Narrating the audiobook of THE TALK with my son
A couple Candorville comic strips and about the recording of “THE TALK”
I created my graphic novel/memoir The Talk for my son, Emyree-Zazu, in the wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. When MacMillan Publishing approached me about creating an audiobook version, I was skeptical. For about two seconds. That’s how long it took me to realize that I could ask my son to play himself.
I wrote the book in part because life is short. Anything can happen. I may not be here to guide them when my four children encounter the sorts of situations I explored in the book. Even if I’m not physically there to commiserate with them, to tell them my own experiences, and to help them see there’s a way to rise above the nastiness they’ll encounter, they can pick up my book, and flip to the chapters that match whatever age they are at the time, and there I’ll be, to give them The Talk.
Working with my son on the deeply personal book he inspired was the highlight of my career, and one of the highlights of my life.
I think it was his inclusion in the audiobook that inspired MacMillan to go all out and hire Brittany Bradford and William DeMerrit, two of the best voice actors around, to voice the rest of the characters in the book. I narrated most of it, but they brought the book to life in a way I hadn’t imagined possible.
When I worked as a security guard at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall half a lifetime ago, I watched symphonies, and dance troupes, and large-scale productions. But I also witnessed several black box theater shows with one to three person casts. Black box theater is typically held in a small, dark, square room, with a flat floor, and a spotlight illuminating the cast. There are minimal props that suggest where they are rather than showing it. The quiet intimacy and the contemplative silences punctuating the poignant dialogues were a profound and moving counterpoint to the brash and busy brilliance of the large-scale productions. Thanks to my son, to Brittany, and to William - as well as the immersive sound design - experiencing the audiobook of THE TALK is like losing oneself in a black box theater production.
The audiobook’s available now. And forever.
It's funny, Darrin Bell, I've never thought I like audiobooks -- then too, I'd never listened to one. I love so much to read in print and use my imagination for voices and images -- yet I was entranced as I listened to "THE TALK". Thank you for the magnificent book that was given as gifts to a number of people in my life. Now for the audio book for myself as soon as I understand how and where to listen.
I am very happy for you, Darrin. You get to showcase your son who inspired you. Not all of us can tell our stories as uniquely as you do. The Talk was a wonderful book to read and the illustrations, superb. It should be in every school library. The audio version just tops it off. Kudos!!