New Reviews: Biography & Memoir

In her travel memoir, Jen Ruiz captures the essence of her transformative journey with a blend of vibrant storytelling and insightful narration. Feeling a compelling urge for change as she neared her thirtieth birthday, Ruiz embarked on a year-long adventure that marked a pivotal shift from her legal career to her passions: writing, travel, and blogging. Motivated to align her... Read More

Francine Prose is a prolific author of novels and nonfiction, as well as a writing professor. Her first memoir focuses on a pivotal year. She narrates with a halting cadence and a kind of singsong delivery, yet her tone sounds flat. More's the pity--her prose is elegant, and she's a fine storyteller, setting the listener squarely in San Francisco of the year 1974, when she had... Read More

This absorbing audiobook looks at the lives of three jazz greats--Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans--from their growth as young musicians to when they collaborated on Davis's 1959 album, KIND OF BLUE, and beyond. Their lives were challenging and full of pathos, which narrator Dion Graham captures with the empathy and vocal talent he's known for. His vocal range and... Read More

You think you know the Beatles story? When you hear this audiobook and the performances of Adam Stevens, Anthony Howell, Emma Gregory, and others, you'll be singing, "I thought I knew you, what did I know?" Based on interviews with the Beatles and their intimate associates in 1980 and 1981, the audiobook is nearly 10 hours of history, often shocking. The Beatles talk about... Read More

Michael Crouch delivers a performance that embodies a sensitive intelligence. He captures the reflections of a creative life and how original thoughts build into compelling stories. Handler's audiobook is not composed in the voice of his beloved Lemony Snicket books; here he explores his growth as a writer, father, and husband. The resulting audiobook is authentic, vulnerable,... Read More

Carvell Wallace narrates his beautiful memoir with poignant urgency-- and a whole lot of love. Though he recounts trauma he experienced growing up Black and queer in America, he doesn't focus on it. Instead, this audiobook is about healing, connection, and beauty. In short, poetic chapters, he writes about music, making art, cooking, parenting, partnership, sex, and intimacy of... Read More

This portrait of Founding Father Ben Franklin is part biography, part travelogue, and part personal commentary. Because of that, it's eminently suited to audio. Author Eric Weiner is the narrator, and his presentation exactly fits the material. His pace is easy to follow, and his tone is easy on the ears. As he walks in the footsteps of Franklin in the various places where he... Read More

Mark Bramhall's slightly scratchy voice, relaxed tone, and amiable manner fit this very American history filled with quotations from the down-to-earth, humorous Lincoln. The history itself, of the role of immigrants in antebellum and Civil War politics and in the conduct of the war, is multifaceted and painstakingly full of in-the-weeds detail. Bramhall's sensitivity to its... Read More

McKinley Morganfield's gift for hypnotic guitar playing and powerful singing took him from the cotton fields of Mississippi to widespread acclaim and a secure place among rock-and-roll royalty. In this extensive history, his energy and determination dominate the narrative, which provides details of his life and a gripping portrait of the world he conquered with his talent.... Read More

Jess Moran's light, sweet voice accentuates the many lyrical passages in poet Iris Jamahl Dunkle's biography of Charmian Kittredge, writer Jack London's second wife and frequent collaborator. As headstrong and independent as her famous husband, and five years older, the Los Angeles-born Kittredge was an accomplished horsewoman, musician, and writer. For the 11 years of their... Read More

After a foreword by Blythe Danner, each mini-essay in this historical treasure is announced with its title, author, and narrator. All the works are written and read by former Rehearsal Club (TRC) professionals. In a kinder, more caring world there once was a place where young would-be actresses from out of town could find a safe, inexpensive place to live in New York City while... Read More

Christina Delaine narrates with such an engaging conversational tone that listeners will feel they're active participants in this memoir by the FBI's first female forensic sculptor. One minute Delaine urges listeners to prepare for a grisly discussion of forensics practices; the next she's describing hostile bullying by a male manager. The range of the material is broad, and... Read More

Catherine Coldstream didn't start out as a devout person, but after her father's death, she sought to make a major change in her life. So she converted to Catholicism and entered a traditional Carmelite monastery as a nun. Coldstream narrates this memoir detailing her transition from a secular life to the religious order. Her British-accented narration has tonal variation but... Read More

Andia Winslow narrates WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner's memoir, which has a strong focus on her imprisonment in Russia. Winslow's delivery is outstanding; she recounts the fear and frustration that Griner went through during her ordeal. Winslow deftly projects Griner's emotions every step of the way, imitating her captors' Russian accents only when appropriate. While the... Read More

Reflection is central to the memoir. In this one, Jill Ciment reconsiders the events she wrote about in her first memoir, HALF A LIFE, 28 years ago. Eileen Stevens's narration embraces the author's candid questioning as she wonders--in the context of the #MeToo movement and her husband Arnold Mesches's death after 45 years of marriage-- how she should think about the... Read More

Filmmaker and novelist Priyanka Kumar narrates her essay collection in a gentle voice. The works focus on her birding experiences, which are infused with personal memories. Sometimes she sees other wild creatures. At one point, she even sees a bobcat out the window of her New Mexico home. Her voice softens as she shares a peaceful experience watching cranes. Kumar doesn't go... Read More

Singular, bold, and intimate are among the many qualities that describe dancer, actor, and fine artist Russ Tamblyn's narration of his immersive memoir. He also brings precision and intoxicatingly good humor. While listeners may hear the impact of a robust 89 years of life in his timbre, his performance is careful and, at moments, caustic. Known for his nimble dancing and... Read More

Rebecca Lam unfolds the incredible events behind Anna May Wong's rise to fame as the first female Chinese actor in American cinema. Lam smoothly transports listeners to the glamorous, tumultuous world of Hollywood in the 1920s. With precision and clarity, Lam captures Wong's journey from her early struggles to her rise to stardom. She recounts the challenges Wong faced as an... Read More

Director Susan Seidelman's memoir is enhanced by narrator Jaime Lamchick's lively cadence and bright intonation. Seidelman grew up in suburban Philadelphia, but she desperately wanted to escape to seek adventure and excitement. After completing her film studies at NYU, she lived in the East Village and took part in the punk scene. Her first movie, SMITHEREENS, was screened at... Read More

Rachel LeBlang performs this debut memoir by Anna Gazmarian. When Gazmarian is diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2011, she discovers that many of the members of her evangelical community believe that mental illness is merely the result of a lack of faith in God. As Gazmarian grapples with her beliefs in the wake of her new diagnosis, she begins expanding her ideas on religion... Read More

This fascinating collection of voices from the disabled community is presented with care by a talented team of narrators. In her introduction to these 40 powerfully affecting essays, activist Alice Wong, who edited this volume, stresses the value of seeking and exploring intimacy. Each essay opens a window that may contain familiar elements or, perhaps, a novel mode of... Read More

The fashion magazine industry of the 1940s is wonderfully realized by Carlotta Brentan's energetic, intelligent performance. Many in the fashion industry at that time came from socially prominent families, and Kathryn and Frances McLaughlin, the identical twin fashion photographers at the center of this narrative, were no exception. Brentan's bright tone and lively pace... Read More

Chuck Warner and Dana Abbott narrate the sometimes repetitive story of Eddie Reese, longtime swimming and diving coach at the University of Texas. Listeners meet enthusiastic and nostalgic swimmers of all ages who were involved in garnering Reese's 39 Olympic Gold Medals and 15 NCAA titles. Warner's smooth delivery keeps frequent time and location changes clear. Most... Read More

This biographical audiobook is an intimate portrait of Judith Jones, the legendary editor at Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., for five decades. She oversaw the publication of authors Anne Tyler, Sylvia Plath, John Updike, and other literary icons. She is perhaps best known for publishing a new line of popular cookbooks, most famously those of Julia Child. Award-winning narrator Eunice... Read More

In this memoir of the unexpected death of her son, Fi, Alexandra Fuller pulls off quite a feat by simultaneously filling her voice with both life and loss. Fuller grew up in Zimbabwe (DON'T LET'S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT), and her rich, warm voice contains appealing traces of that accent. Fi died at age 21 despite having no real health problems, and grief and incomprehension are... Read More

Barrie Kreinik is an excellent guide through this memoir and travelogue by Jane Bertch, founder of La Cuisine Paris. She captures Bertch's adventures in Paris as a banker turned entrepreneur. With warmth and authenticity, Kreinik conveys the humorous self- deprecation underlying each anecdote as Bertch grows to accept a city--and country--she once hated. Kreinik balances the... Read More

Griffin Dunne's narration of his memoir pairs a tender conversational tone with occasional moments of drama that embrace his gifts as a writer and actor, as well as the cast of vivid characters he portrays. Dunne augments his rich material with intonations, pacing, and tension that fully engage. Whether he's telling stories of privileged, Hollywood familiars, political... Read More

In a British accent, Gary Furlong briskly describes the sea battle that led to a Japanese man joining explorer/navigator Thomas Cavendish's ship's crew in 1588. Christopher, who was being held on a Spanish galleon, was the first Japanese man to set foot on British soil--and other places worldwide. Furthermore, his map-reading skills added to British knowledge of the world.... Read More

Dan Bittner delivers this captivating story of determination and perseverance. Hearing about Nick Baumgartner's journey to winning an Olympic Gold Medal in snowboarding is an emotional roller-coaster ride. His memoir takes listeners through his years of sacrifice as he travels for competitions, starting at the bottom and working his way up. He learns the ropes of the sport,... Read More

Fans of Tiffany Haddish will delight in her memoir, which she narrates with unapologetic authenticity. Those familiar with her signature blend of sass and sincerity will enjoy every line as she brings her story to life in vivid detail. Each anecdote, even the painful ones, are told with her infectious energy and unflagging sense of humor. Listeners will likely laugh along--and... Read More

Nicky Endres is the perfect narrator for this work of queer nonfiction, first published in 2019 and now available on audio. Thom's essays explore the contradictions and complexities of queer and trans communities and social justice movements. She writes about how communities talk about--and don't talk about--suicide, abuse, conflict, family making, sex work, and more, always... Read More

What binds listeners to this absorbing memoir is the compelling question provoked by the author's near-death experience: What happens to us after our physical bodies die? The author spends most of this audio detailing the high-risk treatments he received for a nasty aneurysm, describing the commonalities of near-death experiences, and reviewing what science can and cannot tell... Read More

Former University of Kentucky great, NBA player, and social influencer Rex Chapman narrates a brutally honest account of his fall from basketball stardom to opioid addiction. He narrates his own work in a deep voice as he guides listeners through his story. He covers his career and also opens up about aspects of his personal life, such as dealing with public comments about his... Read More

Dominic Hoffman narrates this moving audiobook with reverence and excitement as the author examines the cultural contributions of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie. With his strong tone and gravelly timbre, Hoffman narrates with fidelity to every nuance and theme in this eloquent work. All three iconic front men were showmen as much as musicians, and all... Read More

Before traditional American Black music was sanitized, condensed, and recorded for white listeners, it was as raunchy and X-rated as anything in today's gangsta rap, according to this lively history by a prolific music journalist. Elijah Wald's meticulous research is roughly organized around the early-twentieth-century barroom musician Jelly Roll Morton and is performed here... Read More

Pop singer Boy George narrates his memoir in an honest, casual tone, creating the feeling that a good friend is confiding in you. Fans of his music will be intrigued by his direct everyday persona as he recounts a riveting journey through his life. With his trademark wit and candor, he takes listeners on a roller-coaster ride through the highs and lows of fame, addiction, and... Read More

Salman Rushdie offers an emotionally resonant account of the shocking knife attack that almost ended his life in 2022 in Chautauqua, New York. In a measured tone, Rushdie describes the events of that day, including the excruciating 27 seconds in which he encountered his would-be assassin and the terrible graphically described wounds that his body sustained. While the attack is... Read More

Narrator LJ Ganser guides listeners through this biography of Clayton Kershaw, one of the most dominant Major League Baseball pitchers in history. Kershaw has been in the limelight from the time he was a child in Dallas through his All-Star career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ganser infuses a bit of emotion into Kershaw's story, which helps listeners understand what makes the... Read More

In this audiobook Stephen Colbert narrates the various events that affected Pope Francis throughout his life. Father John Quigley performs the numerous monologues of Pope Francis that are scattered between these historical events. The extermination of Jewish people, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and racial discrimination are a few of the topics Pope Francis discusses.... Read More

Alexandra Potocka captivatingly delivers the true story of Anglo-Americans Jennifer and John Dobbs after they were separated from their parents in China during WWII. Listeners meet their family as they enjoy a privileged lifestyle, which includes fine Western clothing, lavish vacations, and the services of maids. Potocka captures 8-year-old Jennifer's viewpoint as she and her... Read More

James Lurie shares the joyous and painful moments of an extraordinary life. Listeners meet Caleb Carr, the late author of the wildly successful novel THE ALIENIST, and his great love, Masha, a Siberian forest cat. Carr's father, Lucien, was a cofounder of the Beat Generation. Caleb suffered emotional and physical abuse from his alcoholic parents. Lurie movingly recounts Caleb's... Read More

Laurel Canyon music legend Ellen Naomi Cohen, better known as Mama Cass of the 1960s folk-rock group The Mamas & the Papas, died at age 32. Her daughter, the author of this audiobook, was 7. Elliot-Kugell's slightly nasal narration of this biography is sincere, loving, and precise. But, sadly, the text seems unfinished and incomplete. What predominates is a compendium of... Read More

Andrew Sean Greer enthusiastically captures the inherent absurdity of an odd couple and their road trip. The brief audio story depicts the author/narrator and his mother as they travel from Kansas to California. Greer, who won a Pulitzer for his comic novel, LESS, is a natural raconteur--for photo ops he wears a fried-egg costume, and his choices for places to stay are... Read More

M.K. Asante's performance captures the essence of what makes the audiobook medium vital: a living experience that grabs listeners from start to finish. Here, Asante's work is filled with hip-hop rhythms creating rich images that embody a journey through Black history and community via the streets of Philadelphia. Assante unfolds the story of his nephew Nasir's emergency... Read More

The problem with the audio version of Elspeth Barker's indelible essays and stories is that you can't underline your favorite parts. That's probably just as well; your pen would go dry. Married to a poet, the author of one iconic novel, O CALEDONIA, hers was a fascinating, messy, wildly unconventional life. Barker writes about her household full of animals wild and domestic,... Read More

Canadian actor Jennifer Wigmore has a lovely narrating voice and a pleasing tone. Her cadence is just right for an audiobook that explores the history and meaning of train travel. She narrates in an informational yet personal style that fits this immersive and deeply researched meditation on the delights of watching the landscape flash by while reading, writing, or daydreaming... Read More

Doctor Fauci's public career spans five decades; he served seven presidents as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. His reputation is secured by a shelf of medals and awards--including the National Award for Science. Now a professor at Georgetown University, Dr. Fauci gained prominence during the COVID-19 epidemic for his confrontations... Read More

It makes sense that Christine Blasey Ford would want to narrate the audio version of her memoir about doing her civic duty to testify at the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh's nomination as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. She wants to "set the record straight," and the catharsis wouldn't be as complete if she hadn't been the narrator. She has a distinctive... Read More

Three voices evocatively describe life in a Polish ghetto and in Auschwitz during WWII. Christine Williams narrates the majority of the audiobook, skillfully juggling the diverse timeframes and details of the memoir published in print. Felicia Lubliner's son, Irving, incorporates excerpts of 1960s recordings of programs she gave about her horrific experiences and clarifies his... Read More

Graham Halstead narrates the story of 1980s Pop artist Keith Haring's life and the New York gay and celebrity cultures in which he thrived and grew as an artist. Haring's trademark image of a baby, called "Radiant Child," first appeared as graffiti on lampposts and in the subway, eventually growing into a logo, a nickname, and a calling card for Haring. Halstead delivers... Read More

No stranger to delivering a powerful message, author and narrator Luis A. Miranda, Jr., performs this memoir of his life in Puerto Rico, his political activism, and the power of the Latino people. When he left Puerto Rico for New York City, Miranda, Jr., expected to pursue a PhD in psychology. Instead, he chose a life devoted to bettering his community and the lives of those in... Read More

Raquel Willis gives an impassioned and engaging performance of her memoir about her life in trans activism. After beginning with her childhood in Georgia, she reminisces about her various coming-out moments in high school and college--as gay, as a genderqueer drag performer, and as trans. She delves into her career as a journalist and activist in Georgia, California, and New... Read More

Susan Page's narration of this absorbing biography of television legend Barbara Walters is authoritative but somehow intimate, just as the biography is both clear-eyed and sympathetic. There's no denying Walters's burning ambition, which drove her to steal interviewees such as Fidel Castro and Bill Clinton from her colleagues. But in her later years, as ABC cut back her on-air... Read More

Joe Barrett does a wonderful job narrating Waite Hoyt's autobiography, a fascinating account of the veteran pitcher, born in 1899. Among his teams were the New York Yankees. Barrett's gentle tone has a slight East Coast accent that fits the Brooklyn-raised Hoyt. The account ranges from Hoyt's upbringing to his time in the minors and then his twenty-one-year Major League career.... Read More

Alison Larkin's narration showcases the deep love and grief captured in this memoir and philosophical examination of communication. When the author, Michelle Slater, adopts her dog, Brady, she is completely devoted to him. When both she and Brady contract Lyme disease, they support each other through the low points and multiple health diagnoses. Slater works with an expert... Read More

This brief series of recollections by the late NEW YORKER writer, journalist, and photographer Janet Malcolm is narrated authoritatively by Maria Tucci, who captures the self-revelatory tone of Malcolm's memories. The text is a series of reactions to the snapshots and photos that precede each chapter. Most of the early parts, though honey hued, are candid appraisals of her... Read More

January LaVoy's smooth and expressive voice is a perfect match for Karen Valby's history of America's first Black professional ballerinas and the Dance Theatre of Harlem, founded in the late 1960s. These five women cracked open the door that Misty Copeland would dance through decades later. LaVoy is a master at conveying the emotions wrought by the exacting standards of their... Read More

This relatively brief audiobook chronicles one of New York City's most colorful and flagrant criminals. German Jewish immigrant Fredericka Mandelbaum rose to shadowy eminence after the Civil War. Six feet tall, stout, and supremely wily, "Marm" Mandelbaum operated out of a store whose stock consisted mainly of stolen goods. Narrator Saskia Maarleveld keeps to a steady pace... Read More

Brian Holden delivers a portrait of quintessential "theater kids." His amused tone and playfully self-deprecating comments are narrated with candor and appropriate snarkiness. He portrays theater kids (TKs) as oddball individuals who joined the drama club in high school and college, and who kept "playing" long after graduation. Thanks to these self-proclaimed "queer" actors,... Read More

The author has compiled oral histories of minor league ballplayers from the 1960s and '70s who didn't make the big time due, in part, to systemic racism. Bill Andrew Quinn's deep voice has a serious tone that is appropriate for these stories. Each ballplayer details specific instances of how managers and owners kept them down through unfulfilled promises. Quinn keeps his speech... Read More

Doris Kearns Goodwin's voice is well known from TV appearances; not surprisingly, her narration comes across as thoughtful and familiar. Bryan Cranston's role is minimal. The use of snippets of speeches from John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Robert Kennedy add to the authenticity of the presentation. This is a kind of oral history of the 1960s told through the unique lens of... Read More

Retired U.S. Appellate Court Judge and esteemed civil rights attorney David S. Tatel's affecting memoir of blindness is a powerful listen. In his introduction, which Tatel narrates, listeners can sense the spectrum of emotions he describes. For anyone who has experienced vision loss, or knows someone who has, Tatel's story provides invaluable guidance on adaptations and... Read More

Listeners can sense the excitement, awe, and frustration in the author's chronicle of his "walk" through the Grand Canyon. Kevin Fedarko does double duty as author and narrator, and his narration adds notes of authenticity to the production. His voice is clear and pleasant, and he changes things up to fit particular passages. For instance, he increases his pace slightly as he... Read More

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) was a German American philosopher. An outspoken opponent of totalitarianism, she has a fascinating story, superbly told here by narrator Cosima Shaw. At its core, this is a biography, but it is also an explanation of Arendt's passion and the reasons her beliefs are as relevant today as they were when she lived. Her conviction was bolstered by her... Read More

Author Kao Kalia Yang's soft Hmong-accented voice opens this forthright and heartrending refugee story with the birth of her own children. She then moves on to chronicle family history from her mother Tswb's (pronounced "Chew") point of view. Yang narrates the introductory and concluding elements of the story herself, with Pamela Xiong picking up the body of the narrative,... Read More

Charley Flyte's performance of Deborah Taffa's memoir is beautifully nuanced and sensitive, and her ease with Indigenous names lends additional authenticity. As a child and teenager, Taffa struggled to understand her place in the world. When her parents moved off the Yuma reservation in search of better jobs, Taffa was cut off from her traditional family and culture. She was... Read More

Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant's memoir is an inspirational account of her life as a wildlife ecologist. Her career has involved traveling to remote locales to study and save animals, becoming a fellow of the National Geographic Society, and hosting "Wild Kingdom," a television program focused on protecting wildlife. Her warm and engaging narration of her own story is personable,... Read More

Using the infamous 1843 murder trial of Polly Bodine of Staten Island, narrator Erin Bennet recounts the rise of tabloid journalism and the public's fascination with true crime. Indicted for killing her sister-in-law and niece, Bodine was the first American woman to be tried for capital murder. Her case perfectly illustrates media sensationalism. Bennett's delivery reflects the... Read More

Narrator Jeena Yi guides listeners through the author's journey to find her roots and her realization that where we are may be more important than where we came from. Tracy O'Neill has always loved her adoptive family, but when COVID-19 struck the U.S., she worried about her birth mother across the world in South Korea dying alone. Enlisting detectives and distant relatives,... Read More