Back in the Day

Bay Area Blues, Book 2

By: Katrina Jackson

Narrated by: Jakobi Diem

Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Content warnings: Parental death, grief, and recreational drug use.

©2021 Katrina Jackson (P)2022 Katrina Jackson

Back Down Memory Lane

Wow! Listening to “Back In The Day” conjured such wonderful childhood memories for me especially the joys in Motown & The Jackson 5’s music. My goodness, I could relate to Alonso concerns and meticulous care of his (and Ada’s) precious vinyl collection! They just don’t make music (class Rock, R&B, Jazz and Blues) like that anymore ☺️🥲🤷🏾‍♀️‼️The 60’s & 70’s were the sweet years for awesome music, incredible festivals, great bands, hot pants, baby doll dresses, platforms, afro/afro puffs, cornrows with beads & posners get down brown lip stick🤣😂.…yea, those were great times! …thank you for the trip, back down memory lane 💭🥰‼️

Perfection 🤌🏾

This story gave everything it needed to give. Kudos to the author for the skill to pen such a dynamic and engaging story in the space of a novella. Ten Stars ⭐️

😍😍😍

Such a beautiful story…tender and heartwarming, but still sexy in a way that shouldn’t have surprised me coming from this author, but did! 10/10, will definitely read again!

let's go back

I love everything about this book. what a beautiful love story. The narration was nothing less than stellar. Well done..

This was really good

I love the way this was written. It was a love story but also a. story about a son with an aging father. This was just beautifully done.

Beautiful love story

It started off a little slow and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish but then it picked up and I found myself captivated. Jakobi narrated this to perfection.

This book is the perfect ode to R & B music and love!

This story is a beautifully nostalgic and sensual love letter to music and how it not only denotes, but transports a person back to all the most memorable moments of one’s life. It is one of the sweetest and sexiest retellings of a love story and the family it beget, I’ve ever encountered and Jakobi Diem did an amazing job narrating it!! This audiobook gave me all the feels and I give it all the stars!!

Beautiful

Such a beautifully heartwrenching story. A story of grief and memory and love. So fantastically written with care that shines through.

Katrina Jackson has a new fan

This is my first title for Ms. Jackson - while Jakobi Diem was what initially drew me to the project, I was so intrigued after I read the synopsis. Her writing is poetic - with Back In The Day, a beautiful ebb and flow of words that transports the listener back in time, to his or her first experience of falling in love. The way she wove music and photography into this story was masterful, lyrical. I loved Amir’s relationship to his family, and the dynamics and banter between him and his father were so hilarious and real.

Jakobi Diem’s portrayal of each of these very distinct characters is emotional and wistful…he adds the right amount of softness, pain and passion to his performances that take the listener on an amazing journey.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

I Loved The Constant Musical References🎵🎶

I absolutely loved the musical references throughout this story....The story basically expressed how music is the soundtrack to a lot of families lives...After Amir & Amaya loss their mother....they go to help their father Alonzo pack up the family home so that he can move in with his son Amir....in the midst of packing the house up...they come across a lot of Albums (Old LP's) and need to make a decision what to do about them....this was really a good story....but, I didn't like the fact that the author made Alonzo so sad...although, I realize he had just loss his wife....it was really just too sad for me....the bright spot was the constant talk of music and how it played an intrigue part of their lives. Jakobi's narration was stellar as always!