If I Survive You

Escaping the political turmoil of Jamaica in the 1970s, Topper and Sanya flee with their two children to America. What they find is not the promised land, but a place where they are excluded from society because they are Black. Having weathered the move to America, the couple faces down Hurricane Andrew and the 2008 recession, just barely surviving in a house that is crumbling around them. Their younger son, Trelawney, watches as his parents navigate a society that is not kind to them. Escoffery’s award-winning debut, comprising a set of interrelated short stories, packs a punch as it explores the ways in which culture, class, and race impact one family, and ultimately, millions, who are deemed Other by America. Narrator Torian Brackett provides a heartfelt but no-nonsense oration of the story through the eyes of Trelawney. His ability to switch between dialects and accents adds to the story, allowing listeners a deeper understanding of the struggles that immigrants face.