A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY

Newbery award winner Cynthia Kadohata's story begins as the American Special Forces ask Y'Tin's father to help with one last mission in the jungles of South Vietnam. Keith Nobbs tells this affecting story of the cost of war on the civilians left behind through the experiences of Y'Tin. Thirteen years old, Y'Tin is on his way to becoming the youngest elephant handler in his village when the American withdrawal changes everything. Nobbs has a calm delivery that holds the listener rapt as he describes the North Vietnamese invasion of Y'Tin's village and the horrors of war and occupation experienced by civilians young and old. His depiction of Y'Tin's journey to maturity celebrates the human ability to hope and survive in spite of unbelievable odds. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2010]