Karen Chilton conveys both powerful joy and profound grief in her narration of Willie Mae Brown's stories about growing up in Selma, Alabama, during the Civil Rights movement. Chilton's voice is delightfully dynamic and expressive, evoking the style of an old-school preacher. She whispers, she thunders, she sings, and she weeps as Brown tries to make sense of the powerful events that took place in the segregated South by relaying stories of her youth as she remembers them from her childhood point of view. Listeners will appreciate Chilton's deft touch with the Selma vernacular and her ability to bring the narrative into focus even as the stories skip around in a nonlinear fashion. Brown herself narrates the introduction and afterword with gravitas and warmth.
(Memoir. 12-16)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250877246
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Lipica Shah's stirring narration of this YA biography showcases Emma Goldman's unshakable commitment to improving the lives of the oppressed. In 1885, Goldman immigrated to the U.S. from czarist Russia and became an ardent anarchist. A prolific writer and inspirational speaker, she gave hundreds of well-attended speeches each year. When quoting Goldman, Shah exudes the intensity of her quest to elevate America's working class. When quoting from any of the thousands of period newspaper articles about Goldman, Shah mimics their predominantly disapproving tone. Goldman was even imprisoned because of her progressive positions on government, workers' rights, sex, and birth control. Never deterred, Goldman was once considered the most dangerous woman in America.
(Biography. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250415134
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners will be entranced by the melodic and articulate voice of narrator Angel Pean as she recounts the miserable upbringing, rewarding career, and personal relationships of Lorena Hickok, who was known by many as "Hick." This audiobook reveals not only Hick's ambition for excellence in her writing and journalism career but also the love and admiration she shared with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. After they met, Roosevelt continued to lean on and confide in Hick throughout her husband's path to Washington and, eventually, the White House. It became a romance like no other, especially in the 1930s and '40s, when FDR made major decisions that changed the trajectory of the U.S. forever. Pean delivers a true narrative of an accomplished and passionate individual.
(Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217069750
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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