Journalist Lisa M. Hamilton uses a neutral tone, raising her volume occasionally to highlight extremes as she tells the story of Ia Moua, a Hmong immigrant who escaped wartime Laos and holed up in a Thai refugee camp, finally making her way to Fresno, California. The steadiness of Hamilton's voice is anchoring as Ia deals with beatings by her husband, the guns of invasive armies, pervasive hunger, separation from her family, the struggles of the refugee camp, and immigration difficulties once she is in the U.S. Hamilton's even voice allows her narration to transition smoothly from Ia's life to the larger geopolitical issues that underlie and parallel her struggles--particularly the collapse of Hmong farming culture. Hamilton's voice strengthens as she paints Ia's determined resilience, entrepreneurial wisdom, and triumphant successes.
Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549113475
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners will appreciate Swift’s talent and perseverance.
In this compelling audiobook, journalist Swift relates the pleasures and pains of completing a 14-state trek of the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail, and describes the people he meets along the way. His original excursion coincided with the 1990 murder of two hikers whom he’d met on the trail. More than three decades later, Swift recreates his hike, seeking answers about the murders and noting the ways that global warming is threatening the A.T. Swift’s voice has some gravel in it, befitting a man in his mid-60s. He relates his experiences in well-wrought descriptions: a near miss from a falling tree; an encounter with a rattlesnake; injuries to his back, hand, and ankle; and the often daunting terrain.
Listeners will appreciate Swift’s talent and perseverance.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 49 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063265462
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
This wide-ranging collection of Bourdain's work is a mixed success.
Legendary chef and world traveler Bourdain was an aspiring creative long before his rise to fame. This collection spans his works from as early as high school to his later writings, with which listeners will be more familiar. Editor Kimberly Witherspoon sets the tone with her introduction. Dion Graham, David Colacci, Kaleo Griffith, and Chris Patton round out the cast, along with archival recordings of Bourdain himself. Reading his own work, Bourdain is indubitably the standout, bringing to life his trademark approach to food and travel. The rest of the collection is uneven both in content and in narration; some early pieces, both fiction and nonfiction, are unpolished in their writing and overemoted in their narration.
This wide-ranging collection of Bourdain's work is a mixed success.Pub Date: June 30, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs, 26 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062863980
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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