We Are Not Free by Traci Chee, Read by a Full Cast

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens.

An outstanding full cast of narrators captures the experiences of 14 teenagers who grew up together in San Francisco—and were forced into incarceration camps because of their Japanese ancestry during WWII. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly discuss Traci Chee’s National Book Award finalist for Young People’s Literature, We Are Not Free, which truly is a must-listen. Interconnecting chapters trace the lives of teenagers from 1942–1945 as they are uprooted from their homes, separated from family members, and living in desperate situations. Listeners feel their initial shock and anger, their joy at forming close friendships, and their despair when they are forced apart. Each chapter follows a different character’s story, with the narrator’s voice closely mirroring the character’s distinct and vibrant personalities. This work is timely and powerful, especially on audio.

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