JD Jackson is an outstanding narrator of this memoir of cruelty, casual corruption, and solitary confinement. Woodfox was serving a fifty-year stint in Angola prison in Louisiana when he was falsely accused of murdering a white guard and sent to solitary confinement for more than 40 years. Jackson sounds exactly like what Woodfox is--an older man who has seen so many bad things that the truly awful is not as much shocking as it is expected. Jackson, in a roughish voice, tells the story mostly calmly, even as the listener cringes at episodes of rape and brutality. Woodfox stayed sane in prison through his friendships and beliefs. Jackson manages to convey the strength of those foundations through his performance.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
Duration: 16 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
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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