BURIED BENEATH THE BAOBAB TREE

Robin Miles's powerful emotional tone carries listeners to Nigeria and the life of an unnamed narrator in the 2010s. She is bright and beloved by family and friends. Cheer balances her worries about hiding menstrual blood, and she dreams of meetings with her first crush. Short chapters mark small moments of daily life and introduce rumors about Boko Haram. When the militants arrive, they kill her father and brothers, destroy the village, and kidnap her and other young women. Miles voices the narrator's anger, sadness, and mourning through tone and pace, and powerfully evokes her anxiety about staying alive sexually intact. Eventual escape reveals her courage and resilience. The compelling story is followed by facts derived from interviews that provide personal and historical context. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2018]