ELIZABETH AND HAZEL Two Women of Little Rock

As the title suggests, David Margolick's intriguing chronicle gives dimension to two women, one black and one white. Elizabeth Eckford and Hazel Massery were the teenagers whose 1957 photo came to symbolize the emotionally charged Civil Rights struggle for school integration. Narrator Carrington MacDuffie demonstrates her award-winning style in a performance that is as clear and straightforward as Margolick's writing. Using subtle gradations of tone and timing, MacDuffie effects smooth transitions and a comfortable pace as she recounts the complex lives of these women before and since that traumatic morning. Author and narrator maintain a clean, objective style to portray Elizabeth and Hazel as they mature and eventually attempt reconciliation and forgiveness. Ironically, the two women seem to remain a metaphor for racial relations as they make inconclusive, often painful, progress toward acceptance and friendship. M.O.B. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2011]