Young Maya and her brother, Bailey, live in Stamps, Arkansas, with their paternal grandmother until the segregated South gets too dangerous for teenaged, hot-headed Bailey. Then, the children return to California to live with their mother, Vivian Baxter. Angelou’s performance captures the prickly early days when 13-year-old Maya first meets her mother. We hear Maya’s growing respect for Vivian’s indomitable spirit as Vivian proves to be Maya’s strongest supporter, encouraging her to go after life with “power and determination.” You won’t want to stop listening to Angelou’s melodic cadences as she tells of a disastrous visit to her father; of being nearly beaten to death; and of her enviable relationship with her tenacious mother. Each character leaps into full-bodied life, and Angelou’s crisp, compressed prose creates unforgettable poetic imagery.
Pub Date: April 2, 2013
Duration: 4 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780449808238
Publisher: Random House 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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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