[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with JOHN ADAMS.]--The American Presidents series of brief biographies of all 42 presidents is a perfect audiobook size and length. Each individual biography offers a wealth of information about the period in which it's set and about the American presidency in general, and nowhere is that value better evident than in the biographies of minor or second-tier presidents like Adams and Cleveland. Adams ushered in the age of westward expansion but was politically ineffectual, serving only one term. Cleveland stood for honesty in government just as industrial capitalism was reaching its zenith. This excellent series of biographies, each written by an eminent historian, is a rich and rewarding listening experience. Ira Claffey's brisk, unapologetic tone strikes the proper measure for the politics, initiatives, and setbacks of a failed administration--keeping plain their significance to the times and to the evolution of American government.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2002
Duration: 5 hrs
Publisher: Audio Renaissance
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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