Professor Don Snyder, well-respected teacher of English at Colgate, revels in being one of life's winners until one awful day he is laid off. This very personal memoir traces his fruitless efforts to find another teaching position, his growing despair, and finally, his rebirth as a construction worker and handyman. Professor Snyder learns to value what is truly important, lay aside his snobbery, and make a new life. Reader Alan Sklar takes us masterfully along this psychological journey from self-pity to self-discovery. We feel all of Snyder's anxiety, disillusionment, listlessness, self-deception, and finally, sense of purpose and fulfillment. Other characters are given personalities as well. As Sklar makes us care what happens to Snyder, we continue listening to what is often a painful story.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1999
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
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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