A skilled performer has the ability to take the written word to new heights, infusing an author’s work with empathy, warmth, and excitement. And representation matters just as much for audio as it does for any visual medium: listeners should feel and hear themselves in art driven by powerful performers and authentic deliveries. In this list, we’ve gathered a few of the best Black audiobook narrators in the business—along with their can't-miss performances to have on your radar.
British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor may have narrated just three audiobooks to date, but in this case, it’s quality over quantity. While you might know him best from film (12 Years a Slave, The Martian, The Lion King), his audio profile is on the rise. As the titular general in and the voice of beloved children’s novel The Supernaturalist, Ejiofor had already voiced two audio gems—but it was his performance of Susannah Clarke’s 2020 fantasy that really knocked our socks off. You haven’t lived until you’ve been mesmerized by Ejiofor’s exquisite tone, inflection, and interpretation of this spellbinding work, which won the Audie Award for Best Audiobook of the Year in 2020.
Bahni Turpin is an all-star Hall of Fame narrator, having lent her voice to some of the most talked-about books in recent memory, like Colson Whitehead's brilliant and by Ijeoma Oluo. Along with being a narrator, Turpin is an experienced television and film actress whose dramatic training lends an additional layer of depth to her work. Known for her rich, fully-realized renditions of a range of characters, Turpin's talents especially shine when she is working on a work with a lot of heart, like by Angie Thomas. Telling the story of a young girl caught between two racialized worlds, Turpin expertly embodies Starr's conflicted, moving inner thoughts.
Prentice Onayemi's acting career is extensive and varied—he’s done it all, from voicing English language learning programs to performing in various theatrical works, including roles on Broadway. To put it mildly, Onayemi—who is also a member of the prestigious Narrator Hall of Fame—definitely knows what he's doing, and it shows in each and every narration. Among his many stellar performances: his reading of Imbolo Mbue's . Telling a triumphant tale of immigrants in America, Onayemi expertly switches between accents, dialects, and voices, crafting a listen that feels like a full-cast production.
