MATCHSTICKS An Education in Black and White

Eddie Frierson gives a broadcast-worthy narration of Engh's Civil Rights-era memoir. In 1961, Engh, a white married father of three, matriculates to all-Black Maryland State College to pursue a degree in physical education. Frierson's commentator tone belies the anxiety conveyed in Engh's story; his smooth narration somewhat cushions the listener from Fred's experience of being a local curiosity--a "white matchstick" in a book of black matches. However, in the story's dialogue, Frierson ditches the newscaster diction for colloquial interpretations that affix listeners to the fraught '60s as experienced by Engh. Frierson's voices for Bob Taylor, Engh's Maryland State football friend, and assorted white characters who distrust any bond between races bring the unfairness of this time and place to life. E.S.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2021]