Narrator Spotlight: Audiobooks by Dion Graham 

Matthew Desmond’s Poverty, By America asks profoundly serious questions. The answers are complex, dealing with policies and ideologies that are not everyday parlance for most readers, but nonfiction is one of Dion Graham’s greatest strengths. He brings clarity and understanding to Desmond’s analysis and intensity and urgency to the book’s key takeaway, which is that we should all become “poverty abolitionists.” 

This monumental and enlightening biography is supremely enhanced by Graham. When you hear his majestic voice, you can’t help but listen more attentively. Here, Graham is at the height of his powers portraying America’s recognized single greatest orator, and yet the brilliance of his performance comes in his equally committed rendering of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, non-public moments, as well as of the many people who surround and inform King’s legacy. This isn’t just an audiobook — it’s a revelation, not only of the many facets of King but also of how a sensitive and intelligent audio interpretation can substantively augment understanding. 

This is a title best experienced as an audiobook. Sly Stone is a music legend, and this unexpected memoir tells the story of how he blurred so many lines to masterful effect. Stone’s smooth prose is enhanced with Graham’s own sonorous timbre. Graham smartly slows his narration cadence as Stone ages in the book as the story moves through the years. Enjoy musical clips from Stone’s radio DJ years as well as more recently produced music. 

Graham’s expertise for narrating important nonfiction work shines through in The Black Utopians. He remains steady and authoritative throughout this fascinating history of the self-sustaining utopias Black Americans created during the Reconstruction Era of the 1860s, through the Black Christian nationalist movement of the 1960s and 1970s, and up to communities that continue the legacy today. Graham effectively conveys author Aaron Robertson’s dual approach to this history: a factual overview balanced by an intimate personal account of his family’s journey to manifest a better future for Black Americans.  

This seamless, epic history-telling is an eighteenth-century puzzle of high seas intrigue, a fateful shipwreck, mutiny, and a real-life “Lord of the Flies” descent into mayhem, culminating in a gripping courtroom battle, where opposing truths hang in the balance. Graham commands our attention as these men make their way from castaways to survivors sharing their life-or-death tales in an English courtroom. 

Buckle up for an unforgettable journey from master storyteller Amor Towles. This novel perfectly illustrates how friends are the family we choose, and it’s a road trip you may not want to end. Graham is joined by fellow Golden Voice narrators Edoardo Ballerini and Marin Ireland to create a stellar performance all around, which garnered them an Audies Award Finalist nomination in 2022. 

In this 1960s New York City crime novel, multiple Pulitzer-winning author Whitehead introduces protagonist Ray Carney — a furniture salesman with a double life — and a set of meticulously crafted supporting roles. Graham embodies them all in a powerful and atmospheric performance that’s just plain fun. His impressive work saw him awarded with the 2021 Best Audiobook for Fiction from AudioFile Magazine. 

Set amid African legend and mythology, this is a wildly imaginative, action-packed fantasy epic that feels both familiar and refreshingly new at the same time. Graham deftly handles the colorful cast of characters and their varied accents, even proving he has a melodious singing voice. 

Graham brings to life the many characters in Rebecca Roanhorse’s Tread of Angels. The mining town of Goetia is filled with demon- and angel-type inhabitants, but Graham handles the eclectic cast of voices with skill and ease. Listeners will appreciate having a talented narrator handle the unique names and accents. 

Taking his talents from the stage and screen to the page, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson teams up with Aaron Philip Clark to pen an action-packed crime thriller. Graham is joined by January LaVoy for a tandem narration of Vietnam vet-turned-thief, Desmond Bell, and Texas Ranger Nia Adams. Together, these two superstar readers create a fast-paced and suspenseful listen. 

There is no one better to embody Walter Mosley’s P.I. Joe King Oliver than Dion Graham. Graham’s layered performance encapsulates the range of emotions Oliver goes through, from spending time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit to starting a new life as a P.I. and tracking down the person truly responsible for the crime. The wide cast of characters coming from a variety of backgrounds is flawlessly performed, leaving the listener with no doubts as to whom is speaking at any given time. 

This Printz Honor book is set 17 years before the events of Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give. Graham maneuvers the internal and external dialogue of Maverick with grace and nuance. Maverick’s internal dialogue is rhythmic and lyrical, while his external dialogue swiftly changes depending on whom he may be speaking to. Graham rotates between these exchanges with deftness and ease, creating an immersive, yet effortless, listening experience. Concrete Rose saw Graham added to AudioFile Magazine’s Best Audiobooks in 2021 for a second time that year. 

Just when we thought we’d heard the extent of Dion Graham’s skills, he performs a middle grade novel as if it’s a one-man stage drama. The shifting points of view between 107-year-old Josey Kravitz and 12-year-old Alex are masterfully handled by Graham. He seamlessly blends this cast of characters from a wide range of ages and ethnicities with ease and authenticity — creating an ensemble experience all on his own. It’s a heartwarming tale, perfect for the whole family to enjoy together. 

Milo Imagines the World is a thought-provoking, conversation-starting tale about a boy and his inquisitive mind. Graham wanders Milo’s imaginations with an appropriate sense of wonder and whimsy, later turning thoughtful as Milo realizes his perceived thoughts of the people around him may be woefully inaccurate. Although this book was conceived as a picture book, Graham’s narration makes the images unnecessary. Another great listen for all ages.