IN THE KEY OF US

Week by week, Imani Jade Powers and Yinka Ladeinde take turns narrating the experiences of two Black girls, rising eighth graders, at a mostly white music camp. Andi's grieving the death of her single mom, a free-spirited artist. Zora strives to meet her professor parents' expectations at no small cost to herself. The cabin mates are not natural companions--despite what all the white people think. This is just one of many microaggressions they face. But gradually they become friends . . . then maybe more. Ladeinde powerfully delivers Zora's raw emotions as her facade of perfection slips; Powers's wistful, elegiac delivery has less range but leans into Andi's intense sadness. Lengthy periods spent in each girl's perspective embed listeners thoroughly in their story. The emotional truths revealed show deep respect for listeners' own. V.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2023]