Jesmyn Ward grew up in a small Mississippi town full of racism and lack of opportunity for its young black men. In the space of four years, Ward loses five men close to her, including her brother, to suicide, murder, drugs, and car accidents. Narrator Cherise Boothe is adept with a Southern accent, and her smooth voice and deliberate delivery allow Ward’s searing prose to stand unadorned. Ward is attacked by a pitbull, faces overt racism as the only black student in a private school, can’t find a job after college, has a father who simply could not remain faithful to his wife, and constantly experiences the loss of loved ones. However, Boothe’s narration feels curiously bloodless as she conveys the gravity of Ward's circumstances but not the grit of her responses, and we never really hear the rawness and despair.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2014
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781490610009
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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