In Studs Terkel’s memoir, reader Norman Dietz doesn’t try to emulate the author. He becomes him. He doesn’t try to imitate Terkel’s gravelly voice, but his tone and timing are similar enough that only listeners well acquainted with the author will ever guess it’s not Terkel doing the reading. Terkel is a master storyteller, and this shows clearly in his memoir. He takes us back to his childhood in New York and Chicago, the Roaring ’20s, the Depression, his work in the theater, and his life in journalism and politics. Dietz interprets these stories with the conversational tone of a polished raconteur. A warning, though: This seamlessness in the storytelling makes it hard to find a natural place to turn off the book. Some problem, huh?
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2007
Duration: 10 hrs
Publisher: Tantor Media
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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