The author of many books about China writes a Swiss-cheese biography of Chairman Mao, leaving out WWI entirely and covering WWII with two sentences. Readers wanting a glimpse of one of the most important, and yet naive, leaders of the twentieth century will be satisfied without being overwhelmed. The terror and repression of Mao's Cultural Revolution, so divorced from any reality check, deserve the world's attention. The color lacking in the text finds no remedy from reader Alexander Adams, who speaks no Chinese. A little Asian music and a bilingual reader would have been a "Great Leap Forward" for this otherwise sterile production.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2000
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
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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