TAMBOURINES TO GLORY

Two middle-aged African-American women in 1950s Harlem see an opportunity to move from poverty to prosperity by creating their own street-corner church. As their enterprise becomes successful, a host of ne’er-do-wells enters the tabernacle of these two less-than-holy women to get a piece of their Bible-thumping pie. Myra Lucretia Taylor is nothing short of superb as narrator. Hughes, a preeminent member of the Harlem Renaissance, has populated this story with a wonderfully expressive cast of characters. Taylor not only brings them to life, she imbues them with spirit and verve. Using timbre, accents, and sheer attitude, Taylor fills to bursting this joyously exuberant example of mid-twentieth-century African-American literature. P.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]