Peter Godwin's tender and searing memoir of the twin declines of the health of his father and his country, Zimbabwe, under President Robert Mugabe is fascinating, depressing, and affirming all at the same time. Motivated by prolonged ill health, his father, George, confesses late in life that he is not the safari-suited Anglo-African they all thought; in fact, he is a Polish Jew whose family perished at Treblinka. In retirement, Godwin's parents find themselves poor as a result of rampant inflation eroding their benefits. Life is further complicated by severe food shortages caused by Mugabe's misguided land reform policies. Godwin reads his own work in an uncomplicated and sympathetic fashion, albeit with frequent justified anger. Adding to the African landscape is his authentic use of native Shona words.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2008
Duration: 13 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books/ Clipper 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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