This summer, SYNC will be providing two free teen audiobooks each week from May 5th to August 11th. Each week will focus on a specific theme, pairing a classic YA title with a more modern YA title. This week starts Thursday, August 4th with Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin and The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez.
Ray Porter narrates in a “you-are-there” style that is well suited to this sweeping story of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Sheinkin focuses on Daniel Ellsberg’s discovery and disclosure of government lies and mismanagement in Southeast Asia spanning more than two decades. Porter skillfully suggests the speech patterns and cadence of a variety of characters, including Vietnamese soldiers and negotiators, Cubans involved with the Watergate break-in, and Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. While his deft impressions make his completely unvoiced portrayal of Henry Kissinger a disappointment, it doesn’t take away from the power of this production. Written for a teen audience, this work will also appeal to adults. Listeners unfamiliar with the Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers, or the Watergate scandal may be shocked by the vulgarity of the Oval Office tapes that ultimately brought down the Nixon presidency. The Library also owns this in book format.
This captivating story of America’s “simultaneously conspicuous and invisible” population is powerfully rendered by an ensemble of narrators representing voices from all over Latin America. Like families before them, the Riveras immigrate to the U.S. in search of a better life for their daughter, Maribel. Though Maribel is the catalyst, it is Alma, her mother, and Mayor, her friend, who lure listeners in during alternating chapters. Their voices shift with emotion as the narrators deftly use pitch and pacing to maintain an intimate atmosphere amid the shifting perspectives. Periodically, new voices and new accents claim a chapter to share their own immigrant experiences. Each is captured with sensitivity, lending an immediacy to the story and providing a larger context to the Riveras’s experience. This book is not owned by the Library, but we are able to request either the book or CD audiobook for you through other libraries in our consortium.
These titles will be available to download for free during this week only (8/04 to 8/11) at the SYNC website. The theme for this week is “Hidden Americans take center stage.”