Robinson's essays demand one’s undivided attention as they illuminate profoundly relevant global issues, and the political, social, environmental, and religious climate in America today. Robinson's insights, bolstered by treatises on Christianity, pinpoint how humanity arrived at this point and the likely effect of today’s climate on future generations. Read by the author, the collection articulates her intensity and sincerity. The purposeful force of her inspiring narration encourages the listener to compare his or her own depths of experience to hers. In the title essay, Robinson describes an Idaho childhood in which her youthful coming-of-age expectations mirrored the myth of the American West. Any devoted reader will identify with her lifelong love of books, the craft of writing, and the creative spirit. With its elegant prose, this book once again affirms Robinson’s well-deserved status as a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Pub Date: March 13, 2012
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781427226785
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Claudette Monica Powell wanted to be a nun since she watched the movie A NUN'S STORY at age 7. Now she is Sister Monica Clare, Sister Superior of the Community of Saint John Baptist, an Episcopal order of women in rural New Jersey. A former acting student at New York University, Sister Monica Clare delivers an approachable, folksy account of her long and often painful path to the convent. Her chaotic and abusive childhood led to a loveless marriage, intensifying her already towering insecurity. Now she has a TikTok, @nunsenseforthepeople, with 200,000 followers. An energetic and engaging storyteller, Sister Monica Clare relays tidbits from her Hollywood days, as well as details of monastic life in this warm and engrossing memoir.
Pub Date: April 29, 2025
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217064878
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Colm Tóibín's consummate narration of his new collection of essays charms and educates in equal measure. The 11 pieces, written between 1995 and 2022, explore topics ranging from Catholic popes and the author Marilyn Robinson to Tóibín's homosexuality, treatment for testicular cancer, and childhood in Ireland. An award-winning journalist, novelist, and poet, Tóibín is analytical, elegiac, and often very funny, with a great eye for the telling detail. His soft, slightly nasal tenor and gentle Irish intonation are interestingly mellifluous; "power" becomes "paar" and "carefully" is "kerfully." He narrates deliberately, giving listeners time to absorb the writing. Occasionally, he lingers over words and phrases for maximum effect. It's a poet's approach, which works. The result is entrancing.
Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2023
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797153230
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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