This diary, the first to be published by a detainee still in Guantanamo, makes for an unusual listening experience. Author Mohamedou Ould Slahi has been imprisoned in the controversial detention facility since 2002. Narrator Peter Ganim's accent enables the listener to imagine the Mauritanian author himself telling his story and helps to separate the author's passages from the editor's speculative and explanatory footnotes. Ganim narrates the latter in his natural American-accented voice. A large amount of material that was evidently redacted by the U.S. Government prior to the book's publication is denoted by rote recitations of the word "redacted' in a woman's voice. While this repetition emphasizes the amount of text that was eliminated, it ultimately proves to be a distraction from what remains.
Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2015
Duration: 14 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781478983231
Publisher: Hachette 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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