MECCA

Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Patricia Floyd, and Frankie Corzo create an ensemble of narrators almost as diverse as the many characters in this sprawling and impassioned novel. It focuses on the lives and heritages of the "other" Americans who make up the backbone of Southern California. There's the highway patrolman who is a descendant of the first Spanish settlers. A nurse whose ancestors arrived in New Orleans as slaves. And a young Mexican-American woman who toils at an upscale spa. These characters aren't crossing borders; they're already home. As the stories and voices interweave, the narrators save some of their most affecting performances for the passages dealing with the heartbreaking early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Dynamic, contemporary listening. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2022]