Author/narrator Chloé Cooper Jones dazzles listeners with a memoir that showcases her talent as an engaging writer and audio performer. A 2020 Pulitzer finalist for Feature Writing, she was born with sacral agenesis, a spinal condition that causes her physical pain, as well as mental and emotional pain from the constant judgment, pity, and prejudice of others. In this part-philosophical-memoir, part-travelogue, Jones offers a profoundly honest examination of society's standards of beauty and desirability, and insightfully explores disability, parenthood, relationships, and more. Her frank tone, along with nuanced pauses and thoughtful emphases, brings her stories to life. Jones's inspiring writing and powerful performance elicit thoughtful consideration of how we humans interact with one another.
Pub Date: April 5, 2022
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797137483
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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