In 1938, shortly after Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was born, an old man visited her family and predicted great things for the baby. His words were both ironic and prophetic. Sirleaf endured persecution, spousal abuse, political turmoil, imprisonment and exile to emerge in January 2006 as Liberia’s 24th president and the first elected female head of state in Africa. THIS CHILD WILL BE GREAT extends beyond Sirleaf’s personal story to provide a political, social and economic history of the African nation founded and colonized in 1822 by freed American slaves. Narrator Robin Miles draws on her rich repertoire of African diaspora speech patterns to project the author’s authoritarian pacing and inflection.
Pub Date: April 2, 2010
Duration: 14 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781440790034
Publisher: Recorded Books/ Griot
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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