The Real Herge
Fans of the classic graphic novel series Tintin will enjoy this biographical audiobook about its creator, Herge. Listeners will learn about his lower-middle-class childhood in Belgium, his experience as a teenage illustrator for a Boy Scout magazine, and his years as the illustrious and sometimes controversial originator of the beloved boy reporter. With his hefty catalog, Simon Vance is an excellent choice as narrator. His experience provides a first-rate listening experience. Vance's precise pronunciation of foreign names and places aids those without knowledge of the languages used. Imbuing his performance with an air of enthusiastic familiarity with the material further draws listeners into Herge's world.
Someone Like Me
In this YA memoir, Julissa Arce tells the story of her childhood in Mexico and her teen years as an undocumented immigrant in the U.S. Her heartfelt delivery makes the audiobook sound like a friend revealing her hidden tragic past. Before she became a vice president at Goldman Sachs, she was the youngest daughter in a family that prized education. Her parents worked tirelessly at selling silver at trade shows while she stayed with nannies in Mexico. In middle school, she joined her parents in Texas, but after her tourist visa expired, she lived in fear of discovery. Despite enduring abuse and trauma, she earned stellar grades and SAT scores, only to find more barriers to the American dream. Arce shows that immigrant teens deserve more opportunities.
Singled Out
Andrew Maraniss's latest sports-focused biography centers on baseball player Glenn Burke. Having played in the 1970s, Burke is remembered for two things: He was gay at a time when the gay liberation movement was in its infancy, and he is credited as the inventor of the high five. Kevin R. Free approaches the narration of this audiobook with dignity and an engaged tone. That's fitting for Maraniss's work, which is an excellent piece of reporting. Just as the writing is clear, so is the narration. Free narrates in voices that represent Burke at various stages of his life: for example, a commanding presence in a locker room, a slightly quieter presence when he is sick later in life. This is a fine look at a ballplayer and the era he played in.
A Time of Fear
Narrator Jason Culp relies on careful modulation to convey this nuanced, comprehensive examination of a dangerous time in twentieth-century history—the period of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Culp delivers the words of famous leaders such as Stalin, Kennedy, and Reagan with slight accents or impressions. To varying degrees, both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. employed propaganda, and he delivers the most blatant examples with suitable hints of sarcasm. As for everyday communists (both American and Russian), whom Lenin dubbed "useful idiots," Culp successfully infuses them with humanity, underscoring that they genuinely believed, albeit often mistakenly, that the end justifies the means. The author notes that “history is not destiny”; however, ignorance of the former may negatively affect the latter.
Library Staff
Sue Heraper, Teacher Librarian, sheraper@conejousd.org
Fey Ouyang, Library Technician, fouyang@conejousd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/learn.conejousd.net/nphslibrary
Twitter: @NPHS_library