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

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Title: Searching for the Sound

Subtitle: My Life with the Grateful Dead

Author: Phil Lesh

Narrator: Phil Lesh

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-11-05

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 256 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

In time for the Grateful Dead's 40th anniversary, Phil Lesh offers the first behind-the-scenes history of the Dead. Lesh chronicles how the Dead's signature sound emerged, flowed, and swelled to reach millions of devoted fans, from their first gigs at Frenchy's Bikini-A-Go-Go for an audience of three, to the legendary Acid Tests, to packed stadiums around the world.

In San Francisco during the Summer of Love, at Woodstock, Altamont, and the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Grateful Dead have been at the center of some of rock's defining moments. Phil Lesh recounts what it's been like to live at the heart of this whirlwind, impressing Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, sharing the stage with Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and the Rolling Stones. Lesh describes what it was like to storm heaven night after night, and the price he and others have paid. Bad management, drug addictions, depression, and insecurities persistently plagued the band members and would culminate with the most tragic blow of all, the death of Jerry Garcia.

Searching for the Sound is a ruthlessly honest look inside one of the greatest American bands.

Critic Reviews:

"It's hard to say which of these miracles is more profound: the fact that after three decades with the Grateful Dead, Lesh has any memories of the experience whatsoever, or that he's been able to consolidate them into a single volume of less than 20,000 pages." (The New York Times Book Review)

Members Reviews:

Searching for the Sound

I am a Deadhead and musician and I learned a lot from this book with regards to the creation of the music itself,and Phil.A little extra here and there about Kesey and the Pranksters,and the happy and bad times with the Dead. Brutally honest..

Great read too,I bought the book as well..

would-be dead head

I can't be qualified as true Dead Head, being born a little late and not having had the opportunity to follow the band to hundreds of shows. But I've loved their music and have been fascinated with them since I first heard "American Beauty" as a mid-70s teen. I have been fortunate to see the Dead a few times and Phil & Friends more recently. Phil's a great musician and a talented writer to boot. Hearing him narrate his own well-written story, I feel I got an insider's view to the whole Grateful Dead experience and the collective soul of the this phenomenal band. This audiobook is not to be missed if you're any kind of fan at all.

Nicely written

It is interesting to hear this in his voice. He, really personalizes the experience.

READ THIS BOOK

This book is off the charts, music charts that is. If you lived through the 60's and remember it you know who the Dead are. I'll be darned if they didn't put their pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us.

Grateful dead

This was wonderful!

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Title: Tender at the Bone

Author: Ruth Reichl

Narrator: Ruth Reichl

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-15-99

Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 247 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Tender at the Bone is the story of a life determined, enhanced, and defined in equal measure by unforgettable people, the love of tales well-told, and a passion for food. In other words, the stuff of the best literature. The journey begins with Reichl's mother, the notorious food-poisoner known forevermore as the Queen of Mold, and moves on to the fabled Mrs. Peavey, one-time Baltimore socialite millionairess, and, for a brief but poignant moment, retained as Reichl's maid. Then we are introduced to Monsieur du Croix, the gourmand, who so understood and stood somewhat in awe of this prodigious child at his dinner table that when he introduced Ruth to the soufflé, he could only exclaim, "What a pleasure to watch a child eat her first soufflé!" Then, fast forward to the politically correct table set in Berkeley in the 1970s, and the food revolution that Ruth watched and participated in as organic became the norm. But this sampling doesn't do this character-rich work justice. And, after all, this is just a taste.

©1998 Ruth Reichl; (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Wonderful

I loved the variety and depth of her life, in addition to the joy of listening to a fellow gourmand. Goes great with Peter Mayle's books.

This is Why Authors Shouldn't Read Their Own Books

Would you try another book from Ruth Reichl and/or Ruth Reichl?

I really like Ruth Reichl's books. I've read this one before, as well as Comfort Me With Apples and Diamonds and Sapphires. However, I do not recommend this recording. Reichl reads her own work and her tone is dull, even though the material isn't. So, you end up thinking that this is a boring book, when quite the opposite is true.

Additionally, it's abridged, so there are characters who seemingly pop up out of nowhere and others who disappear. One can only assume that they leave or arrive in the expurgated sections.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Tender at the Bone?

There are great scenes here-- some involving her mother, who suffers from bipolar disorder, others overseas in France and Italy, and still others in the hippy age at Berkeley. All are funny and touching, while satisfying the needs of bibliophilic foodies.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Ruth Reichl?

Anyone! The sound recording itself is bad, which could be part of the problem. This sounds like it was taken from a tape in the 1980s. Bernadette Dunn does a terrific job on the UNabridged version of Garlic and Sapphires (Reichl, unfortunately reads the abridged-- check both samples and see which you like better, though Reichl is more animated there than she is here). This book needed a professional actress to carry the story along.

Could you see Tender at the Bone being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I could see it being made into a movie, but they would need to include Comfort Me With Apples for a more clear picture of the scope of this woman's very interesting life.

Great book! Why abridged Audible?

Where does Tender at the Bone rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

This is a terrific story of Ruth's early years.

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Title: Paradise Lost

Subtitle: A Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald

Author: David S. Brown

Narrator: David Colacci

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-17

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Pigeonholed in popular memory as a Jazz Age epicurean, a playboy, and an emblem of the Lost Generation, F. Scott Fitzgerald was at heart a moralist struck by the nation's shifting mood and manners after World War I. In Paradise Lost, David Brown contends that Fitzgerald's deepest allegiances were to a fading antebellum world he associated with his father's Chesapeake Bay roots. Yet as a midwesterner, an Irish Catholic, and a perpetually in-debt author, he felt like an outsider in the haute bourgeoisie haunts of Lake Forest, Princeton, and Hollywood - places that left an indelible mark on his worldview.

In this comprehensive biography, Brown reexamines Fitzgerald's childhood, first loves, and difficult marriage to Zelda Sayre. He looks at Fitzgerald's friendship with Hemingway, the golden years that culminated with Gatsby, and his increasing alcohol abuse and declining fortunes which coincided with Zelda's institutionalization and the nation's economic collapse. In doing so, he reveals Fitzgerald as a writer with an encompassing historical imagination not suggested by his reputation as "the chronicler of the Jazz Age." Fitzgerald wrote powerfully about change in America, Brown shows, because he saw it as the dominant theme in his own family history and life.

Critic Reviews:

"Carefully researched and a pleasure to read, Brown's persuasive, original account will entice Fitzgerald fans and cultural historians alike." (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)

Members Reviews:

The newest definitive Fitzgerald biography

David Brown has truly written the newest definitive biography on F Scott Fitzgerald. Brown's writing is both insightful and lyrical, somewhat commensurate with F Scott Fitzgerald's writing style, interestingly. The historical and cultural contexts of Fitzgerald's life and writing are presented very adeptly. Moreover, the psychological, philosophical, and romantic aspects of Fitzgerald's life, writing and thinking are all presented with great understanding and eloquence. It seems to me that this is the biography that F Scott Fitzgerald himself would have liked the most.

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Title: A House of My Own

Subtitle: Stories from My Life

Author: Sandra Cisneros

Narrator: Sandra Cisneros

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-06-15

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 64 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

From the author of The House on Mango Street, a compilation of true stories and nonfiction pieces that, taken together, form a jigsaw autobiography - an intimate album of a beloved literary legend.

From the Chicago neighborhoods where she grew up and set her groundbreaking The House on Mango Street to her abode in Mexico in a region where "my ancestors lived for centuries", the places Sandra Cisneros has lived have provided inspiration for her now-classic works of fiction and poetry. But a house of her own, where she could truly take root, has eluded her. With this collection - spanning three decades and including never-before-published work - Cisneros has come home at last.

Ranging from the private (her parents' loving and tempestuous marriage) to the political (a rallying cry for one woman's liberty in Sarajevo) to the literary (a tribute to Marguerite Duras), and written with her trademark lyricism, these signature pieces recall transformative memories as well as reveal her defining artistic and intellectual influences. Poignant, honest, and deeply moving, this is an exuberant celebration of a life in writing lived to the fullest.

Critic Reviews:

"The author of The House on Mango Street has written what may well be the best memoir of the year thus far. She seamlessly weaves 'memories' from her life from 1984-2014 (some written for specific audiences and expanded in this volume). As in her fiction and poetry, Cisneros blends family stories from Chicago and Mexico with lively storytelling, rich details, and good humor. The result is a fierce portrait of an artist and her quest, and the roads taken and not taken to find a home of her own. All readers who are interested in creative writing, memoir, American literature, and Chicana literature will appreciate this memoir, [which] deserves to find the broad and wide readership of her earlier books." (Pam Kinsburgy, Library Journal)

"An extraordinary and magical journey. Sandra Cisneros makes me so happy that I am a reader, so joyful that she is a writer, and even more exhilarated that she is part of our world. Read this book and laugh, cry and rejoice!" (Edwidge Danticat)

"Charming, tender: a warm, gently told memoir, assembled from essays, talks, tributes to artists and writers, and poems.... Cisneros chronicles the creation of [The House on Mango Street], begun in graduate school at the University of Iowa when she was 22, and completed on the Greek island of Hydra in a whitewashed house with 'thick walls and rounded corners, as if carved from feta cheese.' Homes feature in many pieces: the apartments her family moved into, always looking for cheaper rent; the house they finally bought, where the author had a closet-sized bedroom; her house in San Antonio that she painted purple, raising objections from the city's Historic Commission. Besides reflecting on her writing, Cisneros discloses a period of severe depression when she was 33; a tantalizing family secret; and eulogies for her parents. The making of a Latina writer." (Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

I'm a Cisneros Fan!

Any additional comments?

Sandra Cisneros is one of my favorite authors, and A House of My Own is one of her best books. Its a collection of essays that she wrote over many years, all with the theme of owning a house. Cisneros life has been as interesting as her books.

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Title: Dear Theo

Subtitle: The Autobiography of Vincent van Gogh

Author: Jean Stone, Irving Stone

Narrator: Clive Chafer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 21 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-21-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 82 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Each night, when the hours of painting and drawing were over, Vincent van Gogh put pen to paper and poured out his heart through letters to his beloved brother, Theo, his confidant and companion. No thought was too small, no element of his craft too insignificant, no happening too trivial. It was all scrupulously recorded and shared.

In these letters, Van Gogh reveals himself as artist and man. Even more than if he had purposely intended to tell his life story, Van Goghs letters lay bare his deepest feelings, as well as his everyday concerns and his views of the world of art. Irving Stone has edited the letters of Vincent in such a way as to retain every line of beauty, significance, and importance. It is my humble opinion that Vincent was as great a writer and philosopher, Stone says, as he was a painter.

Critic Reviews:

An extraordinary book and a great one. (

New York Times)

A great book, the greatness of a man in his own words. (

The Nation)

Members Reviews:

Vincent Van Gogh could have been a great writer.

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

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in art and artists. It completely contradicts the popular Hollywood version of Van Gogh.

What did you like best about this story?

His amazing skills as a writer. When he describes a scene it's a vivid as his art.

What does Clive Chafer bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

As these are letters written by Van Gogh the performance isn't really important.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Not applicable.

Worst narrator ever!

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Interesting from an art history perspective, and to witness the thinking of Van Gogh.

What didnt you like about Clive Chafers performance?

Almost a complete monotone all the way through. I am pretty sure that Vincent Van Gogh was a very passionate man, but the entire book was read in a near monotone. It was so excruciating to listen to that I put it down for months at a time.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Dear Theo?

No scenes - these are his letters to his brother, so no editing. I would select a more passionate narrator.

Any additional comments?

Read the book on your own. This narrator is awful!

If you know Vincent's life story already this is a perfect audio book for you.

I wanted to try this because I was a fan of Lust For Life the movie and the audio book. Since Irving Stone was the author of Lust For Life I felt his editing of Vincent's letters could be trusted. I always wanted to read his letters so when I found this audio book I was excited.

This audio book is over 21 hours long. It is straight from his letters and is the words of Vincent. It gives you very detailed times during his life. If you know his story already and want his feelings and take on his life this is a perfect book. I believe you will enjoy it as much as I do.

Great book...horrid performance.

I could not listen to this one. I did not care for the Narrator. His voice rarely changed tones.

Great book, good reader.

However, I would have loved to know the time span in between Vincent's letters as I am guessing the original letters might have been dated as was typical for correspondence.

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Title: Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

Author: Jeanette Winterson

Narrator: Jeanette Winterson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-06-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 392 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Jeanette Wintersons bold and revelatory novels have established her as a major figure in world literature. She has written some of the most acclaimed books of the last three decades, including her internationally bestselling first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, the story of a young girl adopted by Pentecostal parents that is considered one of the most important books in contemporary fiction. Jeanettes adoptive mother loomed over her life until Jeanette finally moved out at sixteen because she was in love with a woman. As Jeanette left behind the strict confines of her youth, her mother asked, Why be happy when you could be normal?

This memoir is the chronicle of a lifes work to find happiness. It is a book full of stories: about a girl locked out of her home, sitting on the doorstep all night; about a religious zealot disguised as a mother who has two sets of false teeth and a revolver in the dresser drawer; about growing up in a north England industrial town in the 1960s and 1970s; and about the universe as a cosmic dustbin. It is the story of how a painful past, which Winterson thought she had written over and repainted, rose to haunt her later in life, sending her on a journey into madness and out again, in search of her biological mother. It is also a book about literature, one that shows how fiction and poetry can guide us when we are lost. Witty, acute, fierce, and celebratory, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a tough-minded search for belonging - for love, identity, and a home.

Critic Reviews:

"To read Jeanette Winterson is to love her. . . . The fierce, curious, brilliant British writer is winningly candid in Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? . . . [Winterson has] such a joy for life and love and language that she quickly becomes her very own one-woman bandone that, luckily for us, keeps playing on." (O, the Oprah Magazine)

"Moving, honest . . . Rich in detail and the history of the northern English town of Accrington, Winterson's narrative allows readers to ponder, along with the author, the importance of feeling wanted and loved." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Raw . . . A highly unusual, scrupulously honest, and endearing memoir." (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)

Members Reviews:

The Title Says It All

I wanted to read this book from the moment I read a review in the New York Times. The title grabbed me by my inner truths and would not let me go, and I relate because my mother had the same philosophy, if she could even be said to have a "philosophy". It's the overall general sense of being "happy" vs being "normal" that got to me - not the specifics of Winterson's life. My mother, too, was big on being "normal" and also felt that being happy was an offshoot of arrogance - like "who are you to deserve happiness?" I am not attempting to define happiness here, just saying the idea was always presented as an unreachable ideal, only given to a privileged few, with the rest of us required to trudge along, suffering and miserable.

Anyway, the narration took some time getting used to - I initially found Ms. Winterson's voice to be a bit strident, with an accent I couldn't quite place, but I gradually acclimated and found a receptive space where I could listen with more peace.

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Title: His Way

Subtitle: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra

Author: Kitty Kelley

Narrator: Anna Fields

Format: Unabridged

Length: 21 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-28-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 106 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

This is the book Frank Sinatra failed to stop, the unauthorized biography of one of the most elusive public figures of our time. Celebrated journalist Kitty Kelley spent three years researching government documents (Mafia-related material, wiretaps and secret testimony) and interviewing more than 800 people in Sinatra's life (family, colleagues, law-enforcement officers, personal friends). Fully documented, highly detailed and filled with revealing anecdotes, here is the penetrating story of the explosively controversial and undeniably multi-talented legend who ruled the entertainment industry for more than 50 years.

Critic Reviews:

"The most eye-opening celebrity biography of our time." (William Safire, The New York Times)

"A compelling page-turner...Kitty Kelley's book has made all future Sinatra biographies virtually redundant." (Los Angeles Herald-Examiner)

Members Reviews:

awful narrator!!!!

What would have made His Way better?

thought it was Kitty, maybe she would have done a better job of reading her own book!

What do you think your next listen will be?

nothing narrated by Anna Fields

How could the performance have been better?

nix Anna Fields

Super

Fantastic. The detail is outstanding. If you are a Frank Sinatra fan, this is your book to enjoy!

What a life!

I thought he was just an amazing voice! It was an unforgettable story I won't soon forget.

His Way

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

This book is one that gives a glimpse into the world of Frank Sinatra. If you're a fan of Frank's you have to listen to it. It will open your eyes and allow you to see a whole different side of Sinatra.

What was one of the most memorable moments of His Way?

There isn't one memorable moment. All of the things Frank did that were wrong are memorable. While he was, without a doubt, one of the most generous celebrities ever, he was also the one of the most evil.

What does Anna Fields bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Anna does a great job changing from Frank to others and giving each person a voice in the book as she reads it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There wasn't one particular moment. All of it was fascinating and Kitty Kelley did a great job researching Frank's life.

Any additional comments?

I read through a lot of the reviews prior to buying this book and a lot of people were critical of the amount of unflattering events that were included. Some said that it was overkill, while others said it was a great look into Frank's life. Frank, while great and extremely generous, was a manic depressive and was a real son of a bitch. I think the reviewers that were critical of the amount of negative events were ones that probably idolized Frank and didn't like to read/hear that he was capable of such things. While no one is perfect, Frank was far from it, but this book gives a glimpse of an extremely generous man, as well as a vindictive, narcissistic man. Frank was what he was, but Kitty Kelley lays it all out, both positive and negative.

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Title: Letters to a Young Poet

Author: Rainer Maria Rilke

Narrator: Soren Filipski

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-25-15

Publisher: Hythloday Press

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 21 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

When a young student at a military academy mails some of his poetry to the great poet Rainer Maria Rilke, seeking advice, he initiates years of correspondence, during which Rilke expresses his most personal insights into the artist's relationship with life, the interior needs of the individual growing towards maturity, and how the impulse to artistic creation can and should be a source of abiding and developing happiness even for those who cannot become artists.

Written in Rilke's early, struggling years, Letters to a Young Poet is a work of beauty and urgency. Its discussion of the young soldier's difficulties in finding his identity and vocation, mirrored in Rilke's own life, have resonated with generations of readers for over a century, and it stands as one of the most beloved and widely read sets of letters in the world.

This new translation by Soren Filipski is both accurate and fluid, capturing the intense, rhapsodic energy of Rilke's writing as well as the precision of his ideas. His sensitive narration captures Rilke's emotion and flourish in this brief yet powerful work.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

A thoughtful gem of a book. A keeper.

Exciting and Eye Opening!

An amazing piece of work. A quick yet enlightening read....

Five Stars

I loved it!

Five Stars

Great.

Five Stars

Phenomenal...

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Title: An American Demon

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Jack Grisham

Narrator: Jack Grisham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-07-14

Publisher: Bad Idea Music

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 39 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

Depravity, redemption, terror, and spiritual deliverance abound in this physically and psychologically complex memoir from the front man of the pioneer punk band True Sounds of Liberty (TSOL). Spanning the extremes between hard-core punk memoir and handbook for recovery and survival, this narrative documents a youth rebellion that changed the world and offered life lessons rooted in 1980s punk culture. At times unsettling and violent, this book is doused in aggression, rebellion, alcoholism, and drug abuse, culminating in tough lessons of sobriety and absolution. This captivating, dark, and ultimately redemptive life story will fascinate fans of punk and resonate with those who have suffered from addiction issues.

Members Reviews:

Relatable if you had religion force fed to you.

Well written and narrated.

Best part for me was Jack's transition from demon to human.

Disappointing "ending"

Good writing . . . until the "end" . . . The "ending" seemed more like the author just stopped writing, ran out of paper, ink or the battery on his laptop died and he just called it quits, idk, not really an ending, very disappointing . . . Oh well.

Interesting read

Thoughtful. Tongue in cheek.

Very different than author's recovery based writing. Initially found audio narration difficult, but soldiered through by reading instead. Highly Recommended.

Excellent

It was perfect. ITS A REALLY GREAT READ. I wish it were longer. Cant wait to read his others.

Z

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Title: A House of My Own

Subtitle: Stories from My Life

Author: Sandra Cisneros

Narrator: Sandra Cisneros

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-06-15

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 64 votes

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

Publisher's Summary:

From the author of The House on Mango Street, a compilation of true stories and nonfiction pieces that, taken together, form a jigsaw autobiography - an intimate album of a beloved literary legend.

From the Chicago neighborhoods where she grew up and set her groundbreaking The House on Mango Street to her abode in Mexico in a region where "my ancestors lived for centuries", the places Sandra Cisneros has lived have provided inspiration for her now-classic works of fiction and poetry. But a house of her own, where she could truly take root, has eluded her. With this collection - spanning three decades and including never-before-published work - Cisneros has come home at last.

Ranging from the private (her parents' loving and tempestuous marriage) to the political (a rallying cry for one woman's liberty in Sarajevo) to the literary (a tribute to Marguerite Duras), and written with her trademark lyricism, these signature pieces recall transformative memories as well as reveal her defining artistic and intellectual influences. Poignant, honest, and deeply moving, this is an exuberant celebration of a life in writing lived to the fullest.

Critic Reviews:

"The author of The House on Mango Street has written what may well be the best memoir of the year thus far. She seamlessly weaves 'memories' from her life from 1984-2014 (some written for specific audiences and expanded in this volume). As in her fiction and poetry, Cisneros blends family stories from Chicago and Mexico with lively storytelling, rich details, and good humor. The result is a fierce portrait of an artist and her quest, and the roads taken and not taken to find a home of her own. All readers who are interested in creative writing, memoir, American literature, and Chicana literature will appreciate this memoir, [which] deserves to find the broad and wide readership of her earlier books." (Pam Kinsburgy, Library Journal)

"An extraordinary and magical journey. Sandra Cisneros makes me so happy that I am a reader, so joyful that she is a writer, and even more exhilarated that she is part of our world. Read this book and laugh, cry and rejoice!" (Edwidge Danticat)

"Charming, tender: a warm, gently told memoir, assembled from essays, talks, tributes to artists and writers, and poems.... Cisneros chronicles the creation of [The House on Mango Street], begun in graduate school at the University of Iowa when she was 22, and completed on the Greek island of Hydra in a whitewashed house with 'thick walls and rounded corners, as if carved from feta cheese.' Homes feature in many pieces: the apartments her family moved into, always looking for cheaper rent; the house they finally bought, where the author had a closet-sized bedroom; her house in San Antonio that she painted purple, raising objections from the city's Historic Commission. Besides reflecting on her writing, Cisneros discloses a period of severe depression when she was 33; a tantalizing family secret; and eulogies for her parents. The making of a Latina writer." (Kirkus)

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