it a light one, but one that should be considered in any discussion about urban America and how it affects the minds and worldview of minority-appearing people in particular.

Paula L. Woods is a writer, mother, wife and retired school teacher. She was born in the South Bronx and lived there until her family moved to Long Island. In between writing memoirs, novels, poetry and essays, she became the author of a book of poetry titled A Class Apart: Poems of Growing Up Black & Proud. I don't know about anyone else but I could relate to some of her poems as a black woman who experienced many challenges growing up in the South Bronx.

In the early 20th century, African Americans created the blues to express their struggle of life in the "toil and sweat" of the Southern United States. Ms. Washington brings listeners closer to understanding why so many people throughout history have found solace in stories that reflect these struggles through her narration.

There are plenty of great books about people and their experiences. There are also plenty of bad books, ones that will make you want to cry or scream at the narrator. Paula L. Woods, author of Inner City Blues, would fall into the latter category if this was a book in person. It's a book about a woman (and her little son) trying to live in an ever-changing and unsafe environment as she struggles with life and other woes.

Paula L. Woods was born in the inner city of Chicago and raised by her grandparents until age 13 when she lived with her mom, who was struggling to make ends meet. As a girl, she didn't want anyone to think she was too smart or capable because of the way she looked or sounded. She just wanted to fit in. Although it took years for her confidence to grow, Paula weathered the storm and became successful in her career as a professor of Sociology at Howard University.