Jeannette Walls’s honest and straightforward narration of her memoir unfolds like a fictional cliffhanger. Her childhood stories are humorous and awe inspiring, while her tone becomes appropriately sober and sometimes angry when she recounts her teenage experience. Her alcoholic father’s inability to keep a job and her artist mother’s aversion to work mired the family with four children into extreme poverty, yet they were taught positive values and given a literary and scientific education. But listening to the final chapters is tedious, perhaps because Walls tells less about herself (a casual mention of her two husbands) and repeats much of what we already know about her homeless but intellectual parents. Still, this audiobook about child survival and success offers gems of insight.
Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2010
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781442339712
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Karen Chilton's fluid alto is a good fit for this biography of Thomas Jefferson. The authors are more or less successful in their attempt to present the third president in the context of his times. What we are presented with is a very human being--possessing great intellect, filled with flaws and contradictions, and still immensely fascinating nearly three centuries after his birth. Chilton's pacing and inflection are never off. She narrates with a calm demeanor, competently affecting various accents for quotes and ably giving subtle expression to the narrative. It all adds up to an enjoyable listening experience.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2016
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781501909993
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This rags-to-riches memoir recounts the business life of Sam Wyly as he made his way from IBM salesman in the early 1960s to the owner of Sterling Software and Michael's stores, as well as a chain of restaurants, among other companies. Along the way, Wyly tells of his investment strategies, his business partners, his successes, and his failures. Phil Gigante reads this business story with a steady voice that lulls listeners instead of exciting them. In addition to the occasional odd pronunciation, Gigante's voice is barely modulated, and he fails to engage emotionally. Nonetheless, this title offers an interesting view of how to invest in your business, making it grow while weathering an ever-changing economy.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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