AMERICAN STREET

When American-born Fabiola Toussaint's Haitian mother is taken by U.S. immigration officers, the teenager is left on her own to make a new life with her aunt and cousins in Detroit. Narrator Robin Miles glides silkily through Haitian Creole, Detroit street talk, and standard American English, infusing the dialogue with authentic-sounding accents and age-appropriate sass and bravado. This audiobook addresses the complexities of contemporary immigration, and Miles illuminates Fabiola's tangled emotions: her longing for her mother, her wish to assimilate while holding on to her rich cultural past, and her shattered illusions of the American Dream. Miles taps into each character's unique struggle to balance survival with tough choices, infusing her near-flawless performance with nuanced drama. Listeners will long remember Fabiola's transformative journey. C.B.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2017]