An enjoyable and interesting series of bite-sized stories of Black American history.
The short run time of 80 minutes keeps this factual history book zipping along at a cracking pace. It spotlights 28 moments in African-American history that changed the USA and, in many instances, the world in some way.
The defining moments are summarised succinctly, providing an educational overview of the person, place and event that occurred before moving onto the next. It begins with Crispus Attucks who was the first American killed in the 1770 American Revolution, and concludes with Barack Obama, elected as America’s first coloured President in 2009.
In between these two milestones, we learn about well-known personalities such as Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and Oprah Winfrey along with a score of lesser known figures of American history. South Africa’s anti-apartheid revolutionary and later President, Nelson Mandela, also gets acknowledged due to his influence on America and the world at the time.
The stories are accompanied by music and sound effects, while nine narrators also add extra interest to the listening experience with crisp, clear voices that keep personal emotion out of the storytelling. The speed of narration is particularly slow to cater for the younger target audience however, so a faster play speed may suit older listeners.
The narrators are Dion Graham, William Jackson Harper, Zainab Jah, January LaVoy, Robin Miles, Lizann Mitchell, Robin Miles, Jonathan Earl Peck, Carter Woodson Redwood.
Targeted at children under 10 years old, this audiobook is a fascinating snippet of histories that is suitable for all ages who want a quick lesson in America’s black history. It’s both educational and thoroughly enjoyable.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Distributed by: Live Oak Media
Released: January 2016
RRP: US$15.95
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