An immersive audio dramatization featuring 15 award-winning actors, The Real Education of TJ Crowley is a fast-paced, suspenseful coming-of-age story. A heartrending yet hopeful tale, it vividly transports listeners to the American heartland at the height of the Civil Rights movement.
Inspired by true events, this adaptation by director/producer May Wuthrich and Grant Overstake, author of the acclaimed novel, recaptures the trials faced by a generation of young teens.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's slaying sparks riots as the bitter divide over civil rights and the Vietnam War wracks the country, and Wichita, Kansas is no exception. There, 13-year-old TJ Crowley, who's about to face his first year of junior high at a newly integrated school, lives alone with his unstable mother, Kate.
The Fair Housing Act results in the unthinkable for the Crowleys when a Black family, headed by the eminent Dr. Washington, crosses the racial red line and moves in right next door. TJ's mother panics and makes a desperate call to Ray, a former boyfriend, who's released from prison just in time to take care of the "problem next door."
Tensions escalate as the Crowleys build a fence at their property line and TJ's mom declares "them" off-limits. But at school, TJ is getting to know his new classmate, Ivy, the girl next door. And when TJ eavesdrops from afar, the Negro spirituals her father plays in his converted garage, piques his curiosity.
Following a series of dramatic events, TJ decides to accept the doctor's invitation and crosses the forbidden line to visit his neighbors. When poor behavior and bad grades ruin TJ's chances to play football and basketball, track and field is his only chance for redemption at school. A former athlete, the doctor prescribes the shot put, teaching TJ to launch the iron ball in secret sessions behind the fence. Meanwhile, local hate crimes trace back to Ray and detectives lean on TJ to help capture the criminal in his own home.
In this gripping audio drama, circumstances beyond TJ's control force him to decide who he is, what he believes, and on which side of the fence he chooses to belong.
Dani Martineck's explosive portrayal of the vulnerable TJ and Dion Graham's performance as the soulful Dr. Washington lead this stunning production of award-winning actors, including Tavia Gilbert as Kate, Shayna Small as Ivy, Johnny Heller as Ray, and Sheila Brown Kinnard as Mrs. Washington, a role inspired by her activist mother, Josephine Brown.
Sound effects and music from the acclaimed ARISE Ensemble bring authenticity to the listening experience; and, Grant Overstake, a former Miami Herald Sports writer, adds excitement to tense moments in the bleachers and on the field.
Author Biography:
Grant Overstake is a storyteller and educator who draws from his background as a former Miami Herald sportswriter and decathlon All-American to write authentic sports-themed YA novels of raw emotion. Grant and his wife, Claire, sing in the ARISE Ensemble, a multicultural choir founded by Josephine Brown and dedicated to promoting racial harmony and preserving the message of Negro spirituals. Its music is featured in the audio edition of Grant's novel The Real Education of TJ Crowley.
Grant Overstake is a storyteller and educator who draws from his background as a former Miami Herald sportswriter and decathlon All-American to write authentic sports-themed YA novels of raw emotion. Grant and his wife, Claire, sing in the ARISE Ensemble, a multicultural choir founded by Josephine Brown and dedicated to promoting racial harmony and preserving the message of Negro spirituals. Its music is featured in the audio edition of Grant's novel The Real Education of TJ Crowley.
Award-winning producer and director, May Wuthrich is a former actor with a background in traditional book publishing and book to screen script development. With over 400 audiobooks to her credit, she's had the privilege of collaborating with an impressive roster of talent, including Pulitzer Prize-winners, as well as other award-winning authors.
Award-winning producer and director, May Wuthrich is a former actor with a background in traditional book publishing and book to screen script development. With over 400 audiobooks to her credit, she's had the privilege of collaborating with an impressive roster of talent, including Pulitzer Prize-winners, as well as other award-winning authors.
Award-winning producer and director, May Wuthrich is a former actor with a background in traditional book publishing and book to screen script development. With over 400 audiobooks to her credit, she's had the privilege of collaborating with an impressive roster of talent, including Pulitzer Prize-winners, as well as other award-winning authors.
Award-winning producer and director, May Wuthrich is a former actor with a background in traditional book publishing and book to screen script development. With over 400 audiobooks to her credit, she's had the privilege of collaborating with an impressive roster of talent, including Pulitzer Prize-winners, as well as other award-winning authors.
Dion Graham, from HBO's The Wire, also narrates The First 48 on A&E. A multiple Audie Award-winning and critically acclaimed actor and narrator, he has performed on Broadway, off Broadway, internationally, in films, and in several hit television series. Tavia Gilbert, a six-time Audie Award nominee and multiple Earphones and Parents' Choice Award-winning producer, narrator, and writer, has appeared on stage and in film. Library Journal said of the highly acclaimed actress, "as close as you can get to a full cast narration with a solo voice." Tavia has narrated more than 250 multicast and single-voice audiobooks. Working in every genre, Johnny Heller has narrated over seven hundred audiobooks. He is a 2005 and 2009 Audie Award winner, a double nominee in 2015, a 2014 nominee for Best Male Narrator, a double nominee in 2012 and was named a Best Voice of 2008-2011, 2014, 2015 and a Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award Winner 2008-2013. A winner of over twenty-five AudioFile Earphones Awards, AudioFile magazine named Heller one of the top fifty voices of the twentieth century. Johnny coaches actors in audiobook narration and commercial voice-over locally, nationally and internationally. Kevin R. Free is an audiobook narrator and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and several AudioFile best narrations of the year selections. Known for his work with young-adult novels, he has read titles by Rick Riordan, Walter Dean Myers, and Joe Haldeman. In 2011 he was named a Best Voice in Young Adult and Fantasy from AudioFile magazine for his narration of Myers' The Cruisers: Checkmate.
Shayna Small is an actress, singer, and educator based in New York, where she received her BFA in Drama from the Juilliard School. She has worked across a variety of media including theater, film and tv, music and voice-over.
Ari Fliakos has worked with the award-winning theater ensemble The Wooster Group since 1998, developing and originating roles in House/Lights, To You, The Birdie!, and Poor Theater (for which he won an Obie Award), among many more. His television and film credits include Company K, Pills, Limitless, The Mysteries of Laura, and Law & Order. Michael Crouch is actor based in New York City. His audiobook narrations have earned an Audie Award, multiple Earphones Awards, and Best of the Year accolades from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. He can also be heard on national commercials, cartoons, video games, and the anime series Pokemon XY and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V. Kirby Heyborne is an accomplished actor, musician, and comedian. He has received critical acclaim for his starring roles in the award-winning World War II drama Saints and Soldiers, the lighthearted family comedy The R.M., the award-winning boy-band mockumentary The Sons of Provo, and the award-winning quixotic comedy Pirates of the Great Salt Lake. He has had starring roles in thirteen features and many short films. Kirby has also appeared on the WB's Everwood and many national commercials. Recently, Kirby was seen as a recurring character on the hit FOX sitcom Free Ride. Kirby has received a number of AudioFile Earphones Awards for excellence in audiobook narration. He has narrated such titles as Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, Black Swan Green by David Mitchell, Breathers by S. G. Browne, and The Genius by Jesse Kellerman. Kirby is a cofounder and director of the celebrated Los Angeles-based improv comedy group The Society. Also a successful musician, Kirby has released four solo albums and has had his music featured in many films. Kirby has delighted audiences across the country with his ability to blend heart-warming stories, beautiful music, and comedic wit. Graham Halstead is a professionally trained actor and voice artist, born and raised in Virginia and now living and working in Brooklyn, New York City. As an actor, Graham has worked internationally in Edinburgh, Scotland, and London, England, as well as back home at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. His voice is youthful, easy-flowing, and flexible, and lends itself to many different types of storytelling. He can be heard on TV and radio voicing spots for Airborne and Allegra.
Peter Berkrot is an audiobook narrator, stage, screen and television actor, and acting coach. He has narrated over 100 works that span a range of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, thriller, and children's titles. His audiobook credits include works of Alan Glynn, Eric Van Lustbader, Nora Roberts and Dean Koontz. In film and television, he appeared in Caddyshack, America's Most Wanted, and Unsolved Mysteries. He performs in regional and New York theaters and directs the New Voices acting school. Th�r�se Plummer is an actor, award-winning voice-over artist, and counselor. She has won eighteen AudioFile Earphones Awards and has been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She has appeared in a variety of television and film roles. As a counselor for adolescents, she spent five years using drama therapy techniques in individual and group settings.
Brittany Pressley is an Audiofile Earphones award winning narrator in NYC. She has recorded over 100 titles and has received several nominations for American Library Association's annual list of Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults. She is also an accomplished singer/songwriter and voice actress. Her voice can be heard on national and international TV and radio commercials as well as several animated series and video games. She is a proud graduate of Columbia University.
