This absorbing audiobook is surprising in many ways, not least of which are the vivid stories that bring each American president's struggles with his writing (or ghostwriting) alive. While some, like John Adams, wrote to settle scores and preserve their legacy, others, like John F. Kennedy, wrote to promote their candidacy. With his warm voice and clear diction, narrator Fred Sanders ably recounts anecdotes that reveal each president's insecurities, intellect, and, often, ego. But their stories also reveal how the reading public evolved over our country's history, aided in the late nineteenth century by the establishment of Andrew Carnegie's network of public libraries. The result is a rich political and social history of the republic, seen through the prism of books, their presidential authors, and readers.
Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2020
Duration: 15 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797101378
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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