Before traditional American Black music was sanitized, condensed, and recorded for white listeners, it was as raunchy and X-rated as anything in today's gangsta rap, according to this lively history by a prolific music journalist. Elijah Wald's meticulous research is roughly organized around the early-twentieth-century barroom musician Jelly Roll Morton and is performed here with exceptional talent and verve by L.A. narrator Mela Lee. She's great fun to hear--full of expressive energy that resonates with the storyline but never distracts from the author's writing and keen sensibilities. Her appreciation of early Black music and its cultural context matches that of the author, whose writing is full of respect for those musicians and their roles in the history of American pop music.
Pub Date: April 2, 2024
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668637555
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An essential listen for Sondheim enthusiasts.
For those who know Sondheim best as the lyricist of Broadway giants such as Gypsy and West Side Story, this extremely well-researched, rather concise audiobook will enlighten and inform. Author Okrent’s boundless enthusiasm is clear in his performance as he discusses Sondheim’s personal and professional journey. Sondheim, who passed in 2021, was an intensely private man, but fans of Company, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, and more of Sondheim's work will appreciate that Okrent was able to mine previously unexamined archives and other resources.
An essential listen for Sondheim enthusiasts.Pub Date: yesterday
Duration: 8 hrs, 21 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228745124
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026
A memoir that doesn’t break any records but is elevated by Hall’s authenticity.
Sara Hall has had an impressively long career as an elite distance runner. She has juggled being a professional athlete with raising four daughters with her husband, who is also a former professional runner. Her easygoing and conversational performance both understates and emphasizes her ambition and integrity. Hall’s evangelical Christian faith is central to her story; at times, she’s had to push back against those who believed she should put her husband’s needs and career before her own. A long-distance run can generate a multitude of emotions. Hall tracks those feelings as she recounts her disappointment about never making an Olympic team, her constant battles with injuries, and her joy at breaking American records, achieving personal bests, and creating a family.
A memoir that doesn’t break any records but is elevated by Hall’s authenticity.Pub Date: April 21, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 39 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250445605
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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