Mendel

De: Damone Bester

Narrado por: Damone Bester

Imagine the mid-1980s, last day of school, summer break. A teen rushes to meet his mother, who is being released from the hospital after cancer surgery. When the teen arrives, he finds out his mother is dead, but his ex-gangbanging dad, who's been in jail the last eight years, is at the hospital, ready to take the teen home.

Mendel is a coming-of-age story about a high school senior who must learn how to forgive as he navigates life without his mother. Things come to a head when the teen accidentally finds his mom's diary. In the journal, he discovers his mother's dreams of becoming a collegiate track star were derailed due to getting pregnant with him. To honor his mother, he joins Mendel's track team, but before he could cash in on any scholarship offers, his father's thuggish past catches up with them when a gun-toting nemesis comes seeking revenge. The teen must decide between saving his own life or sacrificing it all to save his estranged father.

©2022 Damone Bester (P)2022 The Story Plant

An unforgettable story!

Summary –

A young man finds purpose and identity by joining the track team, but will he lose it all to save his father’s life? Our hero is a senior in high school but after losing his mother to cancer and being forced to live with his estranged father, he feels lost and alone. He discovers his late mother’s diary and reads about her dreams of being a college track star. He decides to honor his mother and become a track star himself. It’s his way to being close to her. He struggles with relating to his father, though. His father has a troubled past and has served time. As he excels in track and gets scholarship offers, his father gets a visit from an enemy who wants revenge. Will he forgive his father and risk losing his life or will he walk away?


Narrator’s overall voice –

The author is the narrator and I must admit, I wasn’t sure if this was the right fit at first. But the author is a gifted voice actor, and he brought the right balance of emotion, tension, and drama. His voice is in the lower range which adds to the overall enjoyment of the story.


Does the narrator fit the characters?

Yes, he fits the characters perfectly. Since he’s also the author, I found he brought added depth to the characters. His inflection is so well done, I sat back and just soaked it all in.


Narrator’s reading style –

Damone’s reading style is methodical and rich in timbre. I could close my eyes and let the story come alive in my mind.


Narrator’s impact on reading experience –

This is my first listen where the author is the one who also narrates. I think it has a higher impact because this is the author’s own vision and it comes across so well while listening.


Narrator’s pacing –

The pacing is good and allows the reader to escape into the story.


Audiobook flow –

The flow is without flaw and pristine. The listener is able to shift from scene to scene without effort. Brilliant!


What makes this audiobook unique –

The simple fact that the author is narrating and makes it come alive for the listener is what makes this audiobook unique. Another reason is the themes layered throughout the story. Heavy topics are presented but in a way that is approachable.


Would I recommend this audiobook –

Yes! If you love coming-of-age novels, you’ll want to read/listen to Mendel.


My Rating: 5 stars

Mendel should be required reading for schools.

I loved listening to Damone Bester read Mendel. He brought the story to life. I could see the movie in my head. His flow was perfect and the voice chosen for each character was on point. This coming of age story will draw you in and keep you hooked until the last page.

If you have teenagers and young adults in your life, please bless them with a copy of Mendel, and buy a copy for yourself. You both will be blessed.

I'm in my 50's, but this dramatic, suspenseful, love story between, family, friends and our Father God, will draw you in and bless your heart. It took me back to my teenage years and memories of visiting the Southside of Chicago.

I love this book and you will too.

Was-it- real -or -memorex

My book club was privileged to meet Damone Bester, the author of our current selection, Mendel. He is a super cool guy and very open and personable. If The Ladies and I hadn't known that Mendel was a work of fiction, we would have thought he was writing about his life experiences.


Thank you kindly for being our guest! the book is amazing 👏🏾

Gripping

I was drawn in by the story, and also the delivery. The story left me wanting to know more about these characters and their lives, how things progress. I hope there's more!

Dope, Dope, Soooooo Dope!

Absolutely a fantastic story! Brought me back to my childhood. Wild Wild Hundreds, Southside. Well Done!

This book has it all!

Damone Bester, the author has written a very important book. But also a highly entertaining and gripping one. For one, this book is so perfectly written that it takes you into 1986 in a way this is so realistic numerous times I felt like I was in the Chicago Southside right there experiencing things the characters were living through. This is a coming of age book in many ways. Humor, tragedy, love, complex family relationships and multiple other great themes of the human experience as a boy becomes a man are told so well through the eyes of a black teen athlete, the readers interest should never waver. The author narrates the book and his voice is a husky pitch perfect for it. He does have the gift of introducing different characters and keeping their voices distinct. It’s a great job. There are plot twists and turns so that keeping suspense is never a problem and gang violence is a recurrent theme. But not overly so. It is a sad reality of life that too many denizens of Chicago must deal with daily. In this I got a real education and sympathy for how normal people, trying to live their lives exist in a kind of tension that flavors nearly their whole existence. But there are many light hearted moments to break that tension. An odd experience I had, was a strong sense of being back in the 80s which was part of my childhood and the nostalgia was a joy to relive.

I think all pre-teens, teens and many adults especially those working with youth should read this book. But I’m none of those things and I absolutely loved it.

There are solutions and healing for the brokenness of our cities and our nation, and this book speaks to the most effective one. I hope many people read it. It is an honest book, and great entertainment.