With a gentle, nostalgic tone, a Southern accent, and heartfelt descriptions, Janisse Ray reads her essays on growing up in her family's South Georgia junkyard. The mythical story she was told of her arrival as the second-born, the sheep her father raised, and trips into the one-light town are all recalled fondly. There's also the more somber story of her grandpa's mental illness. She intersperses the memories of a strict childhood among junked cars with reflections on nature. As Ray discusses a favorite pine tree or the birds in the junkyard, she mourns the declining forests. Ray's love of language and her childhood home enchant while making a case for a region's ecological restoration.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2015
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: ListenUp Productions
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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