Cracking the Wall

In September 1957, nine black teenagers were sent to integrate an all-white high school with 2,000 students in Little Rock, Arkansas. Without the pretense of Southern accents, Charles Turner's sober, measured reading of the text conveys the tenacity and bravery required of those teens. Sound effects such as angry crowds and shattering glass emphasize the tension and danger of their experience. An author's note on the first page explains the concept of school segregation, and an afterword tells what happened to the students when, guarded by federal troops, they were finally allowed into the school. This is part of the On My Own History series. R.H.H. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine