Rachel Kushner narrates these essays precisely and warmly. Her voice, assured and practiced, moves the text along. An admired novelist, she's a fine storyteller who uses pace well. She gives life to the many real-life characters--artists, writers, activists, daredevils--who fill this audiobook. The collection includes personal profiles, creative nonfiction, literary analysis, and an ongoing immersion into herself. A risk-taker, she catapults from her motorcycle while going more than a 100 mph during a race on the Baja Peninsula; she also has lived within San Francisco's underbelly, working from a young age in bars and clubs. An apt and adept literary critic, she writes with authority and insight about Dennis Johnson, Cormac McCarthy, and Marguerite Duras, as well as visual artists and truckers.
Pub Date: April 6, 2021
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781797117188
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Inspiring collections of Angelou reading her poetry. These selections showcase Angelou's smooth, lyrical voice and her warm vitality. Her innate rhythm celebrates her verse and offers the poems to listeners as they should be remembered. Occasionally Angelou comments between the selections, and occasionally she interjects a resonant laugh.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ranjit Madgavkar narrates these essays on how forces beyond their control--for example, war, imperialism, language, climate change--influence people's lives. His strong but clear Indian accent never lets listeners forget that author Ghosh is a native of West Bengal, a fact that explains Ghosh's strong interest in colonialism, anti-colonialism, and the history of South Asia. The opening essays about the participation of Indian soldiers in the disastrous British Mesopotamian campaign of WWI are particularly fascinating. Madgavkar approximates different accents in the quotations from authors of other nationalities, making clear where they begin and end. Even without knowledge of South Asia, listeners will comprehend these essays because Madgavkar gets across the emotions.
Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2026
Duration: 19 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228648760
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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