Soldier

This memoir sounds like the authentic memories of a child--a child from an intellectually rich environment severely lacking in affection. Vignettes range from a fishing trip to embarrassment at church as Robin Miles lends her voice to poet June Jordan's recollections of a rigorous education and brutal instruction at the hands of her father. As the child of West Indian immigrants, Jordan was expected to conduct herself with pride and self-discipline. Miles gives a masterful performance as she moves from a child's musings on life to the lyrical but often cruel tones of Jordan's father. As Jordan's memories unfold, details blend to explain how she attained success as a poet. Devastating and thought-provoking, this performance lingers in the mind long after the last tape ends. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine