After a deeply touching foreword by Oscar-winning actor Viola Davis and an introduction by the indomitable force that was Cicely Tyson (1924-2021)—narrator Robin Miles picks up the torch and delivers 16 riveting, thought-provoking hours on the life and times of the author. She was born in Harlem to parents who were West Indian immigrants. Her career in modeling and show business started late; she was 30 but was advised to say she was 10 years younger so that she wouldn’t be "aged out" of work. Winner of the Spingarn Medal, the most distinguished honor the NAACP awards; a Kennedy Center honor; three Emmys; a Tony; an honorary Oscar; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Tyson attributes her well-deserved success to luck, tenacity, and her personal relationship with God. In addition to being the first Black woman to star in a TV drama, she recalls her work in SOUNDER, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS JANE PITTMAN, and as Kunta Kinte’s mother in ROOTS, as well as many other groundbreaking roles. Robin Miles is truly remarkable as she relates wonderfully amusing anecdotes of Tyson’s life in the public eye, as well as revealing painfully intimate moments with her parents, her own family, and jazz great Miles Davis, with whom she had a longtime, turbulent relationship. Robin Miles delivers all with an elegance, dignity, and charm that would make Tyson proud. This honest account of Cicely Tyson’s life also tells of the history and trials of Black women over generations. She closes her memoir by saying that “Whenever God calls me home . . ., I want to be recalled as one who squared my shoulders in the service of Black women, as one who made us walk taller and envision greater for ourselves.” This audiobook is a must-listen, thanks to the combined brilliance of Robin Miles's performance and the genteel grace that pervades Tyson's prose.
Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2021
Duration: 16 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780062931351
Publisher: Harper 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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