This audio biography focuses on nine teenagers who are in their senior year of high school as they take exams, apply for college, play sports, date, and hang out at burger joints. Jeff Hobbs interweaves their stories, but, even with multiple narrators, it is difficult to keep the boys straight. In many ways, that doesn't really matter--you get sucked into their world. Most compelling are Tio and Carlos, clever and ambitious boys with big dreams who attend nimo Pat Brown Charter High School in Compton, California. The two boys are beautifully portrayed by Gary Tiedemann and Timothy Andres Pabon. Carlos is undocumented, so he is simultaneously applying for DACA and to Ivy League schools. In contrast, several of the boys come from exceedingly wealthy families and attend Beverly Hills High School. They face very different family expectations.
Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797103624
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A thoroughly researched and organized history of Black music, delivered with confidence and authority.
Narrator Shamaan Casey is an essential guide to this detailed history of musical theory, form, and creativity. Author Gibbs is a musician and a founding member of the Black Rock Coalition, which supports the creative work of Black musicians. His audiobook reflects a deep understanding of music theory, particularly how Western expectations of structure and style have fundamentally misunderstood Black music. The chapters dig deep into granular details, and listeners are often directed to accompanying attachments. Not including some performed examples seems like a missed opportunity in the audio format. Yet Casey is skilled at delivering all the essential details of this layered, important text.
A thoroughly researched and organized history of Black music, delivered with confidence and authority.Pub Date: April 14, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668657997
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
A gripping account.
Starting with the NYC subway shooting of four unarmed Black teenagers by Bernie Goetz in 1984, the author shows how the court system’s failure to serve justice to the white perpetrator is one of many examples of racial injustice caused by white anger about rapid societal changes. Thompson discusses how, with the failed trickle-down economic policies of the Reagan years, simmering rage about these and other stressors for white people were brought to a boil by sensationalized media coverage and divisive, opportunistic politicians. Though narrator Erin Bennett’s pacing will sound unusually slow to some listeners, her connection with this story of crime and justice and its broader context is exceptional. Her tone and her interpretive skill promote effortless engagement with the author’s nuanced examination of how economic and societal stress have led to so much untethered anger.
A gripping account.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217295678
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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