While I was in NYC, I spoke on a panel at BEA, a panel about audiobooks. They are a new passion of mine though I have long been a listener. Only recently have I used audio with kids and with great success. All this is preamble to the latest book "read" via audio: 47 by Walter Mosely. The reader for this remarkable audio is the late Ossie Davis. At first I thought him an odd choice for Mosely's entree into YA literature. However, he was a perfect choice and the audio is an incredible production. I had listened to all but the last CD until yesterday. I had the 12 and 14 year old with me as we ran errands all afternoon. I decided I needed to hear the end of this saga and turned on the audio. The kids were entranced with the story even this late in the narrative and listened raptly to the story of Number 47, a slave, and the mysterious Tall John who comes in search of 47. Combining science fiction and historical fiction, Mosely has created a riveting story of a young man who comes to understand Tall John's constant mantra: "Neither a nigger nor a master." This is a book that demands an audio production, IMHO, as the dialect delivered by Ossie Davis is an Oscar caliber performance. I created more images in my mind than I can recall with other audio versions of late. In short, this was a gem. Now the 12 and 14 year old are home listening to the first 5 CDs to hear the rest of the story. Run out and "read" this book on audio. It is an adventure you will share with 47 and Tall John, one you will hate to see end.
professornana) wrote, 
artistic 
