Back in the Day: Bay Area Blues, Book 2 by Katrina Jackson
A Review by SY
2010 - Helping pack up his childhood home was going much easier than Amir expected. The only sticking point is the record collection his father Alonzo refuses to put in storage. When Amir asked his father why he needs to keep all those records with him, Alonzo offers to tell him a story instead.
Monterey Pop Festival - In 1967, Alonzo was a baby music reporter at the Village Voice on his first big assignment. By his side is photographer Ada Carr who is all brown skin, big afro, and sharp tongue. He should be worried about his story, but all he can think about is the way Ada looks dancing to the music in the dusk, the stage lights illuminating her form. He knows love when he sees, or better yet hears, it.
Over the course of two weekends, over 40 years apart, Alonzo imparts a soundtrack of love and life to Amir that bridges the past and present and they both learn how to say goodbye.
Review Notes
Audio Book Publication Year: 2022
An installment in a Series? Yes
Narrator (s): Jakobi Diem
"These albums were an extension of his parents' love, the lyrics were baked into Ada's photographs, and Alonzo's books were sentimental prayers to them. This music was threaded through all Amir's memories of his parents and this home...”
“They're the soundtrack you and mama made together." ~Amir
This is my first title by Ms. Jackson. While narrator Jakobi Diem was what initially caught my attention for the project, I was intrigued by the story's premise after reading the synopsis. The writing is poetic - with Back In The Day; it's a beautiful ebb and flow of words that transports the listener back in time, to his or her first experience of love. The way the author wove music and photography into this storyline was brilliant - writing in words what it means to capture a moment in time, to capture a feeling. I loved Amir’s relationship to his family, and the dynamics and banter between him and his father were realistic, hilarious, and poignant.
Jakobi Diem’s portrayal of each of these very distinct characters is both emotional and nostalgic…he adds the right amount of softness, pain and passion to his performance that makes the listener fondly remember what it feels like to fall in love.
Reading Recommendation? Yes
Rating: NORTH STAR RATING
Content Warnings? No.
