In an autobiography about sexual identity, the author reveals little of hers. She didn’t sleep with her husband, for example, revealing only that doing so made her feel "uncomfortable." What listeners do hear are the vapid memories of a career military officer who was discharged for admitting she’s a lesbian during a security clearance interview. Narrator Barbara Caruso does her best to make herself sound like the author, an adventurous Army nurse raised by an unsentimental Norwegian family. However, the memoir itself unfolds in such a passionless manner that it constrains Caruso to being a relater of events and dates. She deftly capitalizes on some emotion near the end, when Margarethe meets Diane, her first true love. Written in 1994, the story serves as background for the current dialogue on the military’s policy on homosexuals—“Don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2008
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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