HE CALLS ME BY LIGHTNING The Life of Caliph Washington and the Forgotten Saga of Jim Crow, Southern Justice, and the Death Penalty

Author Bass unravels the complex threads that made up the life of Caliph Washington and the systematic racism that nearly brought him to his death at the hands of the state on three occasions in the mid-twentieth-century South. Mirron Willis's deep, slightly raspy voice has a gentleness and a slight Southern accent that make listening to the audiobook enjoyable, even if the story leaves one heartbroken and sickened. He has the right voice to enliven the big historical details while also drawing out the personal moments in Washington's life described by Bass. Washington's situation is one that has proven to be all too common in U.S. history, and Willis's narration makes listening to his story an important and powerful experience. L.E. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2017]