Starting off in a clipped monotone, Hope Jahren's memoir of her childhood on a rather cold, hushed Minnesota homestead does not immediately engage listeners. However, her reporting on her youthful adventures in her father's local college lab foreshadows some coming delights. Not until her own passionate engagement with trees, soil, plants, seeds, and the tedious tasks and explosive discoveries of her own lab work does the narration blossom. As Jahren recounts her journeys with her troubled yet dedicated lab partner, Bill--from California to the North Pole, Norway, and many tree-studded lands in between--she beautifully contrasts intricate details of plants and trees and the stultifying sexism of academic life. A new respect for trees is inevitable after listening to Jahren's impassioned stories of her life among them.
Pub Date: April 5, 2016
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101890202
Publisher: Random House 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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