There’s an urgency to Pearl Cleage’s narration—as if her life depends on every word she shares from her journals of the 1970s and ‘80s. Speaking rhythmically, passionately, she says exactly what’s on her mind and soulfully talks to listeners as if they’re good friends. She’s colorful with her language and candid in tone when detailing experiences such as her pregnancy, her work with the first black mayor of Atlanta, her mother’s battle with cancer, and her desire to be with specific lovers. In the whirlwind of topics, she thematically returns to the idea of being free. Poetically employing repetition, Cleage emphasizes the joys and frustrations of life and of coming into her own womanhood.
Pub Date: April 8, 2014
Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781482995800
Publisher: Blackstone 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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