CONCRETE ROSE

Narrator Dion Graham shines bright in this YA prequel, set 17 years before the events in THE HATE U GIVE. Narrating in the first person as Maverick, Graham is tasked with delivering internal and external dialogue. We hear the fast-paced, sometimes frantic, thoughts of a Black teenage boy in way over his head—dealing drugs in order to help his mother take care of his family. In those moments, Graham sounds like a poet, and the rhythm of his narration carries listeners away. When Maverick speaks aloud, his tone changes, depending on whom he is speaking to. When Graham slips between the internal and external voices, listeners feel as though they are living inside this emotionally fraught, well-paced audiobook. Listeners should plan on setting aside a full day because once they start listening, they won’t want to stop. A.R.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2021 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2021]