THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PERSIMMON WILSON

Narrator JD Jackson’s resonant voice enriches this graceful yet heartbreaking story of a freed slave who is facing the hangman’s noose. It’s a decade after the Civil War, and Persimmon Wilson recounts his life as slave, a Comanche prisoner, and a Texas ranch hand. Jackson conveys Persy’s deep wretchedness, which comes from having lost Chloe, the love of his life, and depicts Persy’s tireless search for the light-skinned house slave who was forced into intimate service for their white master. Jackson magnificently portrays Persy’s intelligence and power. But his tendency to drop his volume on occasional individual words makes comprehension a bit tricky amid ambient noise. Otherwise, this is an excellent performance. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2017]