RED AT THE BONE

Five talented narrators, including the author, differentiate shifting time periods and three generations of an African-American family. Bahni Turpin aids listeners in understanding the feelings of 16-year-old Melody, who is central to the story. Her caustic comments arise from her mother Iris’s infrequent presence. Shayna Small fills in Iris’s complexities. She is a teen mother who fled home dreaming of a larger life. In contrast, Peter Francis James and Quincy Tyler Bernstine’s rich voices evoke the age, devotion, authority, and histories of Melody’s beloved grandparents. Author Jacqueline Woodson delivers the third-person narrative, connecting the way the protagonists impact each other. Her spare but emotive text leaves lots of room for all these powerful interpretations. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2019 Best Audiobook, 2020 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2019]