Everyone loves the Beach Boys. Narrator Fred Berman steps into band leader Brian Wilson's skin to perform this memoir so perfectly that it's like hearing Wilson himself. Berman explains that the man responsible for such incredible music did so through much personal pain. The undercurrent of the audiobook is the mental illness that Wilson has dealt with his entire life. Berman is fully convincing in his portrayal of Wilson, especially when he talks about coming to accept the voices he hears in his head. The music that Wilson produces is torn from him, sometimes painfully, but it has to come out. And then there's this quote: "Any minute I spent performing "Good Vibrations" is a minute I feel spiritually home." So say we all. It's a shame there's no music in the production.
Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2016
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
