COTTON COMES TO HARLEM

The Reverend Deke O'Hara, recently released from prison, returns to Harlem to introduce his “Back to Africa” movement. For a thousand dollars, families can journey to their homeland. Narrator Dion Graham skillfully weaves his way through the lively characters of 1960s Harlem—portraying the seemingly devout prayers of the preacher, the lure of prostitutes, the occurrences of sudden and jolting violence, and the sometimes questionable methods of detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones. When $87,000 goes missing, the detectives and locals hit the trail to follow a mysterious bale of cotton, which may be the key to the missing money. Graham’s delivery of diverse accents, snappy dialogue, sparkling humor, and splendid description richly enhances this production. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2012]