MY SELMA True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement

Karen Chilton conveys both powerful joy and profound grief in her narration of Willie Mae Brown's stories about growing up in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights movement. Chilton's voice is delightfully dynamic and expressive, evoking the style of an old-school preacher. She whispers, she thunders, she sings, and she weeps as Brown tries to make sense of the powerful events that took place in the segregated South by relaying stories of her youth as she remembers them from her childhood point of view. Listeners will appreciate Chilton's deft touch with the Selma vernacular and her ability to bring the narrative into focus even as the stories skip around in a nonlinear fashion. Brown herself narrates the introduction and afterword with gravitas and warmth. N.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2023]