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Black History Comes Alive

Audiobooks for Young Listeners

by Patricia Austin

Representing a variety of genres and historical eras, these unabridged titles encompass a panorama of black history events and African American experiences to help deepen young listeners’ understanding of prejudice and racism.

Breaking the Chains: African American Slave Resistance. By William Loren Katz. Read by Peter Francis James. Recorded Books. 1998. 6hr. 4 cassettes, $35 (0-7887-2265-4). 800-638-1304.
Gr. 5–10. James’ resonant, stirring narration recounts various examples of slave resistance in this well-researched, powerful title. The fact-filled, chilling stories of torture and bravery introduce and personalize the horrors of the slave trade.

The Day Gogo Went to Vote. By Elinor Batezat Sisulu. Read by Lisette Lecat. Recorded Books. 2000. 30min. $10 (0-7887-4018-0).
Gr. K–4. When black South Africans gain the right to vote, Thembi’s elderly, frail great-grandmother wants to cast her ballot, despite the hardship of traveling to the polls. Thembi learns about the election process when she accompanies her family to vote. South African actor Lecat sets a perfect tone in this story that speaks to the power of democracy.

I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African American Poetry. Ed. by Catherine Clinton. Read by Ashley Bryan and Renee Joshua-Porter. Audio Bookshelf. 2000. 2.5hr. 2 cassettes, $21.95 (1-883332-43-5). 2 CDs, $28.95 (1-883332-57-5). 800-234-1713.
Gr. 6–10. In this anthology of 36 poems, brief biographical sketches of 25 represented poets offer a literary history on the diverse contributions of acclaimed writers W. E. B Dubois, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, and Maya Angelou, among others. Bryan’s and Joshua-Porter’s dramatic readings re-create a tapestry of powerful black voices.

The Land. By Mildred D. Taylor. Read by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Listening Library. 2001. 12hr. 8 cassettes, $50 (0-8072-0619-9). 800-243-4504.
Gr. 5–8. This prequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (below), tells the story of Cassie’s grandfather, Paul-Edward, who comes of age in the South during the 1880s. Because of his biracial heritage, the protagonist struggles to find his place. Santiago-Hudson’s skillful narration allows the gripping story to unfold gracefully.

Leon’s Story. By Leon Walter Tillage. Read by Graham Brown. Recorded Books. 1997. 1.5hr. $10 (0-7887-1819-3).
Gr. 4–8. Leon Tillage grew up in rural North Carolina in the 1940s and experienced the harsh realities of separate-and-unequal treatment in most aspects of his life. Through humble prose and a matter-of-fact style, this title recounts an era when “that’s just the way things were.” Brown’s apt narration compellingly captures the author’s personality.

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth. By Anne Rockwell. Read by Renee Joshua-Porter. Audio Bookshelf. 2002. 41min. $13.95 (1-883332-80-X). CD, $15.95 (1-883332-84-2).
Gr. 4–8. Based on a picture-book biography of Sojourner Truth, and dramatically narrated by Joshua-Porter, this audio serves listeners well, even without accompanying illustrations. Concluding with newspaper-article excerpts not found in the book version, the program vivifies Sojourner Truth’s profound impact on women’s and civil rights history.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. By Mildred D. Taylor. Read by Lynne Thigpen. Listening Library. 2001. 7.5hr. 6 cassettes, $40 (0-8072-0622-9).
Gr. 5–8. Cassie Logan and her brothers have a strong sense of who they are, so a series of incidents that reveals how others perceive them comes as a rude awakening. Thigpen perfectly captures nine-year-old Cassie’s independent spirit when her family experiences racism in Mississippi during the 1930s. In a foreword read by the author, Taylor tells how her father’s stories of real-life events led her to write this Newbery winner.

To Be a Slave. By Julius Lester. Read by Peter Francis James, Lynne Thigpen, and Michele-Denise Woods. Recorded Books. 1995. 4hr. 3 cassettes, $27 (0-7887-0206-8).
Gr. 6–10. Beginning with a short but stirring gospel song, this well-researched commentary about slave life weaves together brutally honest testimonies from slave survivors. Three readers skillfully convey the black patois through dialect that is accessible to young listeners.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. By Christopher Paul Curtis. Read by LaVar Burton. BDD. 1996. 5hr. $25 (0-553-47786-2). 800-223-6834.
Gr. 4–8. Burton’s perfect sense of timing enhances this laugh-out-loud story about the weird Watson family who take a car trip from Michigan to Alabama to visit Grandma in 1963. Ultimately, everyone becomes enveloped in the explosive events in Birmingham.

Witness. By Karen Hesse. A full cast recording. Listening Library. 2001. 2.5hr. 2 cassettes, $18 (0-8072-0592-3).
Gr. 5-9. When the Ku Klux Klan arrives in a Vermont town in 1924, two young girls, Leanora, 12, who is black, and Esther, 6, who is Jewish, face the greatest risk. A stellar cast of 11 narrators breathes life into the Vermont villagers. A concluding interview with the author is a delightful bonus in this outstanding title.

Patricia Austin is associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of New Orleans.

(Booklist/February 15, 2002)