UPWARD BOUND

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UPWARD BOUND

A NOVEL

by Woody Brown ; read by T.R. Knight , Pete Holmes , Midori Francis , Carlos Miranda , Brandon Flynn , Nikki M. James , Alex Edelman & Daphne Rubin-Vega ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2026

Empathetic and heartbreaking performances embrace the messy, beautiful lives of people surviving despite a broken system.

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T.R. Knight leads the excellent performances that make up this moving audiobook, capturing the intimate challenges of operating an underfunded and low-paying center for neurodiverse adults. Knight performs the eloquent inner monologue of an autistic man who struggles to fully express himself within the world he inhabits. Midori Francis is another standout as college student Ann, who seeks a different summer job opportunity and connects with the adults as a pool lifeguard. Pete Holmes is gently humorous yet affecting as the center's director, a man with big dreams who often finds himself hiding in his office.

Empathetic and heartbreaking performances embrace the messy, beautiful lives of people surviving despite a broken system.

Pub Date: March 31, 2026

Duration: 4 hrs, 50 mins

DD ISBN: 9798217278176

Publisher: Random House Audio

Review Posted Online: April 28, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026

Categories:

LITERARY FICTION

    & SONS

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    & SONS

    by David Gilbert ; read by George Newbern ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 23, 2013

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    This audiobook is initially daunting. Sixteen hours long and constructed of subtle—at times, even confusing—shifts in point of view, it may feel overwhelming in the first hour. But sticking with George Newbern’s narration and Gilbert’s prose yields great rewards. Newbern’s performance is funny, thoughtful, heartrending, and utterly engrossing. When the famous, now aging, author A.N. Dyer calls his distant sons to his side, Newbern is provided ample characters to animate, and he does so with perfect pacing and what seems like an innate understanding of the novel. He creates a rhythm that makes the changing perspectives easy to follow and Gilbert’s details accessible. & SONS is a perfect example of how a skilled narrator can make a good book even better.

    Pub Date: July 23, 2013

    Duration: 16 hrs, 15 mins

    DD ISBN: 9780385359566

    Publisher: Random House Audio

    Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026

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    LITERARY FICTION

      'ROUND MIDNIGHT
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      'ROUND MIDNIGHT

      by Laura McBride ; read by Joy Osmanski & Will Damron ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2017

      Following multiple lives over six decades, this is a story of cultural shifts, the effects of racial prejudice, and family secrets. Joy Osmanski's narration is engaged and easy to listen to. There are times when her narration is uneven and character accents are inconsistent, but she moves the story along at an excellent pace. Will Damron capably narrates a few descriptive paragraphs at the beginning to set the scene. During the '50s, as bombs are explode in Nevada's deserts to entertain Las Vegas tourists, four sets of characters experience the destruction caused by prejudice and social upheaval in their lives. The author skillfully integrates the lives of vivid and realistic characters, bringing them to a satisfying and surprising denouement in the final chapters.

      Pub Date: May 2, 2017

      Duration: 11 hrs, 15 mins

      DD ISBN: 9781508234715

      Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

      Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026

      Categories:

      LITERARY FICTION

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