One Crazy Summer
by Rita Williams-Garcia;
read by Sisi Aisha Johnson
Intermediate, Middle School Recorded Books
Rev. 3/10 5 CDs 978-1-4498-2196-8 $46.75
Williams-Garcia's novel of three young sisters' life-changing summer, set in 1968 Oakland, California, is even more vivid and immediate on audiobook. As the summer progresses, the sisters come to know their estranged mother, Cecile; become involved in street-level politics (and find that the Black Panthers are about not just revolution but also free breakfasts); and begin to think of themselves as "black" instead of "colored." Narrator Johnson brings listeners inside the head of eleven-year-old Delphine--smart, responsible beyond her years, and "used to doing what's hard"--capturing all Delphine's strength and vulnerability as she learns to stand up for herself as well as for her sisters. Like Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern, listeners won't want this memorable summer to end.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A241414118