Discover the Top 100 Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

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Title: I'm a Stranger Here Myself

Subtitle: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away

Author: Bill Bryson

Narrator: William Roberts

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-02-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 139 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

After living in Britain for two decades, Bill Bryson recently moved back to the United States with his English wife and four children (he had read somewhere that nearly 3 million Americans believed they had been abducted by aliens - as he later put it, "It was clear my people needed me"). They were greeted by a new and improved America that boasts microwave pancakes, 24-hour dental-floss hotlines, and the staunch conviction that ice is not a luxury item.

Delivering the brilliant comic musings that are a Bryson hallmark, I'm a Stranger Here Myself recounts his sometimes disconcerting reunion with the land of his birth. The result is a book filled with hysterical scenes of one man's attempt to reacquaint himself with his own country, but it is also an extended, if at times bemused, love letter to the homeland he has returned to after 20 years away.

Members Reviews:

How strange! Not as recently written as described.

Bryson fans and strangers to Bryson alike may be misled as I was by the advertised description of these pieces as recent. Depends on how you define recent! Do not expect pithy observations on this century's catastrophes, elections, current TSA procedures, celebrity culture, and/or texting, tweeting, FBing. For instance, he writes with wonder of such artifacts as microwave pancakes. Brilliant and au courant not. Microwave pancakes are hardly a new invention. Having been to England myself this century I know High Street food shops and the big chains there sell them and have for years. A quibble? No. As it turns out, these pieces were written some time ago - decades ago? However, Bryson still amuses and William Roberts captures the quirky tone of Bill Bryson's ambling style well. Old Bryson is better than no Bryson.

Hilarious! Laugh out Loud

In the wake of all this fiscal cliff drama and other continual angry political stories, it was refreshing to get a different perspective all be-it-dated; many of the issues are still relevant.

In addition the narrator had the perfect timing, which I can imagine was difficult for this type of book.

Seems like it was written in the late 1990's.

What did you like best about I'm a Stranger Here Myself? What did you like least?

I like Bill Bryson, but most of this material is too out of date. I gave up listening about half way through.

It would be helpful if Audible included the original date of publication in their descriptions.

Mostly just Bryson complaining about stuff

Some of the stories were quite interesting, and his observations are always witty. I particularly enjoyed the parts about immigration and the death penalty.

But, it's essentially just a book about his massive list of pet peeves and mild grievances. Probably will get one of his more scholarly books next time.

The cold, hard truth!

We loved listening to this. We have always found Bill Bryson to be so entertaining.

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Title: Joseph Anton

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Salman Rushdie

Narrator: Sam Dastor, Salman Rushdie

Format: Unabridged

Length: 26 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-18-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 289 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

On February 14, 1989, Valentine's Day, Salman Rushdie was telephoned by a BBC journalist and told that he had been "sentenced to death" by the Ayatollah Khomeini. For the first time he heard the word fatwa. His crime? To have written a novel called The Satanic Verses, which was accused of being "against Islam, the Prophet and the Quran".

So begins the extraordinary story of how a writer was forced underground, moving from house to house, with the constant presence of an armed police protection team. He was asked to choose an alias that the police could call him by. He thought of writers he loved and combinations of their names; then it came to him: Conrad and Chekhov - Joseph Anton.

How do a writer and his family live with the threat of murder for more than nine years? How does he go on working? How does he fall in and out of love? How does despair shape his thoughts and actions, how and why does he stumble, how does he learn to fight back? In this remarkable memoir Rushdie tells that story for the first time; the story of one of the crucial battles, in our time, for freedom of speech. He talks about the sometimes grim, sometimes comic realities of living with armed policemen, and of the close bonds he formed with his protectors; of his struggle for support and understanding from governments, intelligence chiefs, publishers, journalists, and fellow writers; and of how he regained his freedom.

It is a book of exceptional frankness and honesty, compelling, provocative, moving, and of vital importance. Because what happened to Salman Rushdie was the first act of a drama that is still unfolding somewhere in the world every day.

This audiobook includes a prologue read by the author.

Critic Reviews:

"In Salman Rushdie... India has produced a glittering novelist -one with startling imaginative and intellectual resources, a master of perpetual storytelling." (The New Yorker)

"Salman Rushdie has earned the right to be called one of our great storytellers." (The Observer)

"Our most exhilaratingly inventive prose stylist, a writer of breathtaking originality." (Financial Times)

Members Reviews:

Informative, Timely

Salman Rushdie is known for his fiction (Shame, The Moors Last Sigh and others), but it was The Satanic Verses which forced him into hiding and police protection. His memoir, Joseph Anton: A Memoir, tells the story of his life with particular focus on his experience following the publication of that book. Frankly, I have never finished any of Rushdies works of fiction and parts of this book I had to work through as well. However, the effort was well worth it because of the insights he provides into why he was forced to go underground, the full defense of his book and its literary origins, and how he finally was able to get back a modicum of normalcy. Readers also learn what it was like on a day-to-day basis to deal with living under full-time protection and what it meant to his family, career, and self-image. The book has, for me, more detail and repetition than necessary, but the emotional effect was profound. I began to identify with Rushdie and the frustrations he faced. Rushdie uses third person to tell his story, but Ill not give away why the book is titled Joseph Anton: A Memoir.

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Title: Desert Queen

Subtitle: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia

Author: Janet Wallach

Narrator: Jean Gilpin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-04-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 145 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Turning her back on her privileged life in Victorian England, Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), fired by her innate curiosity, journeyed the world and became fascinated with all things Arab. Traveling the length and breadth of the Arab region, armed with a love for its language and its people, she not only produced several enormously popular books based on her experiences but became instrumental to the British foreign office.

When World War I erupted, and the British needed the loyalty of the Arab leaders, it was Gertrude Bell's work and connections that helped provide the brain for T. E. Lawrence's military brawn. After the war she participated in both the Paris and Cairo conferences, played a major role in creating the modern Middle East, and was generally considered the most powerful woman in the British Empire.

In this incident-packed biography, Janet Wallach reveals a woman whose achievements and independent spirit were especially remarkable for her times, and who brought the same passion and intensity to her explorations as she did to her rich romantic life. Too long eclipsed by Lawrence's fame, Gertrude Bell emerges in this first major biography as a woman whose accomplishments rank as crucial to world history (especially in light of the continuing geopolitical importance of the Middle East) and whose life was a grand adventure.

Members Reviews:

Great beginning, then gets boring

The story was much longer than I anticipated and became long-winded. Lots of intricate detail looses the attention easily and I found myself disinterested.

A very interesting book

What did you love best about Desert Queen?

Details of the Arab world in the early 20th century and the extraordinary personality of Gertrude Bell

What other book might you compare Desert Queen to and why?

One cannot compare apples and oranges. Each biography is therefore different because of the different personalties and situarions

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator did an excellent job , especially with all the arab names

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

That would have been impossible and there was so much information one had to pause to digest each bit

Any additional comments?

The author took too long to describe Bell's character and personalikty and I preferred the last third with all the facts and details

A very interesting story about an exceptional lady

you probably never heard the story about this exceptional British lady. She was the unofficial queen mother of Iraq. A friend and counsel to Faisel and other turn of the century Arab sheikhs and tribal leaders. She was a Victorian era lady from a prestigious family yet she was more at home in a rough desert camp than in the tea parlor. She played a leading role in establishing Iraq as a constutional monarchy in the post Ottoman era.

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Title: Mercury

Subtitle: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury

Author: Lesley-Ann Jones

Narrator: Jane Collingwood

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-03-12

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 115 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

A revealing, intimate look at the man who would be Queen

As lead vocalist for the iconic rock band Queen, Freddie Mercury's unmatched skills as a songwriter and his flamboyant showmanship made him a superstar and Queen a household name. But despite his worldwide fame, few people ever really glimpsed the man behind the glittering facade.

Now, more than 20 years after his death, those closest to Mercury are finally opening up about this pivotal figure in rock 'n' roll. Based on more than a hundred interviews with key figures in his life, Mercury offers the definitive account of one man's legendary life in the spotlight and behind the scenes. Rock journalist Lesley-Ann Jones gained unprecedented access to Mercury's tribe, and she details Queen's slow but steady rise to fame and Mercury's descent into dangerous, pleasure-seeking excesses - this was, after all, a man who once declared, "Darling, I'm doing everything with everyone."

In her journey to understand Mercury, Jones traveled to London, Zanzibar, and India - talking with everyone from Mercury's closest friends to the sound engineer at Band Aid (who was responsible for making Queen even louder than the other bands) to second cousins halfway around the world. In the process, an intimate and complicated portrait emerges. Meticulously researched, sympathetic yet not sensational, Mercury offers an unvarnished look at the extreme highs and lows of life in the fast lane. At the heart of this story is a man...and the music he loved.

Critic Reviews:

"Mercury goes beyond the glittering facade to get an unvarnished look at Queen's rise to fame, the loves of Mercury's life, and his fraught relationship with his conservative past, creating a complete portrait of this magnetic musician." (MetroSource)

Members Reviews:

A tattler, not well-written, yet a guilty pleasure

Let's just bite the big bad truth at the outset: This is a gossipy tattle sheet about Freddy Mercury & by extension, Queen. I was initially quite irked by the author's voice, which is that of a self-loathing hack journalist whose greatest ambition is to gawk at famous people. She boasts of having "worked as a columnist on The Sun, The Daily Mail, The News Of The World and The Sunday Express." I was about to bail on this, when I suddenly realized that I was getting direct access to a personality I've never myself encountered, and although I can't say she's at all attractive, she does channel the British underclass obsessions and anxieties. Armed with this realization, I kicked back into enjoying this guilty pleasure. Unfortunately, the book doesn't give a great deal of insight into Freddy Mercury, who remains rather enigmatic. But there's lots of quotes (the audiobook's additional quirk is that multiple actors voice the different persons quoted). There's some interesting info about Queen, e.g., that they're the only band to ever have more than one #1 single written by each of the 4 members (so, there, they're better than the Beatles, and indeed, Ms Jones states that Queen has sold more albums than the Fab 4). I was fascinated to learn that Freddy developed a close relationship with Barbara Valentin, an actress in Germany who'd been in several Fassbinder films.

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Title: Fear and Loathing

Subtitle: On the Campaign Trail '72

Author: Hunter S. Thompson

Narrator: Scott Sowers

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-05-12

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 197 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

An iconic and controversial figure in American literature, Hunter S. Thompson displayed a brilliance that forever changed journalism. Thompsons follow-up to The Proud Highway, this second volume of private, never-before-published letters spans the years 1968 through 1976. Addressed to such luminaries as Tom Wolfe, Kurt Vonnegut, and Jimmy Carter, this incisive collection showcases Thompsons raw and starkly honest thoughts on a pivotal era in U.S. history.

Members Reviews:

Love the book, not the performance.

Where does Fear and Loathing rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I love Thompson. He's my political guru and the flow of his words will always be lovely.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Scott Sowers?

Hunter S. Thompson himself. Sowers tries to imitate the cadence of Hunter's voice, and fails miserably.

Great book ruined by over-acting narrator

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I have a lot of respect for narrators, as this is a tedious process, but the narrator was so bad I've returned the last two Hunter S. Thompson books I've ordered for refunds. I don't need to say anything snarky about his performance, he simply is over-acting, trying to effect the mood of the piece, when he should simply read the book in a calm and measured way.

Who says this guy is such a great writer?

Once he called the newspaper delivery man a nigger and spoke fondly of sending his dog to attack him for allegedly breaking a window in his residence with the daily newspaper, I had enough.

Beautiful trainwreck

This book has greatness in it, in between tangents and segments where the author was too drugged to write an actual account so he just plops raw transcripts with some apologies. It's unbelievably bad, and wonderful and awesome all at once. 5 stars.

Informative, and Gripping!

this was perhaps the most exciting political book I have ever written. It is easy to connect both to the author, and the subject matter he presents - in a very understandable way, I might add.

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Title: When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice

Author: Terry Tempest Williams

Narrator: Terry Tempest Williams

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-18-12

Publisher: Wind Over The Earth

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 381 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

The beloved author of Refuge returns with a work that explodes and startles, illuminates and celebrates.

Terry Tempest Williams's mother told her: "I am leaving you all my journals, but you must promise me you won't look at them until after I'm gone."

Fans of Williams's iconic and unconventional memoir, Refuge, well remember that mother. She was a member of a large Mormon clan in northern Utah who developed cancer as a result of the nuclear testing in nearby Nevada. It was a shock to Williams to discover that her mother had kept journals. But not as much of a shock as what she found when the time came to read them.

They were exactly where she said they would be: three shelves of beautiful cloth-bound books.... "I opened the first journal. It was empty. I opened the second journal. It was empty. I opened the third. It too was empty.... Shelf after shelf after shelf, all of my mother's journals were blank."

What did Williams's mother mean by that? In 54 chapters that unfold like a series of yoga poses, each with its own logic and beauty, Williams creates a lyrical and caring meditation of the mystery of her mother's journals. When Women Were Birds is a kaleidoscope that keeps turning around the question "What does it mean to have a voice?"

Members Reviews:

A story for all daughters

I read this as a fan of TTW, not expecting much... after all, it was a book about women and I am a guy. Within minutes, I was drawn in deeply. Ms. Williams shares what it means to be a daughter, a woman, a wife, a child of LDS upbringing, a writer, a birder in a way that is magical. Her writing, as always, is lyrical and thoughtful--improved on this audio version by her own reading. I plan to buy copies of this book for the women in my life for mothers day.

Amazing Story, Amazing Voice

This book is amazing, and even better when read in the author's own voice. From the opening chapter, which introduces the haunting image of the dozens of blank journals the author's mother left to her after her death, to the final chapter as Williams finally comes to terms with this act, the book is a tour de force which leaves the listener breathless. Williams delves into her life with a kind of courage few people possess. From her family's proud Mormon pioneer history, to her own bird watching childhood, from the early days of her marriage to her later years as an environmental activist, Williams reveals powerful scenes from her life, seamlessly laced with her own musings, which all add up to a portrait of a remarkable woman.

Though the book is intensely personal, it is not a memoir; the title, Fifty-four Variations on Voice, is very appropriate. What binds its fifty-four chapters together is the issue of voice: What does it mean to have a voice? What does it mean to lack a voice? How does someone find their voice? How do women find their voice? How does one speak for the people or places or things which cannot speak for themselves? Every anecdote, every fact, every philosophical reflection eventually relates back to these problems. With her mother's blank journals as a focal point, Williams dives into this issue of voice with an openness and passion.

Given this emphasis on voice, it is highly appropriate that this book become an audiobook.

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Title: The Juice

Subtitle: Vinous Veritas

Author: Jay McInerney

Narrator: Jay McInerney

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-08-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 128 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

This new collection by the acclaimed novelistand, according to Salon, the best wine writer in Americais generous and far-reaching, deeply knowledgeable and often hilarious.

For more than a decade, Jay McInerneys vinous essays, now featured in The Wall Street Journal, have been praised by restaurateurs (Filled with small courses and surprising and exotic flavors, educational and delicious at the same time Mario Batali), by esteemed critics (Brilliant, witty, comical, and often shamelessly candid and provocative Robert M. Parker Jr.), and by the media (His wine judgments are sound, his anecdotes witty, and his literary references impeccable The New York Times).

Here McInerney provides a master class in the almost infinite varieties of wine and the people and places that produce it all the world over, from the historic past to the often confusing present. From such legendary châteaus as Margaux and Latour and Palmer to Australia and New Zealand and South Africa, to new contenders in Santa Rita Hills and Paso Robles, we learn about terroir and biodynamic viticulture, what Champagnes are affordable (or decidedly not), even what to drink over 37 courses at Ferran Adrià's El Bulli - in all, an array of grapes and wine styles that is comprehensive and thirst inducing. And conspicuous throughout is McInerneys trademark flair and expertise, which in 2006 prompted the James Beard Foundation to grant him the MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award.

Members Reviews:

Great for 2010-ish Wine Names

The driest, most pretentious book on wine I've listened to so far. He name drops with a ferocity that lets you know he's tried most of these wines, yet tells us very little about them. In 8 hours, I was hoping for more of an education about typical wines in the top growing regions. Listening was like having a long dinner with your dullest friend.

eye opener

Although I am NOT a wine buff, I enjoyed this book very much and I learn far more than I ever thought I would. The author did a fantastic job communicating in a way that made me feel like I in park experience his journey and the people he came in contact with. i am so glad i opened this and did not allow it to sit on the shelf as it were.

easy listening and informative

I know a lot about wine but even so, this book is great for the novice and even for the more experienced. The author's anecdotal storytelling is quite soothing and I listened to this book mostly in bed. It helped ease me to sleep.

It is just Ok

When an author tries to use glamorous language to impress but uses foul language to get across, it just shows the true limits of his writing skills.

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Title: A Natural Woman

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Carole King

Narrator: Carole King

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-10-12

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 251 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Carole King takes us from her early beginnings in Brooklyn to her remarkable success as one of the world's most acclaimed songwriting and performing talents of all time. A Natural Woman chronicles King's extraordinary life, drawing listeners into her musical world, including her phenomenally successful number-one album Tapestry, and into her journey as a performer, mother, wife, and present-day activist.

Deeply personal, King's long-awaited memoir offers listeners a front-row-seat view of the woman behind the legend. This recording of the book, read by King herself, is not to be missed.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Members Reviews:

The Baby Boom Generation's Big Sister

Any additional comments?

I eagerly anticipated the release of this book because I had a great appreciation for Ms. King's talent and always sensed that she was an exceptionally good and decent person. Her memoirs caused me to think about a generation of young people, many of whom seemed to become musicians, born during the second world war. There has been much said and written about the baby boomers and our effect upon society. However, it has been this immeadiately preceeding generation, born during the war, which have been our leaders and our guides, our big brothers and sisters. It is they who deserve much of the credit for the quality of life we have enjoyed.

If you can imagine sitting for several hours pleasantly and contentedly listening to an old friend share the stories of their experiences, you have a feel for the enjoyment you'll have experiencing this book. It's not perfect and I doubt any of us is capable of creating a truly accurate self-portrait, but Carole's stories and reflections will carry you through a journey of your own life and fill you with the warmth of remembering how very good it has been.

Just as it would be listening to any friend, sometimes her stories seem to go into excessive detail in some areas and leave out significant information in other areas. In the end, I think you'll close this book with the warm feeling of having spent time with an incredibly hard-working, talented, warm, and loving woman. You'll be a better person for the experience.

Hearing it is even better than reading it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! I've already read the book, but after hearing Carole King read parts of it I decided that I wanted to hear her read the whole book. I'm so glad I did. She reads beautifully, sings bits of songs, imitates voices. Highly recommended.

Carole King's Memoir narrated by her.

First of all, this audio edition differsfrom the print book edition. Its really more of a performance. In addition to having Carole King read/talk us through her life, we have little bits of music between parts of the book written and recorded by Carole King on her piano, and whenever she is describing a particular song, if she prints the words of the song in the book, she actually sings it for us. At first I didnt know if I would actually like this book. Caroles voice reading it takes some getting used to. It has almost a sing-song quality at times. But the reader gets into her description of her life, the good and the bad parts, and the joy she has gotten from most things.

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Title: Kingdom of Fear

Subtitle: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century

Author: Hunter S. Thompson

Narrator: Scott Sowers

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-27-12

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 67 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson penned groundbreaking works as outrageous - and provocative - as the author himself. His memoir Kingdom of Fear provides compelling insight into his life and literary output.

Critic Reviews:

He amuses; he frightens; he flirts with doom. His achievement is substantial. (

Washington Post)

Members Reviews:

Only for the most hardcore fans of HST.

"Kingdom of Fear" is essentially a collection of articles and essays by Hunter S. Thompson, chronicling his well-documented problems with authority starting at a very young age.

In the preface, HST gives some thoughts on the immediate post September 11th world, which are revelant even today (a dangerous, long lasting "anti-terrorist" security apparatus, for example).

"Kingdom" goes on to Hunter's early run-ins with the law in Louisville, his rise in the journalistic scene and the "Freak Power" campaign for Sheriff of Aspen that Thompson ran; Hunter being falsely accused of sexual assault by pornstar Gail Palmer; his hilarious guerilla war aganist a nouveau riche businessman who decides to set up his massive estate in Woody Creek, and of course, "Fear and Loathing in Elko" which poses the question "what if Clarence Thomas was really more depraved than previously thought?"

To conclude this is a decent compilation, but I would suggest "Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone" (also available on audible) first and foremost. That compilation includes some overlap with this one (such as "Fear and Loathing in Elko") but has far more content.

Sowers ruins Thompson

What did you love best about Kingdom of Fear?

The writing

Would you be willing to try another one of Scott Sowerss performances?

I don't want to. I want Phil Gigante.

Any additional comments?

Please get Phil Gigante from the rolling stone book to do all of the Thompson books, he is perfect. I will buy them all.

Ugh

How do you ruin a Thompson book? Read it like you think your a total badass. Few voices make me physically cringe when I hear them, but this reading of, admittedlyThompsons weakest work, is painful. Sowers reads this book like its a manifesto a 1980s action movie villain. Rather then the musings of an light hearted and irresponsible genius.

We need a HST of this generation

I mean what is there to say, if you're reading this you already realize the impact HST made. Well, we seem to be back to square one. We lost! Now , the great USA is not a high-school small city football rivalry. Like more wacko people seem to buy into. You are not either a conservative or a liberal. So stop it. Your both in most cases, or maybe neither. Still if your an American, HST will help you to stop drinking that awful drink everyone keeps feeding you- bring you back into the fold of reality that we are not one of two sides but a massive area of gray rooting both teams in some shape. He called it back in the 2000's and wisdom can't be taught. Perhaps you will get there a bit quicker however, if you listen to real fuc**ng journalism and change your homeroom "ra-ra" channel off for a couple days.

Love HST

I love HST. He was a man's man. Give me a GD gun, a line of blow, a tape record for playback and a friend to laugh with about it all. That's Hunter. However the nar.

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Title: Hedy's Folly

Subtitle: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World

Author: Richard Rhodes

Narrator: Bernadette Dunne

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-29-11

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 118 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

What do Hedy Lamarr, avant-garde composer George Antheil, and your cell phone have in common? The answer is spread-spectrum radio: a revolutionary invention based on the rapid switching of communications signals among a spread of different frequencies. Without this technology, we would not have the digital comforts that we take for granted today.

Only a writer of Richard Rhodess caliber could do justice to this remarkable story. Unhappily married to a Nazi arms dealer, Lamarr fled to America at the start of World War II; she brought with her not only her theatrical talent but also a gift for technical innovation. An introduction to Antheil at a Hollywood dinner table culminated in a U.S. patent for a jam- proof radio guidance system for torpedoes - the unlikely duos gift to the U.S. war effort.

What other book brings together 1920s Paris, player pianos, Nazi weaponry, and digital wireless into one satisfying whole? In its juxtaposition of Hollywood glamour with the reality of a brutal war, Hedys Folly is a riveting book about unlikely amateur inventors collaborating to change the world.

Critic Reviews:

"Literary luminary Rhodes is not the first to write about movie star Hedy Lamarrs second life as an inventor, but his enlightening and exciting chronicle is unique in its illumination of why and how she conceived of an epoch-shaping technology now known as frequency hopping spread spectrum. As intelligent and independent as she was beautiful, Jewish Austrian Lamarr quit school to become an actor, then disastrously married a munitions manufacturer who got cozy with the Nazis. Lamarr coolly gatheredweapons information, then fled the country for Hollywood. As she triumphed on the silver screen, she also worked diligently on a secret form of radio communication that she hoped would boost the U.S. war effort, but which ultimately became the basis for cell phones, Wi-Fi, GPS, and bar-code readers. Lamarrs technical partner was George Antheil, a brilliant and intrepid pianist and avant-garde composer whose adventures are so fascinating, he nearly steals the show. In symphonic control of a great wealth of fresh and stimulating material, and profoundly attuned to the complex ramifications of Lamarrs and Antheils struggles and achievements (Lamarr finally received recognition as an electronic pioneer late in life), Rhodes incisively, wittily, and dramatically brings to light a singular convergence of two beyond-category artists who overtly and covertly changed the world." (Donna Seaman, Booklist)

"The author of The Twilight of the Bomb (2010) returns with the surprising story of a pivotal invention produced during World War II by a pair of most unlikely inventors - an avant-garde composer and the worlds most glamorous movie star.... A faded blossom of a story, artfully restored to bright bloom." (Kirkus Reviews)

"If the subtitle of this book The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World - doesnt make you want to read, nothing we say is likely to change your mind.