Discover Most Popular Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

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Title: I'm Dying Up Here

Subtitle: Heartbreak and High Times in Standup Comedy's Golden Era

Author: William Knoedelseder

Narrator: William Dufris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-18-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 169 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

They were arguably the funniest people of their generation, living in a late-night world of sex, drugs, dreams, and laughter. For one brief shining moment, standup comics were as revered as rock stars. It was Comedy Camelot but, of course, it couldn't last.

In the late 1970s, William Knoedelseder was a cub reporter assigned to cover the burgeoning local comedy scene for the Los Angeles Times. He wrote the first major newspaper profiles of Jay Leno, David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, and others. He got to know many of them well. And so he covered the scene too when the comedians--who were not paid for performing at the career-making-or-breaking venue called the Comedy Store---tried to change an exploitative system and incidentally tore apart their own close-knit community.

Now Knoedelseder has gone back to interview the major participants to tell the whole story of that golden age and of the strike that ended it. Full of revealing portraits of many of the best-known comedic talents of our age, I'm Dying Up Here is also a poignant tale of the price of success and the terrible cost of failure - professional and moral.

Critic Reviews:

"Knoedelseder skillfully layers powerful dramatic details." (

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Great Book

If you ever wanted to know why the Comedy Store is so relevant to the history of comedy this is a book for you. Most of the comics famous today have a Mitzi Shore story of some sort and this explains why. Being from the Midwest I had no idea who Steve Lubetkin was and am sad now that I didn't.

Very good despite a couple of errors

Having listened to many of Marc Marron's interviews with Comedy Store veterans, I liked hearing the venue's early history. The errors were 2 mentions of Billy Crystal with a role in "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" (it was "Soap"); and a mention of the '80s show "Saturday Night" being on NBC (it was on ABC

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Title: Picking Cotton

Subtitle: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption

Author: Erin Torneo, Ronald Cotton, Jennifer Thompson-Cannino

Narrator: Richard Allen, Karen White

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-03-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 194 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Two years later, Jennifer and Ronald met face to face - and forged an unlikely friendship that changed both of their lives. In their own words, Jennifer and Ronald unfold the harrowing details of their tragedy, and challenge our ideas of memory and judgment while demonstrating the profound nature of human grace and the healing power of forgiveness.

Critic Reviews:

"Injustice and redemption are overused words, but this heartfelt joint memoir justifies its subtitle." (

Kirkus)"Touching" (

Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Listen for the story not the writing

The story was compelling and they did a good job of building anticipation even though you know the outcome - particularly in the beginning. The writing itself was ok. The female reader was a little too sing-songy but I liked the male reader. It did prompt me to research a little more about it on the internet. I gave it for stars because of the subject matter and how sad yet positive it ends up. I'd have only given it three based on the writing itself.

Incredible Story!!!

Where does Picking Cotton rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

It would be in my top 10 maybe even my top 5.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Picking Cotton?

When Ronald meets goes to prison

What about Richard Allen and Karen White s performance did you like?

Everything,

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes, and again.

Story and reading are layered and complex

If you could sum up Picking Cotton in three words, what would they be?

Heart-wrenching, heart-warming, layered

What was one of the most memorable moments of Picking Cotton?

The description of Ronald Cotton's decision to not use a shiv in prison on an intended enemy. Based on advice from his father.

What does Richard Allen and Karen White bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Richard Allen's voice is mellifluous and entrancing. He does a first-class job of presenting that his character is flawed but innocent and that he retains hos hope and dignity through and unjust system and process.

Karen White makes her character - whom readers could so easily dismiss as an antagonist - a hero in her own right. She helps us to understand how a very "good" person could be the principal agent in assisting something "bad" to happen.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to this book while training for a long-distance walking event and could literally forget about the 100 degree heat and sweltering humidity and walk for 2, 4, even 6 hours entranced in the story.

Any additional comments?

This book explores very complex issues that arose from a true-life situation that can only be described as a no-win situation for its victims involved. But these people gutted it out and survived to go on and find true happiness and friendship together. I cried in sadness, anger, fear, and ultimately in heartfelt cheer. Who needs fiction when we have such rich and layered true life stories. Stories everybody should hear and know.

A Story of Healing

This is one of those feel-good stories that cuts across racial and socio-economic boundaries. The story is well-told, though not particularly well-written.

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Title: I Was Told There'd Be Cake

Author: Sloane Crosley

Narrator: Sloane Crosley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-07-09

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 230 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Together, these essays create a startlingly funny and revealing portrait of a complex and utterly recognizable character that's aiming for the stars but hits the ceiling, and the inimitable city that has helped shape who she is.

I Was Told There'd Be Cake introduces a strikingly original voice, chronicling the struggles and unexpected beauty of modern urban life.

Members Reviews:

So self-involved

Any additional comments?

I am a big This American Life fan, and ended up finding this audiobook because Sloane Crosley and David Rakoff (whose work I love) did a Thalia Book Club event together. Crosley is much younger that Rakoff and it really shows. The tone of this book aims for self-deprecating but ends up at self-involved. I grew up in the suburbs and have spent some time living in New York, so you would think I would relate to Sloane, but I can't. The character she builds in this book is so shallow it's kind of hard to listen to. That being said, they are some extremely funny passages.

Some short stories are not short enough

I too had heard that this was a fun read with a lot of laughs. Well I won't be taking recommendations from those sources again! Did not finish listening after too many that did not deliver.

i was told this would be funny

While Sloane Crosley has some moments of bright, shiny humor throughout I was Told There'd Be Cake, mostly the whole book falls flat. I kept waiting for the zinger around the corner but was regularly disappointed. Sloane describing her family's deep av ersion to open flame gave me hope that the rest of the book would be weird and silly. She is a good and capable reader of her own work and i suspect this is what saved much of the book. Overall i found it to be a bit whiny and predictable to listen to a woman of some privilege try and make her story unusual.

Blithely Witty and Charming

The essay seems to be enjoying a resurgence these days with such luminaries as David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell and (the now late) David Rakoff. These authors are trend-setters in their own right, mixing personal revelation with the ability to turn a brilliant phrase and a keen sense of social perception. Enter Sloane Crosley to that growing congress of writers. She is a genuinely funny writer of the dysfunctional and unapologetically self-deprecating variety. While she never goes too far and always remains apropos, no subject seems too private or sacred for her to share it with us. And there is always a point, even in the longest of the essays, and the thrilling part of encountering her writing was discovering how she eventually manages to tie everything together in a way that never feels forced or artificial. These are the kinds of stories you might hear from a friend over coffee or drinks, because there are some writers who have a writer's voice. Sloane falls into the conversational category, which is what makes her voice so engaging and approachable, from the first essay to the last. The most mundane detail may end up being the pinnacle of the story, and she makes you want to hear it through to the end to see how she's going to resolve it. This is the mark of a great writer: who wins you over with her ability to communicate honestly and movingly.

I Loved This Book!

This book was a fun listen, I think that this author is sooooo funny I can't wait for her next book.

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Title: Shaking the Nickel Bush

Subtitle: Little Britches #6

Author: Ralph Moody

Narrator: Cameron Beierle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 119 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Now 19 years old, skinny and suffering from diabetes, Ralph Moody is ordered by his Boston doctor to seek a more healthful climate out West. Remembering his childhood ranching adventures, Ralph is delighted to strike out for new territory and prospects.

©1962 Ralph Moody; (P)2001 Books in Motion

Members Reviews:

Always life lessons with Ralph Moody

Definitely worth the listen/read! A great lesson in ingenuity, friendship and personal finance. Love Ralph Moody's life stories!

Good Story That Teaches Great Morals

You'll wish that Ralph would just leave and go out on his own. You'll wish that he's be more responsible. But this is a true story and it can serve to teach us that not all our friends are good and that not all our endeavors are worthy ones.

Good book

It didn't end like I wish it had but still liked it. Definitely recommend it

Life Goes In A Different Direction

What did you like about this audiobook?

It was like I was playing a movie in my head. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. I have to admit, though, that I was sad that Ralph got all caught up in writing "fairy tales" to his mother. But, I understand he was trying to calm her fears. He was such a resourceful young man in many ways. He was good at earning money and not afraid to try new things. He showed tremendous patience with his new friend Lonnie. And he really took care of Lonnie in a way that most people wouldn't.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

I absolutely am interested in how people lived in the early 1900's.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

He described things with such detail that it was easy to imagine what he was talking about.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

I cannot find fault with the narrator's performance. I enjoy his work.

Do you have any additional comments?

I recommend the "Little Britches" series.

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Title: 50/50

Subtitle: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days - and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!

Author: Dean Karnazes, Matt Fitzgerald

Narrator: Dean Karnazes

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-18-08

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 320 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

But 50/50 goes beyond the incredible story of those 50 marathons. It is a firsthand, fascinating story of what it's like to push the limits of strength under grueling conditions - and how Dean Karnazes pulled off the extraordinary.

This audiobook is also packed with Dean's secrets, which runners everywhere will want to know. These include what to do when you hit a wall, how to adapt quickly to drastic terrain, how to get motivated after a really tough day, and the best diet and exercise tips to improve your own best time.

Complete with Dean's practical tips on building endurance, this audiobook will appeal to marathon runners and athletes everywhere, as well as to listeners who crave an inspiring story of incredible accomplishment.

Critic Reviews:

"(He) makes the extraordinary look easy." (GQ)

"The indefatigable man." (Esquire)

Members Reviews:

Missed the mark

As a runner, I was looking forward to listening to this book, but ended up quite disappointed. While running 50 marathons in 50 days is one heck of an accomplishment, Dean's narration comes accross as self promoting and at times even condesending. Also, he seems like he is almost bored with the narration and would rather be doing something else than telling his story. I had a couple of cases where I was out on a run listening to this book and ended up switching to music which is something I rarely do with many of the running podcasts I regularly listen to. This is a case where I think reading the book would have been better than listening.

Great book to run to.

What did you love best about 50/50?

This book kept me motivated. 50/50 inspired me to keep running. Dean did a great job of explaining what he went through and also talking about all the other runners. It's not just about his accomplishment of doing 50 marathons in 50 days, which is amazing...but this book is about his support crew, the runners that flew from other countries, states, and cities just to run with him, and also what his family went through.

Have you listened to any of Dean Karnazess other performances before? How does this one compare?

50/50 is more on my level than Ultra Marathon Man. At least I can say that I am able to do a 1/2 marathon now. :)

Save Your Money & Buy A Better Book

Dean narrates his own book. If you like feeling like you are back in kindergarten being read to this book may be for you. If you want to spend money on a book where you will learn next to nothing about running buy this book. In the book he talks way too much about his kids....who cares! He doesn't really offer much that is helpful. His first book was pretty good but this one sucks! I kept listening to it hoping that it would get better becase I couldn't believe that it could actually be that bad. It is a really awful book and I had to stop listening to it half way through....boring and unhellpful.

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Title: Goodbye to All That

Author: Robert Graves

Narrator: Martin Jarvis

Format: Abridged

Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-26-08

Publisher: CSA Word

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 161 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A famous autobiographical account of life as a young soldier in the first World War trenches. Robert Graves, who went on to write I, Claudius, has given to posterity here one of the all-time great insights into the experience of war.

© and (P)2007 CSA Telltapes Ltd.

Members Reviews:

Moving

This book was written in 1929 as a memoir of his service in World War One. The book covers his early life, his time at Charterhouse School where he was mercilessly bullied, the war and the post war period up to writing the book in 1929.

Like many young men Graves enlisted within days of the outbreak of the Great War with no understanding of what war was like. He enlisted as an officer in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He fought in Francethe Somme, Souchez, Bethune, Loos, Cambria and Cuinchyand was seriously wounded and discharged in 1918. In January 1926 Graves, Nancy and their four children set out for Egypt where Graves was to take up an appointment as professor of English in Cairo. In 1929 he divorced his wife and set up house in Deya, Majorca with the American Poet Laura Riding. Graves book Goodbye To All That was published the same year as Erick Maira Remarques All Quiet On the Western Front. Graves was a well known poet and he also wrote poems about WWI as did his friend and fellow soldier Siegfried Sassoon. Graves is best known for his book I Claudius.

What makes this such a good memoir about the war is that it is not bogged down with ideologies or politics. He presents what it was like to live day to day in the trenches (as an officer). His vivid account of life and death in the trenches is haunting. While there is obviously much fear, discomfort and horror, there is also lots of comedy and camaraderie. Graves wants to show what WWI was really like, no sentimentalizing it or giving it a meaning he didnt feel. It was a horrific, life changing experience and that was all.

I had just finished reading The Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger. Jungers memoir is similar to that of Graves in that they both are about reportage. Graves included information about his fellow soldiers, Junger did not, both books tell about the daily life of a soldier. I find it interesting to read about the same battle they both fought in but on opposite side such as the Somme and Cambria. Between the two books I have seen World War One from both viewpoints of the average German and English soldier. Both books reveal a unique, honest and incredibly powerful depiction of the realities of life as a soldier, and of the true effects of fighting on those who experienced it. Martin Jarvis did a good job narrating the book. I recommend this book as a must read for the WWI 100th anniversary.

An honest and well-written???ABRIDGED???WWI Memoir

I loved Robert Graves??? I Claudius and Hercules My Shipmate when I was young, and so had been wanting to read his autobiography, Good-bye to All That. Graves covers his painful school boy education (stale tradition, sadistic bullying, and usually platonic homosexuality), his transformative service with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers during World War I (training, waiting, the Battle of Loos, and the Somme Offensive), and then his immediate post-war life (a teaching job in Egypt and the making and losing of a family).

Throughout, Graves??? writing is accurate, witty, and spare.

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Title: The Man Who Knew Infinity

Subtitle: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan

Author: Robert Kanigel

Narrator: Humphrey Bower

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-19-07

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 218 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

With a passion for rich and evocative detail, Robert Kanigel takes us from the temples and teeming slums of Madras to the courts and chapels of Cambridge University, where the devout Hindu Ramanujan, "the Prince of Intuition", tested his brilliant theories alongside the sophisticated and eccentric Hardy, "the Apostle of Proof". In time, Ramanujan's creative intensity took its toll: he died at the age of 32, but left behind a magical and inspired legacy that today is still being plumbed for its secrets.

Critic Reviews:

"Moving and astonishing." (Publishers Weekly)

"Extremely well-researched and well-written biography." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Thorough and Enjoyable

This book explores (1) the influences of South India on Ramanujan's development, (2) the influences of the British educational system and society on GH Hardy and the other English scholars with whom Ramanujan met and worked and (3) the effects of those different influences on both Ramanujan and the English, personally and professionally.

Mathematical achievement is at the core of Ramanujan's story, and Kanigel does a good job of integrating it. A vague memory of high school math is required of the listener, and Kanigel uses that basis to explain both the directions and importance of Ramanujan's work, without trying to explain the specifics. The technical discussions are woven into the story, and do not at all get in its way.

While the book celebrates Ramanujan's improbable rise to success, overcoming tremendous obstacles, it also examines those obstacles, created by the British Raj and unfortunately persisting into the post-colonial Indian educational system.

While decrying the failings in Ramanujan's formal education, Kanigel also speculates on whether the broader South Indian culture, particularly the flexibility within Hindu religious traditions, allowed Ramanujan to approach mathematics less rigidly than could his English colleagues. No answers are attempted, but his questions are profound.

well researched, excellent book, great narration

I don't write very many reviews but this book encouraged me to write one.

Its hard to write a book on Ramanujan without the mention of mathematics but the author does a wonderful job to not put off non mathematicians while listening. One can appreciate the profound activity without getting into the details.

The nice thing to appreciate, other than Ramanujan's work is also the leadership shown by Hardy. The English mathematician could recognize and appreciate the genius in the man without any pride especially after other senior mathematicians like Baker and Hobson failing to do so. I wish we have more of such leaders in today's world who can recognize talent and encourage it. Think about the thousands of Ramanujan's that exists in this world today but go un-noticed cause they have not found their Hardy or vice versa.

On the other hand its amazing to see that such a gifted man was driven to a point in his life so as to contemplate suicide. The man not only suffered from tuberculosis but also the usual mother-in-law daughter-in-law conflicts that has plagued the society for centuries now. May be the world just does not deserve to have the gifts of such a genius.

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Title: Switching Time

Subtitle: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities

Author: Richard Baer M.D.

Narrator: Lloyd James

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-15-07

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 528 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In 1989, Karen Overhill walked into the office of psychiatrist Richard Baer complaining of depression. She poured out a litany of complaints, but in the disengaged way of someone who has experienced a terrible trauma. Slowly, Baer began to peel back the layers, eventually learning that Karen had been the victim of childhood sexual abuse. As time passed, though, his patient worsened and began to talk continually of suicide. Details of her abuse accumulated until he saw, via hypnosis, the true dimension of what Karen had suffered.

Baer was at a loss to explain Karen's sanity, precarious though it was, until he received a letter from a little girl, Claire. One by one, Karen's "alters" began showing themselves: men, women, young boys, a toddler, black, white, vicious, nurturing, prim, licentious. And their "stepping out" confronted Baer with the challenge of a lifetime. Somehow, to save Karen, he would have to gain the trust of her alters in order to destroy them.

Editorial Reviews:

Depressed, suicidal, complaining of strange pains and loss of time, "Karen" is referred to psychiatrist Richard Baer. During her treatment Baer determines that Karen has multiple personality disorder (MPD). Lloyd James's narration is mesmerizing. His narration never crosses the line into prurience. He states details matter-of-factly, including horrific tales of exploitation, cruelty, violence, torture, and ritual sexual abuse in Satanic cults. After years of therapy sessions and hypnosis, 17 separate personalities emerge. This perspective is unique because it is told from the point of view of the therapist. James's sensitive narration allows listeners to share Baer's initial skepticism, his eventual acceptance, and his thought processes as he tries to help. Fascinating listening.

Critic Reviews:

"An important and insightful look into the world of a multiple." (Cameron West, author of

First Person Plural)"Vivid...loaded with fascinating details... richly rewarding." (Colin Ross, author of

Multiple Personality Order and

The Osiris Complex)

Members Reviews:

Couldn't help myself

This book is a bit like a car wreck that you can't help straining to see as you drive by. Morbid curiosity keeps you hooked into this tale, but it's not for the faint-hearted. The details of this woman's abuse are graphic even if not everything is revealed. (To be honest, I'd hate to hear worse.) I was riveted by the story nonetheless.

Engrossing

I listened to this book TWICE. I was fascinated with the story, both from the point of view of the psychiatrist's thinking and from the woman's experiences in re-integrating herself. I had a hard time listening to the horrendous aspects of her childhood abuse (I turned the volume down low for those parts), but was comforted (and gratifyingly) amazed at the love and wisdom that was in the woman all along -- despite her incredibly cruel abuse -- in the guise of some of her alternate personalities. That the human brain can protect itself this way is really marvelous! It made me think about how we all have that inner wisdom inside us (how to access it is another matter). I've been thinking a lot about what I've learned from her story, and how she is just an extreme case of what all of us manifest from time to time in a lesser form.

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Title: Here If You Need Me

Author: Kate Braestrup

Narrator: Kate Braestrup

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-31-07

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 146 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Whether she is with parents whose six-year-old daughter has wandered into the woods, or wardens as they search for a snowmobile rider gone under the ice, or a man whose sister left an infant seat and a suicide note in her car by the side of the road, Braestrup provides solace, comfort, and spiritual guidance when it's needed most. And she comes to discover that giving comfort is both a high calling and a precious gift.

In this account of her life and the events of her unusual job - sometimes joyful, sometimes heartbreaking - Braestrup is warm, unsentimental ("No one is immune to the Plucky Widow story!" she acknowledges), and generous. Here If You Need Me is a funny, frank, and deeply moving story of faith and hope.

Editorial Reviews:

Here If You Need Me, written and read by Kate Braestrup, no doubt delights fans of the Unitarian Universalist minister who also serves as chaplain of Maines Game Warden Service. But this is a book that deserves a wider audience than those already familiar with Rev. Braestrups work. Here If You Need Me has meaning for anyone who has known the grief of losing a loved one or anyone who has witnessed the resilience of the human spirit. It is a soul-comforting book to listen to and one to keep in mind as a gift.

Braestrups reading of her memoir about the loss of her husband and how profoundly her life changed is reminiscent of a radio play. The authors talent for mimicry gives voice to Game Warden Service radio dispatchers, Game Warden colleagues, her four children as they begin to live their lives without their beloved father, a vapid girlfriend of a missing drug dealer, a bereaved wife, a not-so-bereaved brother, and more characters along the way. Listener warning: it helps to have tissues handy as it is possible hear Braestrups voice clench and almost break during certain detailed and personal descriptions of her first husbands unexpected death.

Here If You Need Me also deals with Braestrups confrontation with death and with love and miracles as part of her out-of-the-ordinary job. It focuses on the humanity of the individuals in the Maine Game Warden Service who devote their lives to taking care of the outdoors; work that often includes rescues and, sadly, recoveries. The result is thoroughly engaging storytelling with even a few laughs.

More than just a memoir, Here If You Need Me serves up a palatable portion of theology, encouraging listeners to give thought to the notion of miracles and where exactly God might be in the midst of tragedy. More than anything else, though, the book is a message of hope: of doors and windows being opened, new chapters beginning, and of love continuing, as always, to grow.

Critic Reviews:

"Braestrup's insightful essays are extraordinarily well written, mingling elements of police procedural and touching love story with trenchant observations about life and death....always with compassion and a concern for the big questions inescapably provoked by tragic events." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Very Enjoyable

I picked up this book and was thrilled with it, it is a wondderful book that is written in a way you come to understand the suthors veiw and it opens deeper meanings to ponder. I recommend it highly, the book is written by a UU minister, but does not come off preachy it comes off as a book written from the heart.

Worthy re-read

I first read this 4 years ago and liked it a lot.

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Title: Crashing Through

Subtitle: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See

Author: Robert Kurson

Narrator: Doug Ordunio

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-30-07

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 444 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Then, in 1999, a chance encounter brought startling news: a revolutionary stem-cell transplant surgery could restore May's vision. The procedure was filled with risks, some of them deadly, others beyond May's wildest dreams. There were countless reasons for May to pass on vision. He could think of only a single reason to go forward. Whatever his decision, he knew it would change his life.

Beautifully written and thrillingly told, Crashing Through is a journey of suspense, daring, romance, and insight into the mysteries of vision and the brain. Robert Kurson gives us a fascinating account of one man's choice to explore what it means to see - and to truly live.

Critic Reviews:

"A remarkable story of courage and endurance." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Outstanding!

An amazing account of an exceptionally rare occurrence a totally blind man who is made to see after nearly 40 years. Wonderful? Youd think so, but when your brain hasnt learned to understand what your eyes see, the resulting chaos can drive a man to suicide.

Kurson tells Mike Mays story brilliantly. He has a rare ability that transported me into the adventure and held my attention throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed his skilful capacity to impart technical information with intense clarity, without every becoming tedious or sounding patronising.

This is a book that will fascinate, stimulate, educate and inspire you. Once you have listened to it, youll be bursting to tell others about this truly incredible story. One of the best books Ive downloaded in 10 years of membership.

Now through a glass darkly...

The title "Crashing Through" implies a momentous breakthrough that never quite appears in the book. Granted, the story is about a man, Michael May, who gains sight after more than 43 years of blindness, and his struggle to make sense of visual information after so many years of dormancy. But I kept waiting for a breakthorough to normalcy that never happens.

As it turns out, sight is more complex than any of us might have suspected, requiring far more than simple sensory input. Yet May is a remarkable man and his willingness to let us share in the intimate details of this struggle makes this a singular read. Without May's insights this would just be another story of science falling short of the mark. With it, we are treated to a far deeper awareness of the complexities of vision, an appreciation for its gifts, and understanding of what it must be like to see, even just a little, after so many years of blindness.

This book has done what I expect of all great books, it has left me pondering the significance of many of its values and ideas and has been the source of many conversations with my friends and family.

Loved the science. Mike's life story, not so much.

STORY (true) - Mike May is one of only ten documented cases of sight restoration after a lifetime of blindness. This book is about his life and his journey from darkness into light. I'm not sure I would like Mike as a person. He reminds me of my ex-husband -- a cocky adrenaline junkie who looks too much at women other than his wife -- but I digress. Those aspects of his personality definitely contributed to his success story.

The parts of the book about Mike's life...meh. He is successful and happy, blah, blah. blah.