Discover the Best Audio Stories in Biography & Memoir

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/737662 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Looking for Palestine: Growing Up Confused in an Arab-American Family Author: Najla Said Narrator: Najla Said Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 6 hours 5 minutes Release date: March 26, 2024 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: A frank and entertaining memoir, from the daughter of Edward Said, about growing up second-generation Arab American and struggling with that identity. The daughter of a prominent Palestinian father and a sophisticated Lebanese mother, Najla Said grew up in New York City, confused and conflicted about her cultural background and identity. Said knew that her parents identified deeply with their homelands, but growing up in a Manhattan world that was defined largely by class and conformity, she felt unsure about who she was supposed to be, and was often in denial of the differences she sensed between her family and those around her. The fact that her father was the famous intellectual and outspoken Palestinian advocate Edward Said only made things more complicated. She may have been born a Palestinian Lebanese American, but in Said’s mind she grew up first as a WASP, having been baptized Episcopalian in Boston and attending the wealthy Upper East Side girls’ school Chapin, then as a teenage Jew, essentially denying her true roots, even to herself—until, ultimately, the psychological toll of all this self-hatred began to threaten her health. As she grew older, making increased visits to Palestine and Beirut, Said’s worldview shifted. The attacks on the World Trade Center, and some of the ways in which Americans responded, finally made it impossible for Said to continue to pick and choose her identity, forcing her to see herself and her passions more clearly. Today, she has become an important voice for second-generation Arab Americans nationwide.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/738307 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Half Bird Author: Susan Smillie Narrator: Susan Smillie Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 49 minutes Release date: March 21, 2024 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: Brought to you by Penguin. Discover the incredible story of one woman's solo journey across the Bay of Biscay, into the Mediterranean, and the unexpected joy of solitude, self-discovery and resilience 'We have no idea how much resilience there is inside us until we have to draw on it. We learn that we grow through adversity only as we go through it. That we crave happiness like plants leaning toward the light' When Susan quit her job in London and set sail off the south coast of England on her beloved sailboat, Isean, she was unaware this spontaneous departure would lead to a three-year journey spanning several countries across the continent. With only the very basics on board, resourcefulness becomes an unexpected source of joy and contentment. The highs and lows of living in such an extreme way awakens a newfound appreciation for the beauty of her surroundings, for being safe - for just being alive. For all the physical and navigational challenges of her journey, the other side of her story reveals a more important change - an inner journey - that took place along the way. This wasn't merely a challenge, a mid-life adventure or gap-year career break; it was much gentler than that, but much greater too. She was seeking nothing less than an entirely different life, having left the land far behind to call the wild, unbiddable sea home. ©2024 Susan Smillie (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/720022 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Right Kind of White: A Memoir Author: Garrett Bucks Narrator: Garrett Bucks Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 5 hours 36 minutes Release date: March 19, 2024 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: A revelatory memoir that earnestly reckons with whiteness. As the product of progressive parents and a liberal upbringing, Garrett Bucks prided himself on the pursuit of being a “good white person.” The kind of white person who treats their privilege as a responsibility and not a burden; the kind of white person who people of color see as the peak example of racial allyship; the kind of white person who other white people might model their own aspirations of being “better” after. But it’s Bucks obsession with “goodness” that prevents him from building meaningful relationships, particularly those who look like him. The Right Kind of White charts Garrett’s intellectual and emotional odyssey in his pursuit of this ideal whiteness, the price of its admission, and the work he’s doing to bridge the divide from those he once sought distance from.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/736075 to listen full audiobooks. Title: How to Make Herself Agreeable to Everyone: A Memoir Author: Cameron Russell Narrator: Cameron Russell Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 5 hours 3 minutes Release date: March 19, 2024 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: “Gripping . . . a call to action—and accountability—for the entire fashion industry.”—Marie Claire A bold memoir that explores who holds the power in an image-obsessed culture, from the model and activist who helped organize the movement to bring equity to fashion “By elevating me for something I have no control over, the industry and economy signal to all women: there is almost nothing you can do or create that is as valuable as how you look.” Scouted by a modeling agent when she was just sixteen years old, Cameron Russell first approached her job with some reservations: She was a serious student with her sights set on college, not the runway. But modeling was a job that seemed to offer young women like herself unprecedented access to wealth, fame, and influence. Besides, as she was often reminded, “there are a million girls in line” who would eagerly replace her.  In her fierce and innovative memoir, Russell chronicles how she learned to navigate the dizzying space between physical appearance and interiority and making money in an often-exploitative system. Being “agreeable,” she found, led to more success: more bookings and more opportunities to work with the world’s top photographers and biggest brands. But as her prominence grew, Russell found that achievement under these conditions was deeply isolating and ultimately unsatisfying. Instead of freedom, she was often required to perform the role of compliant femme fatale, so she began organizing with her peers, helping to coordinate movements for labor rights, climate and racial justice, and bringing MeToo to the fashion industry.  Intimate and illuminating, How to Make Herself Agreeable to Everyone is a nuanced, deeply felt memoir about beauty, complicity, and the fight for a better world.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/717437 to listen full audiobooks. Title: A Very Private School Author: Charles Spencer Narrator: Charles Spencer Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 57 minutes Release date: March 12, 2024 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 1 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Shocking and moving' Guardian 'A tour-de-force' Washington Post At eight years of age, Charles Spencer was sent away to one of England’s most exclusive boarding schools. In this courageous and beautifully written memoir, Spencer offers a clear-eyed, first-hand account of the strange secrets of the school, and the culture of cruelty and abuse he witnessed and experienced in his five years there as a pupil. Drawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, the book is his attempt to come to terms with the deep emotional scars inflicted upon him. Spencer reflects on the misery, hopelessness and abandonment he felt aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness, the vicious brutality of a boys’ school in the 1970s and the appalling inescapability of it all. The book cracks the code of the unpoliced regime that ran the place and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding school system. He gives vivid portraits of the teachers and other staff placed in loco parentis, their casual cruelties and toxic obsessions. All these years later, Spencer’s bafflement at their motivations to inflict such cruelty on young children is palpable. As is his fury that, even if somehow he had spoken up, he’d never have been believed. Charles Spencer's book 'A Very Private School' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 11-03-2024.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/717416 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Elevate and Dominate: 21 Ways to Win On and Off the Field Author: Deion Sanders Narrator: Deion Sanders Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 9 hours 5 minutes Release date: March 12, 2024 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4.3 of Total 10 Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 3 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: Instant New York Times Bestseller Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders is one of the greatest motivators and inspirational leaders of all time—on the field, in business, with family, and in his community. Now, he delivers the ultimate playbook of inspiring personal stories, winning strategies, and the motivation required to help us “elevate and dominate” in all aspects of our lives. A natural-born leader, Deion Sanders demands and expects the best from himself and from those around him, never settling for anything less. Whether it’s dealing with intense pressure, using the competition to his advantage, or navigating personal challenges—both physical and emotional—Sanders has conquered it all by applying the hard-earned principles he’s learned throughout his life and career. The twenty-one inspirational ways to win here are based on the motivational stories and experiences of Sanders’s incredible life, including being raised by a single mother who sacrificed and worked nonstop to support her family, being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, earning his place as a head coach with a Division I football team, and being a dedicated father of five accomplished children. His inspirational messages reach far beyond the world of sports because they are based on deep faith, respect for himself and others, and an unflagging commitment to that which he believes in. They are designed to help anyone who is looking to improve the quality of their life, whether it be in business and leadership, relationships and partnership, or parenting and family. Through his unique and powerful lens, Coach Prime provides the direction, motivation, and action required for anyone to dominate and win at life.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/738451 to listen full audiobooks. Title: I'll Pray for You: And Other Outrageous Things Said to Disabled People Author: Hannah Setzer Narrator: Erin Deward Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 5 hours 28 minutes Release date: March 12, 2024 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: In I'll Pray for You and Other Outrageous Things Said to Disabled People, Hannah Setzer volunteers to go first and say the things that we all think, but rarely say. Hannah has lived her whole life as a disabled woman and is here to share her story, though don't think for a second that this is inspiration porn. In fact, Hannah's disability is the least interesting thing about her! I'll Pray for You is full of . . . ● parenting fails, ● awkward stories, like that time Hannah fell down a manhole, ● discovering and accepting your identity, and ● fun, eye-opening real-talk from a disabled woman Hannah is a rebellious writer, a disability rights activist, and a movement enthusiast. She's best known as the creator of 'Feeding Tube Fitness,' where she often overshares most aspects of her life. She is the owner of Hannah's Handcrafted, a small business making and selling high quality elderberry products. She most recently founded Growing Inclusivity, a nonprofit aiming to build an accessible playground in Virginia. She is here to instill hope that you, too, can chase your dreams (and your chickens) if you want to. This book of essays from her life aims to do just that!

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/730860 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Save Me from the Waves: An adventure from sea to summit Author: Jessica Hepburn Narrator: Jessica Hepburn Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 25 minutes Release date: March 7, 2024 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: Includes BBC RADIO 4 DESERT ISLAND DISCS clips by Maya Angelou, Emma Thompson, Edmund Hillary and many more 'A breathtaking adventure of a truly inspirational woman' – Maxine Peake An adventure story – with a difference. From sea to summit. Fully soundtracked. Jessica Hepburn is an unlikely athlete – she was labelled the ‘arty’ not the ‘sporty’ one in school. She hates exercise and believes the only reason to do it is for food, booze and box-sets on the sofa. However, in her forties, following a succession of hard and sad life experiences she started to try and exercise her way out of heartbreak. She has now become one of the world’s most extraordinary endurance athletes. The first and only woman (currently) on the planet to have completed the ‘Sea, Street, Summit Challenge’ – which is to swim the English Channel, run the London Marathon and climb Mount Everest (which she calls Chomolungma – the mountain’s original Sherpa name). And possibly the only woman (although this can’t be officially certified) to have listened to eighty years and over 3,000 episodes of her favourite radio programme – Desert Island Discs. Save Me from the Waves is an inspirational story of physical and mental endurance which starts on the streets of London and culminates on top of the world, fuelled by song. It explores the redemptive power of music and mountains. How family and friends can be lost and found in the most unusual places. And encourages everyone to live big and bravely when life doesn’t go to plan. Because sometimes we all need saving from the waves. And whether it’s high and far away or closer to home and in your head, an adventure will always change your life for the better. Features the voices of Marlene Dietrich, Emma Thompson, Maya Angelou, Rob Brydon, Stephen King, Tim Robbins…. and many more from Desert Island Discs.   Features audio clips from Desert Island Discs castaways, including:   Jimmy Carr Clive James Kelly Holmes Paul Weller Kay Mellor Peter Bull Lin-Manuel Miranda Emma Thompson James Blades Alan Plater Alfred Wainwright Jo Brand Rob Brydon Gillian Clarke Lemn Sissay Tim Minchin Anne-Marie Duff  Christina Dodwell Marlene Dietrich Liz Lochhead Jilly Cooper Bill Morris Tim Robbins Robert Macfarlane Sue Townsend Jill Balcon Stephen King Alice Walker Kelsey Grammer Mervyn King Betty Driver Wangari Maathai Edna Adan Ismail Ali Smith Stella McCartney Penelope Wilton Simon Reeve Alicia Markova Edmund Hillary Winnie Byanyima Dave Brubeck Alan Titchmarsh Isabella Tree David Nott Richard Doll Ruth Westheimer Ruth Jones Marisa Robles Winston Graham David Mitchell Ruthie Henshall Sonita Alleyne Louis Armstrong Conrad Anker Akram Khan A. H. Halsey Amanda Khozi Mukwashi Helen Fielding Rose Hudson-Wilkin Nick Webbon Sheryl Sandberg Joe Simpson Maya Angelou

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/729544 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Beyond Hope Author: Bariz Shah Narrator: Ubai Dahoud Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 6 hours 3 minutes Release date: March 6, 2024 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: A powerful story of how one man didn't let other people define him 'Bariz gifts us his truth-telling, delivered with unwavering optimism.' Matt Brown, author of She Is Not Your Rehab 'Beautifully written. Takes us right inside a young person's life and is ultimately uplifting in the way they take control of that life.' Kathryn Ryan, RNZ Nine to Noon At age 18, Bariz Shah ended up in an Auckland prison. As an Afghan migrant who was deeply affected by 9/11, Bariz spiralled from schoolyard fights into crime and drugs - until prison made him rethink the story of his life. Years later, in Christchurch, Bariz had turned everything around when a terrorist walked into the local mosque and took the lives of 51 people in his community. Driven by a new purpose, Bariz and his wife Saba raised money to return to Afghanistan and establish 51 small businesses in honour of those they lost. In this memoir about finding self-belief, belonging and positive change, Bariz's story reminds us that we always have the power to change ourselves for the better. 'The book is sensitive and insightful about how pain comes into a life and how it lasts.' Phillip Matthews, The Press 'Extraordinary. A powerful story of redemption and hope.' Hon Lianne Dalziel CNZM, former Mayor of Christchurch 'Bariz has been through adversity and emerged with love, care and kindness. He shows that nothing is impossible.' Meng Foon, Race Relations Commissioner 2019-2023

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/732198 to listen full audiobooks. Title: The Silver River Author: Jim Moginie Narrator: Jim Moginie Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 9 hours 7 minutes Release date: March 6, 2024 Genres: Memoirs Publisher's Summary: A moving and inspiring memoir of families lost and rediscovered, by a founding member of legendary band Midnight Oil. For fifty years, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player Jim Moginie was a driving force behind one of Australia's most iconic rock bands, Midnight Oil. As they made their way through the nascent domestic punk scene and the uncharted musical territory of the Western Desert to the concert halls of Europe and America, the band members developed a feeling of 'five against the world'. For Jim, this de facto family was a bulwark against a nagging sense that something was missing from his life: he'd long known that his biological mother had given him up for adoption as a baby. While Midnight Oil grappled with the challenges of chart success, their political activism and global tours, Jim's quest to find his birth family increasingly led him in different directions, to the quiet suburbs of Canberra and the meandering rivers and verdant hills of rural Ireland - and emotional reunions with long-lost relatives. Threaded with vivid recollections of childhood, behind-the-scenes stories of band life and fascinating insights into the creative processes that produced some of this country's most beloved songs, The Silver River is at once a lyrical coming-of-age story, a heart-warming family chronicle and a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Australian music.