WADE IN THE WATER

Ebony Flowers, as 12-year-old Ella, and Terri Schnaubelt, as Princeton researcher Katherine St. James, masterfully re-create life in 1980s Mississippi. Listeners meet Ella, who is resented and abused by her family, and St. James, who has come to Ricksville to interview townsfolk about the Civil Rights movement, including the 1960s murders of three voting rights workers. Flowers impeccably conveys Ella's intelligence and awareness of her situation, along with the comforting love and wisdom of blind Mr. Macabe. Schnaubelt presents St. James, daughter of a Klansman, as inconsistent in her beliefs about race. The realistic language in this novel is sometimes disturbing as diverse viewpoints and flashbacks illuminate haunting historical truths. Audio offers explicit lessons of a painful period through the eyes of a child. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2023]