The life of Jane Jacobs, one of the great intellectual heroes of the American twentieth century, makes for a fascinating listen. As a writer, without so much as a college degree, Jacobs changed the way planners and politicians think about cities; as a community organizer, she rescued downtown New York from a disastrous highway scheme of the power broker Robert Moses. Robert Kanigel tells the story of this SUI GENERIS thinker artfully and with granular detail, and Kimberly Farr performs the text with nuance and care. From Jane's successful third- grade rebellion against a hidebound teacher to her leaving her beloved Greenwich Village for Canada to keep her sons from the Vietnam war, this is a unique and important life, and a lovely production.
Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
Duration: 19 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781524702649
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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