A Mighty Long Way

In a respectful, serious tone, Lizan Mitchell narrates the personal story of Carlotta Walls LaNier, one of the Little Rock Nine, who challenged the policy of educational segregation in Arkansas during the Civil Rights movement. Carlotta's story recounts her life from her childhood in Little Rock though the Civil Rights era and all the way to Barack Obama's 2008 election to the highest office in the land. Mitchell's forte is expressing the emotional aspects of the story, especially her struggles to move on from the hate and discrimination she faced during her teen years. The one distraction from the excellent narration is the chapter read by Peter Fernandez. Since Mitchell reads the rest of the story on her own, including all the quotes, it's surprising to suddenly hear Fernandez's voice. Furthermore, the switch seems unnecessary. E.N. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine