The "Splendid Splinter" was baseball's greatest hitter, and most notorious enfant terrible. The child of a broken family, Williams grew up in the glare of the major league spotlight and suffered for his honesty and lack of social graces. Nevertheless, he rewrote the record books, still taking time to serve in WWII and Korea. After baseball, he earned renown as an outdoorsman and, in the end, as the unfortunate corpse in a lurid custody battle among his children. Scott Brick's reading is both honest and idolatrous, as one cannot escape the raw charisma and bawdy crudity of this boy who never grew up. We are told of blind men who went to Fenway Park just to hear him hit. Such is the wonder of baseball.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 21 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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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