Powell's collection of essays on hip-hop, football, politics, black identity, and his own limitations to be a better person are given even more gravitas by his slightly raspy and emphatic voice. Whether he's debating the merits of Tupac, Prince, Beyoncé, or Kanye; tracing the roots of his own challenging upbringing in an urban single-family home; or considering what it means to be black in a country with a racialized criminal justice system, Powell's prose gains added emphasis and emotion through his narration. He makes the work sound like it was born to be read aloud. Powell explores the culture around him and grounds it in his analysis and experience, making for a rich work about both an individual and this nation.
Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781508265252
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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