Narrator Edita Brychta sounds exactly like a South African who has lived in the U.S. for decades and had the edges knocked off her accent. Her delivery fits author Gerda Saunders perfectly. Saunders's memoir is both tragic and courageous as she outlines her experience of early-onset dementia, along with other major stages of her life including growing up in apartheid South Africa, meeting her husband at university, and working as a gender studies professor in Utah. Scattered throughout are her "field notes"--memory lapses documented in a notebook she received as a retirement gift (a retirement prompted by dementia). Brychta adeptly expresses Saunders's honesty and no-nonsense attitude as well as her gratitude and romantic love for her husband. It is wonderful to hear Saunders herself read the acknowledgments and the lengthy author's note discussing the origins and difficulties of writing the book.
Pub Date: June 13, 2017
Duration: 9 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781478916017
Publisher: Hachette 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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