
Upstate
“Wild and beautiful...The story is told using the epistolary form with a brilliant skill not seen since The Color Purple.
Winner of ALA Alex Awards Winner (Adult for Young Adults), 2006
Winner of Audie Award Winner, 2006
Winner of ALA Alex Awards Winner (Adult for Young Adults), 2006
Winner of Audie Award Winner, 2006
This program is read by Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman
"Baby, the first thing I need to know from you is do you believe I killed my father?"
So begins Upstate, a powerful story told through letters between seventeen-year-old Antonio and his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Natasha, set in the 1990's in New York. Antonio and Natasha's world is turned upside down, and their young love is put to the test, when Antonio finds himself in jail, accused of a shocking crime. Antonio fights to stay alive on the inside, while on the outside, Natasha faces choices that will change her life. Over the course of a decade, they share a desperate correspondence. Often, they have only each other to turn to as life takes them down separate paths and leaves them wondering if they will ever find their way back together.
Startling, real, and filled with raw emotion, Upstate is an unforgettable coming-of-age story with a message of undeniable hope. Brilliant and profoundly felt, it is destined to speak to a new generation of listeners.
Praise
