Author and narrator Moon Unit Zappa recounts her nontraditional upbringing in the same simple, honest manner she had as a child. Zappa emphasizes certain words as she describes how her younger self craved attention from her parents, especially her father, Frank Zappa, the renowned innovative musician. She shares high school memories and her family's reputation for liking to shock. It's at this point that more emotion becomes evident in Zappa's voice. She begins articulating the complexities of her feelings, aided by years of therapy. Snippets from the "Valley Girl" song that Zappa lent her vocals to are showcased with the requisite bored girly affectation. Zappa's pace helps immerse listeners in her recollections.
Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063113367
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Moving from deeply despairing to wildly successful, only West could do his own poignant story justice.
Fans of voice actor West may have difficulty reconciling his disturbing childhood with the numerous joyful characters he’s best known for. In this revealing, painfully honest memoir, West recalls life before, during, and after animated series The Ren & Stimpy Show and Futurama, in which he voiced multiple characters. Occasionally reverting to his comic voices to illustrate a point or an anecdote, West details his experiences with his brutal, psychotic father; his early efforts to disassociate himself from beatings and abuse; and the profoundly positive effects TV comics like Sid Caesar and Danny Kaye had on him. Late-in-life diagnoses of ADHD and OCD also gave West some comfort.
Moving from deeply despairing to wildly successful, only West could do his own poignant story justice.Pub Date: July 14, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 1 min
DD ISBN: 9798898850111
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
Cox delivers both the searing pain and deep beauty imbued in her life journey.
The cudgel of gender conformity has never felt more visceral and brutal, more omnipresent and inescapable than in actor and activist Cox’s spellbinding memoir. Listeners will not be left unchanged by Cox’s courage in speaking her whole truth for the very first time. As narrator, Cox’s voice sometimes sounds armored, because this isn't Cox the performer, but Cox as a fiercely analytical intellectual as she examines how her life story embodies the intersection of gender, race, colonization, and patriarchy. Yes, listeners will hear about her fun rise to fame, which included working with film idols like Jodie Foster, but it is her relationship with feminist icon and scholar bell hooks that informs the backbone of this intelligent, remarkable memoir.
Cox delivers both the searing pain and deep beauty imbued in her life journey.Pub Date: June 9, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 56 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668135860
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
