Listeners enter history through the eyes of a Black Navy man as he is abruptly given a new assignment without any explanation about what's going on. Narrator Sam Manual conveys the man's anxiety and then his relief at learning that he is to become one of 12 Black Navy officers in 1944, the first cohort to integrate the officer ranks. Manuel's voice captures both the heightened emotions of racial tension and the routine aspects of Navy life. As listeners learn about the lives and careers of the men in the first group, the atmosphere of WWII-era America takes shape. The Navy's treatment of Black enlistees, the Black press's shift toward the Democratic Party, and racially motivated violence are part of this historic turning point.
Pub Date: May 19, 2020
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780807004449
Publisher: Beacon Press
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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