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1 of 2 copies available
Birmingham, 1929: Robert Lee Harrington, a master carpenter, has just moved to Alabama to pursue a job opportunity, bringing along his pregnant wife and young daughter. Birmingham is in its heyday, known as the “Magic City” for its booming steel industry, and while Robert and his family find much to enjoy in the city’s busy markets and vibrant nightlife, it’s also a stronghold for the Klan. And with his beautiful, light-skinned wife and snazzy car, Robert begins to worry that he might be drawing the wrong kind of attention.
2019: Meghan McKenzie, the youngest reporter at the Detroit Free Press, has grown up hearing family lore about her great-grandfather’s murder—but no one knows the full story of what really happened back then, and his body was never found. Determined to find answers to her family’s long-buried tragedy and spurred by the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement, Meghan travels to Birmingham. But as her investigation begins to uncover dark secrets that spider across both the city and time, her life may be in danger.
Inspired by true events, Time’s Undoing is both a passionate tale of one woman’s quest for the truth behind the racially motivated trauma that has haunted her family for generations and, as newfound friends and supporters in Birmingham rally around Meghan’s search, the uplifting story of a community coming together to fight for change.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 28, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593671337
- File size: 311098 KB
- Duration: 10:48:07
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Jade Wheeler and Ronald Peet narrate this multigenerational mystery about the unsolved murder of a Black carpenter in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1929. His granddaughter, Meghan McKenzie, an ambitious journalist for the DETROIT FREE PRESS, is determined to get the full story. Wheeler excels in her portrayal of a contemporary journalist, giving listeners a vivid sense of a woman who is fighting to discover the truth about a question that has eluded her family for generations. Peet portrays her grandfather, Robert Lee Harrington, his voice reflecting the ever present frustration and fear of a Black man in the segregated South. Together, they perform a timely novel about hidden violence against the Black community. V.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine -
June 10, 2024
Head's (Warn Me When It's Time) latest follows Detroit Free Press journalist Meghan McKenzie as she seeks to uncover a story connecting the Black Lives Matter movement with the 1929 unsolved murder of her great-grandfather Robert Lee Harrington in Birmingham, AL. In Birmingham, Meghan is assisted by Kristen, a white librarian; Monique, the leader of the local BLM chapter; and Darius, a city official who becomes a love interest. However, the closer Meghan gets to solving the mystery, the more threats she encounters. Jade Wheeler's delivery as three older Southern Black women who are minor characters is on point. These ladies definitely can be found at family cookouts. As Meghan, however, the story gets in the way of her performance. Meghan's reaction to some threats is implausible, and her relationship with Darius derails the audiobook. In semi-alternating chapters, Ronald Peet's voicing of Robert, who has the weight of his family and Jim Crow on his shoulders, gives gravitas to the 1929 timeline. VERDICT Inspired by true events, the audiobook has a good sense of location and narration but is unevenly executed. Regardless, some listeners will find Meghan's research methods fascinating.--Anjelica Rufus-Barnes
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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