American Nightmare Podcast Presents...

Excellent! I enjoyed listening to chapters one through eight. I look forward to listening to the rest of it. Good Job! - Hello, Randall. I just want to say good job! Keep up the good work! I listened to the entire podcast. I like the sound effects especially the foot stomps that indicate the dangerous situations. I really liked the ghoulish sounds of Omega’s taunts or squeals. I must disagree with those who didn’t like the background sound effects and music. By doing the sound effects and music, it gives the story more texture. In that sense, it’s like a music album rather than an audiobook. I actually liked the B-word part, it was a bit much, but it still put forth a retributive air about it all. Raw, uncut, kinda like “explicit” hip hop or rap music as opposed to their “clean” versions. Thank you for your bravery, creativity and sharing your gift with us.

From its first seconds this story draws you into the deep end of the pool, where you must swim or sink. We know the author learned to swim and not only survived but thrives against all odds, but what you don't know is the classic magnetic pull of a good listen: how he made it. His gut-wrenching story is filled with unexpected twists that only Dickens could create. With this audiobook Randall Fields is a first-time published author - and self-published at that, but readers would do well to throw away any low expectations. Yes, it needs some tweeking for simple errors. But like a masterful musician, Fields never allows the technical errors to mar the overall performance. The narrative captivates to the very end, and the structure and flow are nearly flawless. People spend a lot of money and time studying at places like Iowa and Bread Loaf to understand such secrets of good writing, but Fields is beyond all that, freely building three-dimensional spaces wherever he wishes on the page and in your ear. Publishers are always looking for an authoritative, unique voice, and Fields definitely has that. There are dozens of sentences that shine and ring like a struck bell, and I'm tempted to quote some but I don't want to spoil the reader's pleasure of discovery. The only thing that people might miss in this work is Fields' great sense of humor so evident in his youtube channel; there are hints of it if you listen, but it is mostly hidden. Another point on style: you won't find a better use of African American urban dialect. You can hear the voices loud and clear, witness the personalities and the emotions, feel the heat and weight of the city. "American Nightmare" reminds me of "Manchild in the Promised Land." A recent and very useful companion memoir is "Handbook for an Unpredictable Life" by Rosie Perez, who like Fields grew up in New York City and suffered her own multiple circles of hell as an innocent child. What distinguishes "American Nightmare" from the rest of the genre is its distinctly global perspective, as if Shanghai is just a few blocks from the Bronx. "American Nightmare" is multi-layered, courageous and driven by a faith in self and humanity that will inspire readers for a long time. Get this man an agent.

When I first came across this podcast I assumed it would be about random true crime horror stories in America. Boy was I mistaken!!!! (And I’m glad) This is definitely sooo much MORE!!! This is more so like a more entertaining audiobook than a regular schmegular podcast. This puts me in the mind of the bedtime stories my dad use to read to me as a child. Not the actual stories but the theatrics incorporated with telling the story. The host, Randall Fields, does a wonderful job drawing the listener in and keeping us actively engaged with the use of various “bells and whistles” playing quietly in the background. Like when he told us about them playing spades, you heard a card party in the background. When the older women were in the kitchen talking you heard some old school blues playing quietly in the background. I mention these things because it makes you feel as if you are actually there. There is so much I want to say about this podcast (good things) but I do not want to spoil it before you have the opportunity to listen to it. The audio quality is amazing and the content is well written and nicely developed. I look forward to more things from Randall Fields in the future.

I’ve never met Mr. Flagg personally. I’ve listened to him over a span of many years and found his life to be quite fascinating. At times I’ve cried with him and felt his pain, trauma and frustration. I cannot begin to fathom what it must take to make it this far in life, to accomplish all that he has accomplished thus far. As I listen to his podcast I hear the unique evolution of a voice that so many will hear now and in the future, an impactful voice, and I sense in the telling of his story a unique and successful future ahead of him. I am deeply moved.