Narrator Deborah Grausman's youthful voice makes the story of 14-year-old Gerta Rausch all the more horrifying. Sheltered Gerta learns of her Jewish identity when Nazis capture her and her father in 1944. Grausman's emotional reading expresses Gerta's initial confusion, her tender feelings for her papa, and the comfort that music brings her. Musical interludes and Grausman's periodic bursts into song emphasize Gerta's passion for music and her sorrow over losing her singing voice. Gerta's resilience is layered with resentment, grief, and a self-protectiveness that helps her survive three concentration camps but also discourages a loving relationship. The author's depiction of the displaced-persons' camp will be almost as difficult for listeners as hearing what Gerta faces in the concentration camps.
Ages 14+Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2018
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780525526049
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Graves’ credible performance brings a fresh and different take to this coming-of-age story.
This is the audio diary of one year in the life of Zakiyyah, a Black Muslim teen in Boston who is pursuing a year of spiritual, lifestyle, and romantic goals. Precocious Zakiyyah sees herself as different from her peers, despite the familiar vocal fry and subtle adolescent whine that narrator Yusra Graves gives her. Graves’ performance shifts from giddy highs and righteous anger to boredom and frustration. Occasionally, a Zakiyyah from the near future interjects, addressing her husband in a stronger and sweeter tone than the one used by her younger self. That strength also surfaces in the Arabic and English words of young Zakiyyah’s prayers, reflecting how she finds fulfillment and calm in her faith before she achieves it in the rest of her life.
Graves’ credible performance brings a fresh and different take to this coming-of-age story. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217342174
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2026
Narrator Shayna Small is excellent as she portrays Leena, a 16-year-old girl who is being raised by her single mother, Asiyah. Leena has always dreamed of being part of a big family, but so far her family is just two people. When an unexpected phone call reveals that she has a Muslim grandfather and great-aunt, Leena is forced to rethink everything about her identity and consider the differences between her secular African American mother and her newly discovered relatives. Small's narration perfectly reflects Leena's emotional journey as she is confronted by questions of identity, family, culture, and faith. Listeners will be invested in Leena's exploration of where she came from, who she is, and what her future holds.
(Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
Duration: 6 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9798897567874
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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