New Reviews: Biography & Memoir

This collection of essays is, at its base, about Jackie Robinson's off-the-field religious beliefs, opinions on civil rights, and other non-baseball topics. But it extends further, with the assorted writers taking on the ramifications of those topics. The one constant is narrator Mirron Willis, whose voice brings a powerful resonance to a subject that demands exactly that. It... Read More

Narrators Heather Alicia Simms, Anne Twomey, and Gabra Zackman harmonize to memorable effect in Dorothy Wickenden's remarkable examination of three friends who led twin battles for abolition and women's rights in nineteenth-century America. Simms gives a witty and rousing rendition of Harriet Tubman, freedom fighter extraordinaire; Twomey is gentle and steely as Francis Seward,... Read More

Like some memoirs, this audiobook is a cathartic one for the author, a sports journalist whose father, Chris, contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The work serves the dual role of peeling back the layers of their relationship while laying out what a person and their loved ones go through in dealing with the debilitating fatal illness. It would be difficult to imagine... Read More

No one could narrate this punch-in-the-gut memoir more powerfully than its author, Hunter Biden, President Biden's younger son. It is his story: raw, unvarnished; filled with despair, anger, and redemption. An alcoholic who first drank at the age of 14, he later added crack cocaine to his pharmacopoeia. In his view at the time, he was functioning just fine--until his brother,... Read More

This is a remarkably special audiobook listening experience--difficult, challenging, not entirely coherent, but nonetheless moving. Internationally known beauty, philanthropist, social activist, and skilled actor Sharon Stone narrates her own courageous memoir, which she wrote after her recovery from a massive stroke. Her brain injury seems apparent throughout her narration.... Read More

Classical musician and cultural icon Yo-Yo Ma treats listeners to a unique and exquisite aural gem, seamlessly blending self-discovery and musical storytelling. In his innovative take on a memoir, Ma recounts various details of his life while inviting listeners to ponder humanity and hope with a beginner's mind. His soft-spoken voice exudes a sense of calm and meditative... Read More

Musical sensation Billie Eilish narrates this quick memoir about her extraordinary rise to fame. Her signature rasp permeates her delivery. There are only a few chapters, and these race by via Eilish's casual delivery. In addition to talking about her music and her brother, musician Finneas O'Connell, Eliish is joined by her parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell, at... Read More

For those who appreciate the history of baseball, the Negro Leagues are a rich trove of anecdotes on what players achieved on the field and endured off of it. The late Lonnie Wheeler's biography captures one of the greats, James "Cool Papa" Bell, known for his speed around the bases and his gentility off the field. David Sadzin narrates with an interested tone and an emotional... Read More

Actor/writer/director Andrew McCarthy's immensely enjoyable audiobook, which he narrates himself, is about his early years in Hollywood--especially his love of acting and his development as an artist. Sure, some juicy celebrity tidbits are included--listeners will find out who his ST. ELMO's FIRE crush was and what really happened the night a reporter coined the "Brat Pack"... Read More

Jenny Lawson returns to narrate her third installment in a disheveled saga of finding the light at the end of a long, winding, ludicrous tunnel. Lawson--journalist, blogger, and ambassador of disarray--has rewarded fans with previous memoirs on sobering yet hilarious aspects of her life and deepest thoughts. The author recounts her incredibly relatable, awkward social... Read More

In this audiobook, singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile recounts her path to success. Carlile describes her childhood in a town close to Seattle, leaving nothing out with respect to her childhood traumas, family dysfunction, or sexuality. At 16, when she wanted to be baptized, she went through all the preparations, but at the last minute her pastor refused to perform the sacrament... Read More

A fantastic team of narrators personalizes this wonderful story, a memoir of the author's initial mission to connect Negro League ballplayers with each other. The project soon evolves into serious research to seek confirmation of their careers so each player can receive a rightful pension. The ensemble narration works well. Aden Hakimi takes the role of the author, whose... Read More

The author's memoir of growing up in a tough Philadelphia neighborhood and finding a haven in a nearby barn where he learns to play polo reads like a novel. Narrator Landon Woodson delivers the story perfectly, bringing out its range of emotions. The sport sticks with Rosser, who goes off to military school and continues to play polo. Eventually, it becomes his salvation.... Read More

Author Michelle Zauner's quiet, measured narration matches the graceful power of her prose in this poignant memoir about her mother's life and death. She writes about their complicated relationship, her Korean-American identity, the uneven terrain of grief, and, perhaps most vividly, food. There's a beautiful sureness to her narration throughout, but her voice comes alive when... Read More

This audiobook brings to life one of the early twentieth century's most noteworthy advocates of the labor movement--the famed attorney Clarence Darrow--and his sympathetic wife, Ruby. Graham Winton's skillful narration also illuminates this era's fierce battles between industrialists and labor, which culminated in the October 1, 1910, bombing of the LOS ANGELES TIMES building,... Read More

This is perhaps Igbo and Tamil writer Akwaeke Emezi's most vulnerable--and groundbreaking--book. In a series of letters to the people in their life, Emezi explores their experience as an embodied spirit, a nonhuman living in human flesh. Their writing is bold and absolutely unapologetic. So is their narration. Even while describing the most painful moments, their narration... Read More

At a slow pace that reflects the author's introspective tone, Charley Flyte narrates this melancholy memoir. The author is a Navajo woman who had few connections to her Native family until the death of her alcoholic mother took her on a journey--both literal and metaphoric--to her roots. In a languid voice, Flyte recounts Geller's rejection of her abusive parents and her... Read More

Jill Larsen narrates this memoir with warmth and, well . . . empathy. As she alternates her delivery between storyteller and lecturer, her confident narration ultimately makes her a transparent surrogate for the author. To start, she mines the emotions felt by a child burdened by family secrets. When appropriate, she takes on an objective tone; for example, when unveiling the... Read More

Senator Tammy Duckworth's audiobook bucks the trend of the typical politician's memoir; she's not just engaging, she conveys her life experiences in a compelling narrative and an authentic performance. Starting with her tumultuous childhood, she describes moving with her family to live with her father, a veteran who struggled to find himself after the service. Later after... Read More

Narrator Alison Fraser's ability to deliver character voices and accents is on display in this appreciative biography of mid-twentieth-century painter Helen Frankenthaler. A gifted mimic, Fraser captures the times with excellent imitations of psychologist Erich Fromm's German-inflected English and art critic Clement Greenberg's subtle Bronx accent. But her most impressive work... Read More

Erin French recounts her life through her creation of The Lost Kitchen, a restaurant in Maine that riveted diners around the world with its reputation for stupendous food and a unique reservation system. French describes starting out as a line cook in her father's small-town diner, becoming a single mother, and building--more than once--her dream space in which to feed others... Read More

Actor Nathan Krasner (the author's son) brings a rich dramatic narration to this audiobook. His measured but powerful style enhances this remarkable story of the author's unlikely rise from defense attorney/civil rights lawyer to Philadelphia's district attorney. Nathan Krasner's resonant tone and forward-moving cadence give the necessary gravitas to this memoir. An... Read More

Memoirist Melissa Febos once again establishes herself as the preeminent narrator of her own words in her newest audiobook. Delivering eight essays linked by the work's titular theme, she explores varied realms (psychic and corporeal) that females navigate during their journeys from childhood to womanhood. Her narration is perfection in its timing, emphasis, and intonation. The... Read More

At a time when gardening is offering the world a respite from a seemingly endless pandemic, Sarah Frey's story of entrepreneurship, farming, and community strikes a welcome and hopeful chord. The memoir details Frey's beginnings as a plucky kid from rural Illinois with many siblings, who was at one time hailed as "America's Pumpkin Queen." Frey's voice has a lovely softness... Read More

Narrator David Morrissey's deep, rich voice dramatizes this fascinating real-life tale. In 1938 London, housewife Alma Fielding claims to be the victim of a poltergeist. Nandor Fodor, a well-known paranormal investigator, begins a complicated relationship with Alma to find out the truth about what is going on. At this time, England, traumatized by WWI, is experiencing an uptick... Read More

This listenable biography of classical scholar Milman Parry is the third audiobook of Robert Kanigel's distinctive histories of lesser-known but transformational figures. In field work in Yugoslavia in the 1930s, Parry demonstrated that long narrative poems like the epics attributed to Homer were actually the work of many voices--composed, revised, and passed on through... Read More

Although she was born in a rural town in Japan, the author moved to Hawaii with her mother and older brother in 1951, when she was a young child. She says of her mother, who single-handedly supported her children: "She had a heart of fire and would always pick herself up and try something else, seek another way forward." That grit is displayed by her daughter, now the junior... Read More

The listener might think Jesse Washington's voice sounds too young to reflect that of the venerable basketball coach John Thompson, who died in 2020. But he settles quickly into just the right tone to help shape the autobiography. The late Thompson's life, opinions, and career are interesting topics. He never pulls punches in this honest reflection of his life. Much of what... Read More

Narrator Jack de Golia thoroughly inhabits 24-year-old Rudyard Kipling. The year is 1889, and the British journalist/correspondent is traveling around the western U.S. and Canada. Kipling's wry sense of humor overlays his observations of life and customs in San Francisco, Portland, and Vancouver. He also visits Yellowstone National Park and "Old Faithful," the Great Salt Lake,... Read More

The highly skilled Kirsten Potter gracefully narrates this intimate portrait of Lady Bird Johnson, wife of President Lyndon Johnson. With a pronounced focus on her White House years, the text is principally drawn from her recently unredacted diary tapes and transcripts. The audiobook is also a portrait of the 1960s, replete with social turbulence, issues of racial equality, an... Read More

Fans of the celebrated musician Rickie Lee Jones will be delighted to hear her narrate her autobiography, which is focused on family memories and making music. Jones is as giving with her delivery as she is with her story. She reaches back through the years--all the way back to her mother's childhood--in a revealing, raspy voice laced with a country twang. Listeners will sink... Read More

Narrator Rosemary Benson creates the voices of the major and minor figures in this biography of Levon Helm, drummer for The Band. She delivers a convincing voicing of Helm's soft Arkansas dialect and even mimics incidental characters such as saxophonist Bobby Keys and folk singer Happy Traum. Author Tooze's excellent research keeps the biography interesting (odd fact--Helm... Read More

Rachel Levy Lesser narrates her own memoir in an impassioned voice that has a distinct hoarseness. It doesn't detract from her delivery. It just marks it as purely her own. In 14 essays Lesser discusses clothing and accessories that remind her of pivotal moments in her life. A heart necklace to be wished upon for love, an upgraded work bag to celebrate a promotion, a ring from... Read More

Author/narrator Tovah Feldshuh's memoir is a highly entertaining look back at her life as a successful stage and screen actor, as well as an unsentimental remembrance of the force of nature that was her mother, Lily. As Tovah was growing up, Lily was generous with criticism but stingy with praise. Tovah longed for her mercurial mother's approval. Feldshuh offers witty... Read More

The rags-to-riches-to-rags story of Hector "Macho" Camacho is characterized by the boxing champ's reckless living and poor behavior out of the ring. But in the squared circle, he was fearless. Timothy Andrés Pabon narrates with clear diction and beautiful pronunciation of Spanish names, which are important to the story. He imparts the right amount of emotion and helps paint a... Read More

Listeners who know Justin Baldoni from his role as the hot and sensitive Rafael in the acclaimed TV series "Jane the Virgin" will get to know the actor in a deeper way as he "undefines" masculinity in this audiobook. In doing so, the actor takes on gender equality, marriage, racism, fatherhood, sex, vulnerability, and more. He acknowledges the discomforts of masculinity and... Read More

Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy narrates his story of growing up and pursuing a career in stand-up comedy. The biracial child of a white American soldier and a Filipina immigrant mother, Koy worked hard to make it in a predominantly white field of entertainment, ultimately achieving his American Dream. Those not familiar with Koy's style may be taken aback by the brashness of... Read More

Playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes brings warmth and exuberance to her narration in this memoir of family, language, home, and coming of age as an artist. A collection of heartbreaking and joyful moments comes alive through her voice. Her narration embodies the rhythms of her beloved North Philly neighborhood; the love and familiarity she uses to capture the voices of the many... Read More

Robert Fass narrates this satisfying audiobook with flair. His subtle delivery of French and English accents is pitch perfect. He captures both the introspective tone of the author's interior life and the cadence of his finely written reflections on Parisian cuisine. Lobrano's coming-of-age memoir of the life of an American food critic in the world's gastronomic capital begins... Read More

The movie HIDDEN FIGURES portrayed the brilliant Black female mathematicians who made NASA's Mercury program a success. Even listeners familiar with the movie will find this audiobook memoir a revelation. Mathematician Katherine Johnson tells her own inspiring life story, including her battles against racial barriers and her intellectual triumphs. Narrator Robin Miles's... Read More

Listeners hear author Ed Hajim's actual voice as he narrates the introduction to his memoir. Regardless, when narrator Rob Shapiro takes over for the body of the work, listeners will completely buy into his performance. He inhabits the work and perfectly paces the financier/philanthropist's rags-to-riches story. Shapiro's tone is always on target, especially when Hajim... Read More

Neil Dickson's clear, straight-ahead narration aptly matches Goldsworthy's history of the ancient Macedonian father and son who were kings and conquerors. Both text and performance are professional and engaging. Neither calls attention to itself. Dickson maintains the sense of story while still delivering intelligent nonfiction, aided by his strong voice, pleasing British... Read More

Narrator Moira Quirk transitions smoothly between accents in this double biography of Loie Fuller and Marie Curie, two women who distinguished themselves in the late nineteenth century. Quirk's general narration is characterized by a crisp British accent that enlivens the author's details as she describes the times in which these very different women became friends. Using an... Read More

Soyica Diggs Colbert, professor of African-American studies and performing arts at Georgetown University, has written a deep and highly informative intellectual biography of playwright Lorraine Hansberry. Disappointingly, Lisa Reneé Pitts is off her usually fine mark in its aural delivery, which in too many passages sounds stilted and tense. Because Colbert's prowess as a... Read More

Listeners will have a wonderful time diving into this accomplished history of the female "stunt reporters" of the late nineteenth century. This audiobook is indeed a sensational adventure for the ears. Narrator Maggi-Meg Reed is the ideal choice to deliver these narratives of women journalists who donned disguises and affected alternate identities to go undercover in medical... Read More

Courtney Zoffness narrates her reflections on motherhood, gender, and contemporary life with unflinching directness. The questions she raises are not easy, but she introduces them with a frankness that makes them engaging. Listeners who are looking for an interesting mix of topics will find much to admire in these essays, which can be listened to in order or chosen at random.... Read More

Julianna Margulies star of "The Good Wife," narrates her candid, introspective memoir. Her familiar warm voice immerses listeners in her recollections of her chaotic upbringing and challenging relationship with her divorced parents, as well as her start as an actor. Her mother, Francesca, was a ballet dancer and expressive movement teacher who frequently brought men into the... Read More

Lisa Napoli delivers her absorbing and informative biography of the "founding mothers" of National Public Radio with attractive energy and enthusiasm. While not a professional narrator, Napoli is an experienced radio and television journalist as well as author; her clarity, thoughtful pacing, and engaged narration suit the audiobook well. Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer, Nina... Read More

U.S. Representative Thaddeus Stevens was an implacable foe of slavery and an equally solid champion of equal rights for African Americans. This political biography traces his career and shows how his early life and education shaped his political positions. Landon Woodson offers a solid, easy-to-follow narration. His steady voice and engaging style carry the narrative along... Read More

Narrator Emmett Wheatfall delivers a conversational performance in this autobiography by activist and photographer Richard Brown. He is best known for his community activism between police and the Black community in Portland, Oregon. This inspirational memoir reflects on Brown's childhood in 1940s Harlem and his military experience, both of which were impacted by his Blackness... Read More

British actor Steven Crossley is the right narrator for this intense, informative biography. Crossley delivers Hermione Lee's thorough investigation of playwright Tom Stoppard's life, covering his early years--his escape from Nazi Germany to England at the start of WWII--and leading to his eventual recognition as a renowned British playwright. There's even an adjective in the... Read More

Narrating his 2009 memoir, Nicholas Meyer is every bit the storyteller, a skill honed from years of writing and directing in Hollywood. The title references his work on the Star Trek series--he developed and directed several of the franchise's most successful entries. How Meyer came to have so much creative impact on the legendary series is almost accidental; he recalls not... Read More

Writer Beth Kephart narrates these essays of self-reflection, focusing on her roles as a wife and daughter. With an introspective eye, she examines the process of identifying changes that have taken place within her. Sadly, rather than engaging the listener, Kephart's dry, monotonous tone lulls one into ambivalence. Her measured performance adds a pretentious air, belying her... Read More

Narrator Sandra Sims delivers a sincere but lackluster performance of this audiobook about Black feminist icon Dorothy Pitman Hughes. Hughes organized her New York City community to create much needed child care and job training for families suffering from poverty and racial discrimination, actively empowering her neighbors to create better outcomes for themselves. She traveled... Read More

Author and narrator Casey Wilson uses humor as a thin veil for a great deal of heart in her captivating memoir (which she pronounces "memwah"). The "Happy Endings" actor shares details of her life in an energetic tone, maintaining her bubbly persona throughout. Her voice thickens with emotion only in moments when she shares the things that matter most to her. These contrast... Read More

Author Susan Orlean, who is most known for her book THE ORCHID THIEF, narrates a short essay about overcoming her fear of flying. She highlights her phobia and the path she took to overcome it. She also provides a short history of those psychological treatments--chiefly hypnosis. As she switches from first- and second-person points of view, Orlean's experience is shared in an... Read More

Author/narrator Annabelle Gurwitch is spunky, funny, and upbeat in this no-holds-barred memoir about her unconventional life as a divorced mom of a nonbinary 20-something in recovery. Listeners will find her performance refreshing and revelatory as she takes them through the ups and downs of her unusual life. Gurwitch takes everything--from her home to her marriage to... Read More

As narrator, Ellen Barkin brings across the uniqueness of Martha Gellhorn, a pioneering American journalist, feminist, and activist. Barkin narrates this collection of Gellhorn's letters with the precision of an expert archivist. Her contralto voice creates a bygone vocal persona that echoes the 1930s-40s, the years featured in this audiobook. Barkin carefully presents... Read More