BROTHERS AND SISTERS

Esther Jackson, an African-American bank executive, doesn't think much about race relations until a black vice-president begins harassing her good friend, who is white. Bebe Moore Campbell's story humanizes the strife in Los Angeles after the recent riots. Maxine Robinson is especially sensitive to the dramatic cues of the text. She volleys conflicting emotions with well-gauged intensity and conveys intent without adding excessive layers of interpretation. Some readers with such ego-free technique are dull, but Robinson catches the raw, honest light here and reflects it back clear and strong. D.J. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 96]