A LONG DAY IN A SHORT LIFE

Rupert Degas delivers what sounds like a full-cast performance--with every accent, every dialect, every nuance in place. This grim novel is based on writer Albert Maltz's imprisonment after he insulted the red-baiting House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. The 1950s book was originally suppressed for its political message, a plea for prison reform. Degas is completely believable as he portrays Black prisoners and guards, wizened cons who speak from experience, and, in flashbacks, the women they remember. With a cast of murderers, safecrackers, forgers, and innocents, along with disturbing scenes of racism and the misuse of power, Degas makes each story heartfelt and each prisoner a real human being. This is listening at its finest--thanks to Degas. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2024]