CHANGING CORNERS

Narrator Melanie Huesz convincingly introduces best friends Phillis Simpson and Bobbie Parks, who meet after a ten-year separation in a story that takes place in the 1950s. Listeners will be saddened when Phillis, who is African-American, claims not to recognize Bobbie in their Long Island high school. Alternating chapters depict both the girls' perspectives on school, prejudice, and catty classmates. Huesz realistically portrays them and their boyfriends, Leonard and Frank, as they promote mixed seating, African-American history displays, and--when things turn nasty--violence. Most affecting are appearances by Louis Armstrong and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, who encourages Leonard to become a civil rights lawyer. This exhilarating listen concludes with remarks by Betty May that reveal the inspirations for her characters. For example, Leonard represents Thurgood Marshall. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2020]