ONE LAST CHANCE TO LIVE

Narrator Christian Barillas's youthful, expressive voice tells the story of 17-year-old Nico Kardos. Nico can't get over the death of his friend, Rosario. The story, written as journal entries, sheds light on Nico's feelings as he aspires to attend college and become a writer. But his ambitions are halted when his single mother gets cancer and the care of his 12-year-old brother falls on him. Nico worries that his brother will fall into addiction and crime like others in his Bronx neighborhood. Barillas captures Nico's desperate situation with his apt vocal skills, portraying all the characters with convincing accents and varying timbres. He fully conveys Nico's struggle to to stay true to his dreams, rather than go down the easy path of criminal activities. A.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2024]