No one can dismiss the documentary value of a great man’s personal account of events he helped shape. But does it make a good audiobook? On one hand, Mandela’s autobiography is well organized, simple and direct, qualities that make for good listening. On the other hand, there is a tremendous lot of it, including extended passages of dry detail (important for the record, no doubt), which many readers would probably skim. Furthermore, a generally dispassionate tone doesn’t invite interpretive enhancement. Morgan Duncan’s reading is completely satisfactory except for the slight incongruity of hearing an elderly statesman reminisce in a decidedly youthful voice.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1996
Duration: 15 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
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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