This fine audiobook focuses on the crucial first months of Truman's presidency, from April through August of 1945. Tony Messano, an experienced commercial voice relatively new to audiobooks, delivers an effectively restrained reading that both tames and heightens the high drama of those transformative months, and highlights the crucial role of Truman's judgment and common sense. Messano's voice is resonant but unvarnished, reminiscent of those gravelly Truman-era newscasters, and of Truman's own forthright Midwestern rasp. Heard now, in the context of our own headlines, this narrative from another time has particular poignancy. Truman, better than anyone could have expected, proved to be the man for the hour, a humble man who met the challenges of his time with dignity, honesty, and a sense of justice.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2018
Duration: 14 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Audible Inc./ Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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