This excellent band memoir features more than 40 mostly celebrity narrators—a diverse crew ranging from Snoop Dogg to Rachel Maddow. Most of the narrators add value to the audiobook experience, but the pass-the-mic structure sometimes distracts from the great content. Some of the most stirring sections occur when the Beastie Boys co-authors narrate, especially when they talk about their bandmate Adam Yauch, who passed away in 2012. Like their albums, this audiobook is both stupid (there's a fictional oral history of Cooky Puss) and smart (the backstory of Grand Royal records is explained), as well as eclectic (there are recipes, mixtapes, equipment lists) and historical (the evolution of downtown hip-hop and New York City before 9/11 are described). R.W.S. 2019 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: 2018
Duration: 12 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781984828217
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
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