Rock musician Patti Smith, no stranger to the microphone, delivers her memoir of life with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe with guarded emotion. After a chance meeting on Smith's first day in New York in 1966, the two remained tightly bonded for the rest of his life. Smith unflinchingly bares their years together, giving equal weight to highs and lows. Despite bouts of homelessness and poverty, the couple was often in the right place to meet some of the greatest artists of their generation, including Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Sam Shepard. Smith, however, is no name-dropper, never exaggerating her relationships and humbly keeping Mapplethorpe at the center of the story. Listeners are treated to one song, and Smith's tone becomes more authentic and personal in her epilogue.
Pub Date: July 26, 2011
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062111685
Publisher: Harper 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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