Behind the Mic Podcast

The rumble of train tracks, warm twangs of a banjo, and soft humming set the scene for this children’s audiobook tracing a family’s journey north during the Great Migration. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly talk about this skillfully layered audiobook that mirrors the richness found in the picture book’s moving illustrations. Narrator Shayna Small embodies Ruth Ellen, a young Black girl who is escaping life on a tenant farm for a new life in New York. Dion Graham calls out as the conductor in a booming voice, and listeners feel they are riding the train north along with Ruth Ellen. Published by Live Oak Media.

Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com

Support for Behind the Mic comes from Hollywoodland Audiobooks, a new imprint celebrating the lives and works of Hollywood screen legends.