Baseball broadcaster Charley Steiner narrates this illuminating biography of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks. Banks is well known for his stellar accomplishments on the baseball field and for his cheerful public persona. While this audiobook fully covers his twenty-year career in Chicago, it also portrays Banks as a complicated, conflicted man. It delves into his childhood in a racially segregated Dallas, his personal struggles and strained relationship with his family, his reluctance to become a public crusader for the Civil Rights movement, and more. Steiner narrates straightforwardly and effectively. His broadcaster's voice immediately grabs the listener's attention and doesn't let go. His storyteller's flair also captures the epic scope of Banks's career--though it's the more intimate details about Banks that listeners may find the most memorable.
Pub Date: March 26, 2019
Duration: 15 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549175527
Publisher: Hachette 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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