To write a good history, the author must be scholarly and a good storyteller. In this case, the author is both, and that makes this work on presidential leadership eminently suited to audio. The four men profiled--Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson--differed greatly in what shaped their leadership styles. The audio publisher chose to use four different narrators. This proves a solid decision. For one, it breaks up a lengthy book into smaller, almost self-contained segments. In addition, each narrator adds vocal character to the profiles. They don't try to sound like the presidents, but their individual tones add to the experience--a rough Midwestern edge for Lincoln, a more refined tone for FDR. The author provides the aural bookends.
Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
Duration: 18 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781508232964
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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