The famously hoarse, hesitant, and always interested voice of renowned public radio host Diane Rehm is a trustworthy guide for listeners to her excellent new audiobook about medical aid in dying--allowing terminally ill patients control over the time and manner of their deaths. Rehm is an impassioned and analytical narrator who knows whereof she speaks, having watched her mother and her husband die slowly and painfully even though they wished to be able to hasten their deaths. The audiobook blends personal anecdotes, reportage, and interviews with patients, doctors, advocates, and opponents. The interviews, read by Rehm and several talented narrators, plus Rehm's grandson, are less lively than the on-air originals, yet they still make for compelling listening. This is a persuasive and important audiobook.
Pub Date: 2020
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593169872
Publisher: Random House 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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