Susan Ericksen transports listeners through time in her enraptured narration of 22 of Dillard’s foremost essays culled from her marvelous nonfiction, which began with the Pulitzer Prize-winning PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK. The structure is not chronological; instead the collection follows a metaphysical journey plotted by the author, who has thoughtfully chosen, tweaked, and juxtaposed the essays into a “novelized book of nonfiction.” Dillard’s complex spiritual, natural, and historical journeys are spelled out with clarity by the narrator. And in the discoveries expressed in “An American Childhood”—on drag racing, the decrepitude of adults, and the essence of joke-telling, in particular—Ericksen’s narration flirts with glee. A complex journey beautifully told commands listening over and over to fully appreciate its layers of meaning and lyrical storytelling.
Pub Date: March 15, 2016
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781511362382
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The author describes her efforts to implement a meaningful sustainability initiative for Wales and the world at large. An educator and minister of the environment, sustainability, and housing in her tiny country, she's a wonderful narrator who sounds at once relaxed and passionate, likable and dignified. Her voice is a perfect vehicle for amplifying her humanitarian intentions as well as the breadth of her methodical thinking. But what makes this audio so inspiring are the personal asides she shares throughout concerning her willingness to be vulnerable and her calm resolve to do something for the world's future generations. Davidson's descriptions of the laborious process of cultural transformation would have been dry listening without her pleasing UK speaking voice.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2020
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
When Captain Salvador Alvarenga and his young assistant, Ezequiel Cordova, set out from Costa Azul, Mexico, on a fishing expedition, the experienced captain could not possibly have expected the type of journey that lay ahead. Narrator George Newbern does an excellent job delivering the story of Alvarenga's struggle to survive at sea in an open boat for 438 days before finally coming ashore on a remote island many miles away in the South Pacific. Newbern’s consistent pace and varied tone keep the compelling story going, communicating the harrowing aspects of the journey as well as Alvarenga's inspirational will to survive his extended ordeal at sea.
Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2015
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781442396029
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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