The hardships of the author's early life in China continued when she was sent to New York City as a teen to work in her family's sweatshop. Catherine Ho's narration captures the author's relentless conflict--with her Chinese family's authoritarian and misogynist ways, with her status as an unwanted child, and within herself regarding whether she could separate herself from this family dynamic. Though Ho's tone is grim and hardened, these features keep the focus on the author's ultimate rejection of her tortured attachment to the ideal, wished-for mother she never had. Though this gripping memoir could not be more personal, it brings attention more broadly to the conflicts that current immigrants face when reconciling their families of origin with the hazards and opportunities of American culture.
Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593556313
Publisher: Random House 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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