JD Jackson narrates this memoir in a low, well-modulated voice. At first, this choice seems helpful as a vehicle to deliver the audiobook's intense, heartbreaking story, but soon the sameness creates a feeling of relentless, unmitigated events. Born into poverty with physical disfigurements, Manny finds himself up against impossible odds that seem to mount. His stepfather, Ray, has left him and his two sisters, and listeners are fairly certain he won't be coming back. Writing unsent letters to his mother, who is in a psychiatric hospital, Manny fervently hopes that one day she will be well enough to read his epistles. His descriptive writing has humor and heart, and his determination to help his family out of difficult situations is both laudable and impossible. S.W. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Ages 14+Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2021
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: M.S.P. Williams
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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