In tones of pride and individualism, actor Michael Puttonen delivers this fascinating biography of one of the nation’s premier masters of covert operations. As a young army recruit, William Colby served with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), working with French and Norwegian resistance groups during WWII. He was intelligent, brash, and deadly effective. Little could he have known that he’d finish his public career 30 years later as director of the CIA in the era of Watergate and the fall of Vietnam. Colby was one of the chief architects of U.S. policy in Indochina. His dedication and patriotism never waned, nor did his inability to re-evaluate a “deteriorating situation.” The listener can hear that in Puttonen’s reading as well.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
Duration: 21 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Post Hypnotic Press
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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