Narrator Allison Hiroto provides an energetic and intense voice for Kan's memoir about three generations of family who live in China. The former NEW YORK TIMES reporter explains the intricate details of the One Child policy, including forced birth control and abortions, against the backdrop of her own mother's experiences. Listeners will be spellbound by the intimacy of these little known details of everyday struggles for survival. Hiroto maximizes the spirit of the author's rebellious family--from a mother who hid a forbidden pregnancy to the author herself, a journalist who works in one of the world's most oppressive regimes. Her narration is lively and engaging, well suited to this unexpected feminist memoir of ordinary women in extraordinary circumstances. Listeners will be cheering the Kan women on.
Pub Date: March 12, 2019
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549199837
Publisher: Hachette Audio
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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