Samantha Power's appealing voice exhibits gravitas, humility, and humor in this remarkable memoir. She is clear and compelling as she reflects on multiple turning points in her life--emigrating from Ireland as a child, visiting Dachau and Anne Frank's house, reporting on the Bosnian genocide, being a foreign policy advisor to President Obama, and becoming U.N. ambassador. Power struggles to retain her natural activism--a desire for American intervention to stem human rights abuses--while operating within the real constraints of American governmental and military institutions. Managing a young family along with a super-busy professional life generates lighter moments. It's hard not to giggle when her son Declan stomps away after unsuccessfully trying to get her attention during a political crisis, muttering "Putin, Putin, Putin. When will it be Declan, Declan, Declan?"
Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
Duration: 21 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780062956484
Publisher: Harper 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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