SAY YOU'RE ONE OF THEM

A collection of anguishing stories from Africa is made all the more difficult to bear because the protagonists are all children or teenagers, each with a limited comprehension of the evil afoot but no protection from its harm. Robin Miles, Dion Graham, and Kevin Free narrate different stories, and all of them manage the balance these stories require. The three narrators successfully convey the naïveté of the young characters while also showing their awakening to the dangers that threaten them. Miles, Graham, and Free are equally adept, especially in reproducing the lilting African cadences. Nevertheless, the switch from one reader to the next is welcome—a breath of air before being resubmerged in the horror. M.O. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2010]