Hawa Abdi is an amazing woman who has stuck to her mission despite an almost daily battle with famine, poverty, and war. Although Abdi was raised in a traditional society in Somalia, she went to medical school, opened and ran her own hospital outside of Mogadishu, and ultimately became the protector of thousands and thousands of displaced people. Robin Miles’s tone successfully renders the perseverance (bordering on obstinacy) that was necessary for Abdi’s personal and institutional survival. One especially spellbinding scene is when the hard-line Islamic militia demands that Abdi hand over the hospital because a woman should not run anything substantial. Abdi responds, “You are young, and you are a man, but what have you done for your society?” Abdi is a doctor and not a writer, but Miles’s melodious voice diminishes the impact of the sometimes disjointed writing. A.B. 2014 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: April 2, 2013
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781619696389
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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