The author of this in-depth biography of the legendary Native American athlete Jim Thorpe narrates the text earnestly but flatly. It's too bad because, while this is a long listen, Maraniss reveals the mythology and pure fiction relating to the oft-called "greatest athlete in the world." Thorpe, who described himself as five-eighths Indian, won the decathlon and pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics in Sweden. The finest football player of his time, he played both professional football and baseball. His roller-coaster life was marked by scandal when his medals were taken away because he had been paid to play semipro baseball. The injustice haunted him. He was surely flawed--thrice married, an absent father, prone to drink--but always a staunch partisan of Native American issues. A.D.M © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
Duration: 23 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781442387959
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A TikTok phenom, Olsen studied musical theater, and his love of performance comes through.
Olsen’s memoir knits together two threads of his young life. His audiobook is at once a cleareyed look at his addiction to alcohol and cocaine as well as his coming-of-age as a gay man. He grew up within a dysfunctional family. His mother, who is initially portrayed as an organized supermom, goes through rehab numerous times for alcohol use. Rehab is a theme: Olsen spends nearly a year in a Florida institution. A long, fraught romantic relationship is recounted in too much detail, while listeners hope instead for more about his meteoric rise as a social media celebrity.
A TikTok phenom, Olsen studied musical theater, and his love of performance comes through.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668132401
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2026
A different kind of rock star memoir, rooted in astrology and conveyed with gentle grace and intelligence.
Orzabal relates his history as a rock star with a conscience. Orzabal is a member of Tears for Fears, the 1980s pop duo that continues to record and perform. Their early ubiquitous hits remain staples on streaming services and movie soundtracks. Orzabal relates his unique path to stardom and shares the difficult story of his life of artistry and tragedy in a weathered British lilt. While his artistic compatriots may have enjoyed the usual spoils of pop stardom, Orzabal sought primal scream therapy. Orzabal's performance here is engaging and therapeutic.
A different kind of rock star memoir, rooted in astrology and conveyed with gentle grace and intelligence.Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 18 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063455153
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2026
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