Try free for 30 days

  • Better Angels

  • A Retelling of Bayard Taylor's "Joseph and His Friend: A Pennsylvania Story"
  • By: Wayne Goodman
  • Narrated by: Wayne Goodman
  • Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Better Angels cover art

Better Angels

By: Wayne Goodman
Narrated by: Wayne Goodman
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Joseph Asten, a handsome, 23-year-old farmer living in the Allegheny River Valley shortly after the Civil War, secretly longed for intimacy and love with other men. He devised a misguided plan to marry a woman who knew of his "dual nature," then his life took some unexpected, fateful turns.

Bayard Taylor's Joseph and His Friend: A Pennsylvania Story is considered the first American Gay novel. Originally published in 1869 as a serial in The Atlantic the author could not relate the story openly and had to use suggestive ways to describe his characters' activities and motivations. In Better Angels Goodman retells the tale frankly and candidly, free from antiquated 19th-Century cultural restraints. This is the author's second book revivifying forgotten, historically-significant Queer stories.

©2017 Wayne Goodman (P)2017 Wayne Goodman
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

What listeners say about Better Angels

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.