Author/narrator Qian Julie Wang captivates listeners with this poignant and powerful memoir. Speaking from her childhood perspective, Wang vividly describes living with her family in poverty and fear in New York City as undocumented immigrants from China. Her quiet, measured narration is a perfect match for her unsentimental prose. While often heartbreaking, Wang's writing is sparse yet beautiful. Her deeply personal and affecting performance compels one to keep listening even through the most painful moments of her family's struggle to survive. The final chapters are especially moving as Wang candidly reflects on the traumatic events of her life. This standout memoir is even more haunting and memorable in audio.
Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593455524
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A splendid narration of an engrossing story of the search for, and discovery of, a lost treasure.
Vikas Adam’s strong baritone is a good match for this well-told account of one man’s obsession with finding a lost Spanish galleon filled with treasure. In 1708, the San José sank in combat with the British off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia. Roger Dooley, whose own story is quite fascinating, sought the wreck of this ship over nearly four decades and then, in 2015, finally found it at a depth of nearly 2,000 feet. Lawsuits regarding who gets to keep the fortune are still ongoing. Adam narrates with great confidence and with excellent expression throughout. His pacing is perfect, and he ably reads Spanish.
A splendid narration of an engrossing story of the search for, and discovery of, a lost treasure.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217165810
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2026
As an audiobook author, historian Matthew Restall is spirited, witty, highly informed, and full of insights and revelations. As a narrator, he's more subdued, even a bit flat. But no matter. Restall's steady, evenhanded narration reenforces the balance and objectivity of his history of the "nine lives of Christopher Columbus." Over five centuries, Columbus has been hailed and reviled, a discoverer and a destroyer, one century symbolized as Columbia and paired with Washington on statuary, the next denounced for perpetuating the Spanish devastation of the New World. Restall's restraint keeps the focus on the historical processes at work, and on his richly layered portrait of Columbus. History is fluid, it seems, and malleable--something this well-researched, well-told history demonstrates.
Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798318519789
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
