The Road Is Good: How a Mother's Strength Became a Daughter's Purpose

by Uzo Aduba Narrated by Uzo Aduba

Overview

A powerful, timely memoir of Black immigrant identity, the story of an unforgettable matriarch, and a unique coming-of-age story by Nigerian American actress Uzo Aduba.

The actress Uzo Aduba came of age grappling with a master juggling act: as one of few Black families in their white Massachusetts suburb, she and her siblings were the unexpected presence in whatever school room or sports team they joined. But Aduba was also rooted by a fierce and nonnegotiable sense of belonging and extraordinary worth that stemmed from her mother's powerful vision for her children, and their connection to generations of family in Nigeria. The alchemy of being out of place yet driven by fearless conviction powered Aduba to success.

The Road Is Good is more than the journey of a young woman determined to survive young adulthood - and to create a workable identity for herself. It is the story of an incredible mother and a testament to matriarchal power. When Aduba's mother falls ill, the origin of her own power crystallizes and Aduba leaps into a caretaker role, uniquely prepared by the history and tools her mother passed along to become steward of her ancestoral legacy.

Deeply mining her family history-gripping anecdotes her mother, aunts, and uncles shared in passing at family celebrations and her own discoveries through countless auditions in New York and her travels to Nigeria-Aduba pieces together a life story imbued with guiding lessons that are both personal and profoundly universal.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 07/15/2024

In this powerful autobiography, Orange Is the New Black actor Aduba traces her path from Medfield, Mass., to Hollywood, paying particular attention to her relationship with her Nigerian immigrant mother, Nonyem. Growing up in a close-knit Igbo family in the 1980s and ’90s—in one of suburban Medfield’s few Black households—Aduba spent Sunday afternoons watching movies and late nights striving for academic excellence. “My American Dream is for you people to be able to live your dream,” Nonyem often told Aduba and her four siblings (two of whom were born to a different father than Aduba’s, though Nonyem raised her children with “no half brothers or step anything”). For Aduba, that dream manifested in a modestly successful stage career in New York and California before she landed the role of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren on Orange Is the New Black, which won her two Emmys. Throughout her career, including her stint on FX’s historical drama Mrs. America as Shirley Chisholm, Aduba drew on the determination her mother modeled. In 2019, she returned to Massachusetts to care for Nonyem, who was dying of pancreatic cancer. With wit, insight, and heart, Aduba constructs a captivating self-portrait that doubles as an ode to her remarkable mother. Even readers unfamiliar with Aduba’s acting work will be spellbound. Agent: Albert Lee, UTA. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

With wit, insight, and heart, Aduba constructs a captivating self-portrait that doubles as an ode to her remarkable mother. In this powerful autobiography, even readers unfamiliar with Aduba’s acting work will be spellbound.
—Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159431585
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	09/24/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged