New Reviews: Biography & Memoir

"Top Chef" host and alum Kristen Kish beautifully delivers her memoir, displaying her compassion throughout. Adopted and raised in Michigan, Kish never doubted her family's love, even as she struggled with social anxiety. Her deep family bonds and drive to succeed echo throughout her story. A move to Boston marked a turning point; there, she began to embrace her identity, and... Read More

When their children are grown, some people take up golf. Author Paula Whyman bought 200 acres of Blue Ridge mountaintop to rewild. Narrator Kimberly Farr strikes just the right tone in this insightful memoir. Her warm, wry voice embodies the author's passion for the land she wants to turn into a haven for native plant, animal, and insect species. Farr successfully intermingles... Read More

Traci Kato-Kiriyama's delivery of this memoir about life and reading matches its deeply personal subject matter with an introspective tone. Kato-Kiriyama gives equal weight to the author's reflections on her academic career; personal struggles, including breakdowns and identity issues; and literary encounters. As narrator, Kato-Kiriyama maximizes the author's discussion of... Read More

Award-winning NBC News Anchor and Chief Consumer Investigative Correspondent Vicky Nguyen delivers her memoir with the same passion and rapid-fire delivery that she brings to her television work. This audiobook offers great insight into the talented journalist. Born in Saigon, Nguyen fled to a Malaysian refugee camp with her family, finally immigrating to the U.S., where she... Read More

Patrick Hutchison's narration sounds like a long conversation with a friend. Mentally exhausted from his copywriting job, Hutchison purchases a decrepit one-room cabin in the woods of Washington. An inexperienced carpenter, he finds repairing his dilapidated "doghouse" a daunting task, which he details with just the right amount of self-deprecation. Indecisiveness and... Read More

Joshua Miele tells his life's story from age 4, when a neighbor poured sulfuric acid over his head, blinding and disfiguring him. Today this MacArthur Fellowship recipient is involved in research and innovations to make the sighted world accessible to the blind. Greg D. Barnett narrates the tremendous hurdles Miele overcame in order to live a normal life in a challenging... Read More

Author and social influencer Mallory O'Meara's audiobook is so much more and, in many ways, and so much less than the misleading and lengthy subtitle implies. As she narrates her audiobook with enthusiasm and precise enunciation, the listener hears a thorough, well-researched history of the founding of the Hollywood community, the development of the studio system, and, most... Read More

Melissa Arnot Reid is the first American woman to conquer Everest without oxygen. But this success seems less taxing than her long battle to find peace and love within herself. There is a resoluteness in Reid's tone that fits the hard exterior she needed to survive her complicated childhood, the mountains, and the male-dominated guiding milieu. It takes a Tibetan goddess and a... Read More

Eliza Foss gives a performance as elegant and energetic as any "Gibbs girl" graduate in this entertaining and surprising account of the founding, growth, and eventual demise of the Katharine Gibbs School and the capable women who forged ahead with confidence from its several academies. In 1911, the widowed and destitute Gibbs opened her first secretarial school. Her goal was... Read More

Performing this fascinating memoir, published originally in French in 1929, Belgian actor Jade Wheeler captures the charm and depth of the American singer Josephine Baker, who lived in the U.S. and France. Wheeler performs with the spunk you'd expect from Baker, who enthralled audiences with her seductive personality and talent. In France, she enjoyed an unfiltered, irreverent... Read More

Narrator Cynthia Farrell has demonstrated her versatility over a wide range of subjects and genres. She--like her present topic--embraces material but doesn't intrude, and is thrifty, ingenious, and reliable. The Franklin stove, today a relic of history, was in its time a revolution in domestic life, and its story provides an unexpectedly rich and compelling perspective on... Read More

Golden Voice narrator Juliet Stevenson's skills shine in this memoir by the former chancellor of Germany. Angela Merkel's father, who was a Protestant pastor, moved her family from West Germany to the DDR when she was just weeks old. Her recollections of growing up in the East, especially of being a pastor's child, are quite fascinating. In many ways this is a typical memoir of... Read More

Jeff Chu, an ordained minister in The Reformed Church in America, narrates the story of his experiences at Princeton Theological Seminary, also known as its "Farminary." Working the land and forming connections with strangers there informed his intellectual and spiritual lives. A journalist prior to seminary, Chu still writes, and both journalist and preacher are evident in his... Read More

Edwin Bancroft Henderson--E.B.--was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. Amir Abdullah narrates Henderson's grandson's account of his grandfather's life with enthusiasm and admiration that echo the campaign for his induction. His namesake recounts how E.B. introduced basketball to Black students in Washington, DC, played center himself, and helped the... Read More

In a companionable, sometimes amused-sounding, narration, Lola Milholland shares her memoir about growing up in an unconventional family dedicated to communal living. Detailing both the benefits and quirky challenges of communal living arrangements, along with lots of tasty insights into recipes created there, she offers an eclectic mix of memories, family history, and shared... Read More

Mimi Kwa narrates her memoir tracing her family's journey from China to Hong Kong and then to suburban Australia with unflinching candor. At the heart of the story is a legal dispute over the estate of Kwa's beloved Aunt Theresa, which leads to a long history of family tensions. Kwa unravels this history with humor and grace, beginning with her father, Francis, one of 32... Read More

Author, broadcast journalist, and JFK's niece, Maria Shriver also served as California's first lady. Here she offers a heartfelt "sort of memoir,'' which is supplemented by her personal, occasionally cryptic, poetry. Shriver's performance is polished, varied in pace and tone, easy on the ears, and moving. Poems reflect a life of major accomplishments and wealth advantages but... Read More

Women have often been considered muses to famous artists, providing inspiration for great works of art. However, some of these very women have been great talents in their own right with gifts that were overlooked. Narrator Traci Odom makes an enthusiastic call for listeners to recognize the importance of championing women. Odom's narration is casual but impassioned as she makes... Read More

Whether you know actor/singer Josh Gad from THE BOOK OF MORMON (Elder Arnold Cunningham) or FROZEN (Olaf), you'll recognize his voice as he narrates his memoir. With great stories about his worklife and some enjoyable cameos by Sacha Baron Cohen, Mel Brooks, and Ron Howard, this audiobook offers a lot of entertainment. In a clear timbre and a melodic intonation, Gad proves his... Read More

Longtime television writer and comedian Bruce Vilanch narrates his wry, sardonic, whimsical, and perhaps too detailed examination of some of the greatest disasters in his TV writing career. His delivery is well articulated, understandable, enthusiastic, and varied in tone and pace as he, primarily, examines the 1970s penchant for musical comedy specials: "The Star Wars Holiday... Read More

Canadian disability activist and YouTube sensation Molly Burke delivers an upbeat narration that draws listeners into her memoir. Burke's style is so warmly infectious that listeners will feel like they're chatting with a friend. At age 14, Burke lost most of her eyesight to an aggressive form of retinitis pigmentosa. Yet her drive and determination led her to become an... Read More

Chris Addison provides a BBC-quality narration of this insightful songwriter bro-mance. Addison's relaxed performance is colorful and sincere, ideal for exploring the collaborative relationship of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The audiobook methodically presents these two confederates' musical and personal trajectories, starting with Paul's audition for John's band, the... Read More

Earl Weaver, the legendary manager of MLB's Baltimore Orioles for 17 seasons, was known for his on-field theatrics as much as his strategy. Johnny Heller's gravelly voice, conversational tone, and high energy do a good job of conveying Weaver's character. Heller is mostly comfortable with the baseball jargon and stats--always a potential pitfall for narrators--and even with the... Read More

This audiobook chronicles and contrasts the presidencies of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, both born in Kentucky. The comparison ends there. Davis was a West Point graduate and Mexican War veteran. Lincoln had little formal schooling and almost no military experience. Yet they faced off in the Civil War, and ultimately Lincoln's courage in issuing the Emancipation... Read More

Daniel and Alexander Macmillan were sons of a Scottish crofter. Together, they founded a small publishing company in London in 1843. By the time Alexander died in 1896, they had published Lewis Carroll, Thomas Hardy, and Rudyard Kipling, among many others. This audio biography of the brothers and their company, narrated by the author, focuses more on the creation and growth of... Read More

Hot on the heels of the 50th anniversary of "Saturday Night Live," Susan Morrison's tell-all biography of SNL creator Lorne Michaels helps satisfy fans' need for behind-the-scenes info about the beloved show. Narrator Kristen DiMercurio is as reserved as Michaels himself in her delivery. The audiobook traces Michaels's humble beginnings in Toronto and his bumpy rise to... Read More

This audiobook provides an extraordinary exploration of Anne Frank's life from her early years to her tragic demise, emphasizing the enduring significance of her diary through various media such as books, theater, and more. Narrator Erin Bennett approaches the text with profound respect for Anne and her memory while skillfully conveying the numerous other narratives within the... Read More

Jeremy Arthur's engaging narration befits the life story of Dr. Albert C. Barnes (1872-1951), an early collector of modern art and champion of minority art. Raised in a working-class environment, Barnes made his fortune in pharmaceuticals. He proceeded to use his wealth to study art, eventually building an extensive collection that became the Barnes Foundation. His friendship... Read More

Eiren Caffall lives with polycystic kidney disease, a congenital disorder that killed most of her family members before they were 50. Her performance is graceful and authentic, and she draws the listener into her story with a clear voice and lyrical pacing. Caffall parallels her own ticking time bomb with the developing disaster in the ocean. Her beloved Long Island Sound and... Read More

Mark Niemann-Ross's kind, patient delivery fittingly introduces his favorite--and only--mother-in-law. Listeners meet feisty, active Greta, who resides in Evergreen Meadows Senior Community, where her daughter and son-in-law take up temporary residence to spend time with her. Niemann-Ross's colorful descriptions include Evergreen's residents, staff, meals, and social... Read More

Actor Jeremy Renner narrates his memoir about the horrendous injuries he suffered on New Year's Day 2023. In a freak accident, he was run over by his 14,000-pound Sno-Cat, a vehicle used to groom snowy and icy surfaces. Neither his prose nor his narration is stellar; he uses street language, occasionally pauses mid-sentence, and runs words together at ends of sentences.... Read More

This second installment brings British historian Ronald Hutton's magisterial biography of Oliver Cromwell up to 30 hours of listening time. It's a daunting undertaking for most listeners--but still short of Cromwell's term as Lord Protector of Britain 1653-58. Even so, there is much to recommend here. Narrator Nigel Patterson's fine enunciation is silken to the ear, bringing... Read More

Author Stephan Kesting narrates the harrowing story of his six-week thousand-mile canoe trip in the Canadian North following a life-saving kidney transplant. His solo trip is fraught with danger, such as bears and other wildlife, as well as the weather and the water itself. This journey is also filled with joy--at the kindness of strangers met along the way, at the wonders of... Read More

Louise Brealey's captivating narration of Dalton's memoir is simply delightful. Far away from the fast pace and crowds of her life before the pandemic, Dalton finds what she believes is an abandoned leveret, a baby hare, in the English countryside. With the deepest respect for wildlife, Dalton supplies what this leveret needs to survive in exchange for the gift of witnessing... Read More

In this gorgeous memoir, bestselling American author Lidia Yuknavitch meanders through her life with the grace of moving water. Her narration, too, mimics the rhythmic lyricism of water. Her voice gently rises and falls like ocean waves as she recounts her complicated relationships with her ex-husband and mother, along with the ways the grief she carries from their deaths... Read More

Sura Siu's narration brings depth and sensitivity to Amanda Nguyen's powerful memoir about surviving sexual assault when she was in college. Siu's measured, compassionate delivery honors Nguyen's story, which balances the raw emotion of trauma with the strength of survival. Siu's voice captures the shifting tones of the narrative--quiet pain, determined resolve, and moments of... Read More

Nashville actor, comedian, and activist Tyler Merritt performs this rollicking account of his treatment for cancer and the life lessons it provoked. Full of spontaneous asides and unscripted conversations with his producer, co-writer, and others, the soundscape is enormously entertaining. Merritt's vocal theatrics are outrageous and often funny but, for most listeners, will not... Read More

Max Meyers's performance of Yoko Ono's biography works because it's done with a reporter's professionalism--minus the invisible eye rolls. The audiobook offers an insightful examination of the controversial woman John Lennon not only loved, but also respected as an artist. Born to a wealthy but loveless Japanese family, she found her life shattered when Japan was devastated by... Read More