The Talk

Cartoonist Bell’s (We Eat the Poor) haunting graphic novel about the realities of being Black in the United States comes alive in audio. A full cast, led by the author and including Brittany Bradford, Emyree Zazu Bell (the author’s son), and William DeMerrit, offers an immersive listening experience. Bell solemnly recalls a moment in his childhood when his mother allowed him to have a green water gun—not a black one, for as she cautioned during his first experience of “the talk,” the rules are different for Black people. When he sneaked outside with his new water gun, Bell’s mother’s words were devastatingly realized. The young Bell was harassed by the police (indicated in audio by the chilling sound of barking dogs), setting the stage for future tense interactions. Bell ruefully notes that he couldn’t quite believe the reality of racialized violence until he grew older; then, as a parent, he sorrowfully recognized that his son would have to learn this too. Well-timed sound effects evoke the book’s illustrations, but it is Bell’s voice—somber, measured, and direct—that hits home.