Respected film expert and historian James Curtis offers a comprehensive and intriguing dive into the life and career of actor, comedian, and filmmaker Buster Keaton (1895-1966). Narrator David Pittu is an ideal choice for this lengthy but entertaining audiobook. While Pittu's nuanced, sensitive performance is a bit slow-paced, it's entirely absorbing--simply superb. Pittu slightly alters his voice when directly quoting voices beyond the author's and Keaton's. All of Keaton's vaudeville performances, along with his comedic "shorts" and feature films, are discussed, including behind-the-scenes stories and vignettes. His personal life is presented without a hint of the now-common sensationalism and exaggeration. Boomers may well become nostalgic as they remember Keaton's cameos in several beach party films of the 1960s. Treat yourself to the fun of Buster Keaton.
Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2022
Duration: 31 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593550984
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Moving from deeply despairing to wildly successful, only West could do his own poignant story justice.
Fans of voice actor West may have difficulty reconciling his disturbing childhood with the numerous joyful characters he’s best known for. In this revealing, painfully honest memoir, West recalls life before, during, and after animated series The Ren & Stimpy Show and Futurama, in which he voiced multiple characters. Occasionally reverting to his comic voices to illustrate a point or an anecdote, West details his experiences with his brutal, psychotic father; his early efforts to disassociate himself from beatings and abuse; and the profoundly positive effects TV comics like Sid Caesar and Danny Kaye had on him. Late-in-life diagnoses of ADHD and OCD also gave West some comfort.
Moving from deeply despairing to wildly successful, only West could do his own poignant story justice.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 1 min
DD ISBN: 9798898850111
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
Cox delivers both the searing pain and deep beauty imbued in her life journey.
The cudgel of gender conformity has never felt more visceral and brutal, more omnipresent and inescapable than in actor and activist Cox’s spellbinding memoir. Listeners will not be left unchanged by Cox’s courage in speaking her whole truth for the very first time. As narrator, Cox’s voice sometimes sounds armored, because this isn't Cox the performer, but Cox as a fiercely analytical intellectual as she examines how her life story embodies the intersection of gender, race, colonization, and patriarchy. Yes, listeners will hear about her fun rise to fame, which included working with film idols like Jodie Foster, but it is her relationship with feminist icon and scholar bell hooks that informs the backbone of this intelligent, remarkable memoir.
Cox delivers both the searing pain and deep beauty imbued in her life journey.Pub Date: June 9, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668135860
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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