I'm not saying that Rick Bragg is the only person who could have read his memoir, but he brings an intimacy and emotion to the work that another narrator would be hard-pressed to match. In addition, he's an accomplished raconteur. He offers up just enough of his native Alabama accent to give the work flavor but not so much that he can't be easily understood north of the Mason-Dixon line. His writing style is eminently listenable. He fills it with colorful metaphors, such as "It was a time when if you had a tattoo, you'd better be a Marine, and if you wore an earring, you'd better be a pirate." This is the kind of book you not only don't want to turn off at the end of a disc, you don't want the book itself to end.
Pub Date: May 6, 2008
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Random House 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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