THE TYRANT'S DAUGHTER

What’s it like to be caught between cultures? The author, a former CIA agent, knows. So will listeners after hearing Meera Simhan’s portrayal of 15-year-old Laila, who immigrates to the U.S. from an unnamed Middle Eastern country after her father is murdered in a coup. Simhan reads with lightly accented precision, balancing Laila’s conflicting emotions at being “a girl divided”—relief at proffered friendship, horror at discovering her father’s tyranny, worry about her mother’s irresponsibility and her brother’s delusion of becoming king, and, worst of all, confusion about who she really is. Simhan’s involving narration catches listeners in Laila’s web. This audio production includes an author’s note and a commentary by Cheryl Benard, a researcher dedicated to social activism. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2014]