Gilli Messer is a mesmerizing narrator of this dazzling collection of autobiographical essays. Between the essays are conversations with the author's mother. Messer expertly differentiates the author's sometimes plaintive and writerly tone from Mark's mother's matter-of-fact delivery. Messer is also spot-on with the Hebrew phrases sprinkled through the work. Mark details the complexity of her unique family, which, besides herself, includes two sons of an African American father and Jewish mother. The author is painstakingly self-reflective, yet when she brings the expositions of fairy tales into her pieces, she can sound incantatory. Mark's poetic prose and mystery-laden accounts are animated by great fairy-tale characters such as Pinocchio, Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and many others. A rewarding listening experience.
Pub Date: March 14, 2023
Duration: 5 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593677582
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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