Cooper's memoir includes elements of Liberian culture and history as well as details on generations past of her "Congo" family, descended from two Liberian dynasties. Her fourteenth birthday begins with the thrill of getting a diamond for a present and ends with watching her uncle being executed during a coup. The sweetness of her early years at Sugar Beach ends as the family flees to the U.S. In her new country Cooper's experiences a difficult adjustment due to cultural ignorance of her native land and her longing for the foster sister she had to leave behind. Cooper's reading is less agile than her writing—her narration is flat. However, to her dialogue she provides accents and intonations that add verve to the production.
Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2008
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
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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