This piece uses music as background almost all the way through, but its use feels nonetheless very sparing; I was pleased that it never distracts the listener from the deep, textured voice of the speaker. The piece is of a perfect length-- the producer manages to bring us back to the heart of the fifties racial tensions in a matter of 2 short minutes-- and the final twist in the narration is haunting but very satisfying in a way that unsaccharine endings are.
This would be a good piece to play on any show on desegregation, and on Valentine's day, to illuminate the topic from a very different angle.
Highly recommended. (I might add that although I chose "raw" as one of the adjectives, I am referring to the ambiance of the piece and not the sound quality, which is very professional.)

This is very effective radio. Simply done, a story told with just enough ambience to set the scene. It could have been much longer but the producer was smart enough to make it short and devastating.

why is it that the evil things we do as kids (when we're supposed to be learning the ropes of the whole morality thing) cut us so deeply as adults? This piece revisits a real moment in the author's life, in a first grade classroom, valentines day, 1955, and the aftermath of that brutal ceremony known as trading valentine cards. The writing is dramatic, the read very close-to-the-mic, which fits the intimate, confessional tone. This is an honest, engaging piece that does a lot in 2 minutes. I would love to hear stations play this kind of edgy, memorable material around valentines day.