WALKIN' THE DOG

James's reading of Mosley's jazz-like, gritty prose is a sublime experience in creativity; his presentation of the cadences of Southern Black speech is superb. Together James and Mosley create an empathy for their hero and main character, Socrates Fortlow, that makes hearing his story very painful. Socrates, an ex-con, insists on living life on his own terms in the mean streets of Watts, while the police attempt to make him the fall guy for every crime in the area. James's ability to convey stress, emotions and humor in wonderfully melodic tones adds to the contrasts in Socrates's everyday life. S.C.A. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 01]