This is perhaps Igbo and Tamil writer Akwaeke Emezi's most vulnerable--and groundbreaking--book. In a series of letters to the people in their life, Emezi explores their experience as an embodied spirit, a nonhuman living in human flesh. Their writing is bold and absolutely unapologetic. So is their narration. Even while describing the most painful moments, their narration conveys a deep sureness, a bedrock certainty, in all the space they joyfully take up. In a voice both silky and raw, they read letters about trans identity, chosen family, the publishing industry, heartbreak, and writing their debut, FRESHWATER. But the beating heart of this extraordinary memoir is the story of a small god revealing themself to the world. Listening to it is like watching a powerful river cut its way through a canyon.
Pub Date: June 8, 2021
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593412527
Publisher: Penguin 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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