THE EVERYTHING I HAVE LOST

Narrator Lori Felipe-Barkin is the voice of 12-year-old Julia in Sylvia Zeleny's first novel for English readers. She is wistful as she dreams of her family moving to El Paso, where her mother has family and where life would be easier and safer. Her voice is frank, and often angry, as she shares diary entries describing the poverty and violence in Juarez, Mexico, with strong language some may find inappropriate for tween listeners. One would expect to hear this story told in a Mexican accent; instead, Felipe-Barkin uses an unaccented voice, except for obvious Mexican words--a lost opportunity that lessens the power of Julia's authentic voice. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2021]