Hakeem Kae-Kazim performs this childhood memoir with a silky voice that draws listeners into its account of life in Kenya under British rule. Born in 1938, wa’Thiong’o weaves together stories of his own life with tales of Kenya from the 1890s to the mid-1950s, when his story ends with the Mau Mau revolt and his entrance into high school. Each vignette is read steadily, easily, seamlessly in Kae-Kazim’s magical bass tones. Life in rural Kenya in an extended polygamous family is told from a child’s viewpoint in the words of a gifted, mature storyteller. Kae-Kazim’s mellifluous voice tells of a boy who marvels at the world around him. The most moving scene recounts wa’ Thiong’o’s first donning of British shorts and shirt on his first day of school. Musical-sounding words deliver reminiscences that wind back and forth in time, with the telling ending all too soon.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2012
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
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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