Narrator Dion Graham so closely ties his pacing and tone to MacArthur fellow John Edgar Wideman's ideas and variety of narrative structures in these essays and stories that he seems to become the writer speaking directly to the listener. The collection itself reaches broadly from the autobiographical and personal to the scholarly and to riffs on language itself, giving Graham an enormous range of opportunities to create character voices for men, women, youth, and the elderly; pronounce rhythmic passages with a full measure of energizing beats; and employ phrasing that echoes Wideman's delight in the power of word repetition, alliteration, and occasional onomatopoeia. Topics include reflections on grading an undergraduate's story; identifying as the son, brother, and father of convicted black men; suicidal ideation; and a nineteenth-century abolitionist.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2018
Duration: 6 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Novel Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ayla, one of the "others," is adopted by a clan of Neanderthal cave people. She struggles to conform to their ways, but her advanced human traits overwhelm and threaten their primitive culture in this initial installment of an immensely popular series. Although the story might benefit from abridgment, Rowena Cooper easily carries out the formidable task of enlivening the mostly silent and stereotypical characters with consistent, diverse personalities and human dimension. Through skillful phrasing and inflection, she maintains the reader's interest and suspense, especially with Ayla and her plight, throughout this rambling and imaginative story.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America/ Chivers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This lyrical, sensual novel of woman's lot in Manchu, China, is as well researched as it is well written. Authentic in tone, it's nonetheless written for Westerners by a Western expert on China. Moreover, Susan Clark performs the demanding text superbly, with only occasional signs of fatigue. For the most part she not only sustains the quaint diction and Asian atmosphere, but also, creates whole worlds with her voice. She acts the book, rather than reads it, and, in so doing, turns a pretty trifle into a stupendous beauty.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 4 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audio Literature
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
