The Family Heart is one mother's personal recollection of the emotional ups and downs that followed her college-aged son's unexpected announcement of his homosexuality. Stockard Channing gives a convincing performance of a loving mother who experiences feelings ranging from bewilderment and confusion to outrage and sadness and finally resolution and activism. The pace of this audiobook speeds up and slows down to match the wide range of changing emotions. Channing's clear, measured delivery with just a touch of Southern accent is well suited to this revealing true story. All audio royalties and performance fees are donated to P-FLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc.)
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1994
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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