GETTING SOME OF HER OWN

Thirty-four-year-old Susan Pettiford, an up-and-coming African-American interior designer, acquires a sizable inheritance and a life-altering diagnosis within weeks of each another. Author Gwynne Forster has composed a moving story of the complexities of second chances, career choices, and early menopause. Saidah Arrika Ekulona brings to the fore a wide range of emotions shared by the lead characters: a young woman questioning if there can be sex and love after a hysterectomy, a young man brooding over the father he never had, and a child dealing with the foster care system. Ekulona’s performance is riveting and heartrending. She gives a deft narration, letting the words rather than her presentation dominate the characterizations. P.R. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2009]