Download Top 100 Full Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

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Title: Bettyville

Author: George Hodgman

Narrator: Jeff Woodman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-10-15

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 286 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A witty, tender memoir of a son's journey home to care for his irascible mother - a tale of secrets, silences, and enduring love

When George Hodgman leaves Manhattan for his hometown of Paris, Missouri, he finds himself - an unlikely caretaker and near-lethal cook - in a head-on collision with his aging mother, Betty, a woman of wit and will. Will George lure her into assisted living? When hell freezes over. He can't bring himself to force her from the home both treasure - the place where his father's voice lingers, the scene of shared jokes, skirmishes, and, behind the dusty antiques, a rarely acknowledged conflict: Betty, who speaks her mind but cannot quite reveal her heart, has never really accepted the fact that her son is gay.

As these two unforgettable characters try to bring their different worlds together, Hodgman reveals the challenges of Betty's life and his own struggle for self-respect, moving listeners from their small town - crumbling but still colorful - to the star-studded corridors of Vanity Fair. Evocative of The End of Your Life Book Club and The Tender Bar, Hodgman's debut is both an indelible portrait of a family and an exquisitely told tale of a prodigal son's return.

Members Reviews:

Title Should Be Georgeville-It's All About George

Once again the publisher summary misleads. Saying that this memoir is like The End of Life Book Club is just plain ridiculous. The only thing these two books have in common is that they are stories about a mother who is dying and her son. The End of Life Book Club is a loving eulogy written by a son. In that book the mother still has insight and the ability to read a collection of books with her son and discuss them. They connect.

This book starts out funny. Bitingly funny. Everything is a joke. Betty is portrayed as a character, a card, a total individual. A woman who cares deeply about her talents, appearance, her place in her community and most of all what people think. It is cringeworthy how she is laid bare with all her foibles hung out on the wash line to dry.

To me, there is a great deal of anger in the author's humor. Sharp anger that cuts deep, exposes and wounds.

I adore this book! Listening for the second time..

What did you love best about Bettyville?

It kept me hooked! I loved the gentle barbs between George and Betty. In spite of this, the listener has no doubts of the strong love and caring between mother and son.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I cannot make a choice here - George is such a colorful and charming character. Betty has a soft heart, but doesn't show it often. Just an unbeatable combo!

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to choose.. so many. I was literally rolling during the scene where George took his mother to listen to the author speak. We have been there, done that with our 90's Pops.. the loud unfiltered commentary.. oh my! No one understands this unless you have actually gone through it.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and cried.. it is a beautiful yet often hilarious story of a Mother and Son, and so much more.

Any additional comments?

Not only is this an absolutely beautifully written book, the narrator does a fabulous job with all the voices. I am listening for the second time! I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

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Title: James Baldwin

Subtitle: A Biography

Author: David Leeming

Narrator: James Patrick Cronin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-03-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 61 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

This is a biography of James Baldwin, author, one-time preacher, and civil rights activist. He chose David Leeming, a close friend and colleague, to write his biography and granted him access to his correspondence. Leeming traces his life from his birth in Harlem in 1924 to his self-imposed exile in Europe, his later years as political activist, and his public funeral in 1987.

Members Reviews:

A great biography of a great man

This biography of James Baldwin is very well researched, engaging, and very balanced. Baldwin as a black man dealing with racism and oppression, Baldwin as a gay man facing homophobia, Baldwin as religious man seeking the divine, and Baldwin as author perfecting his craft all get more or less equal treatment.

Leeming knows and attends to the history of Baldwin's time and the political and social issues of the day; he is very familiar with Baldwin's fictional and non-fictional texts. The book moves well and can be read along with Baldwin's novels to bring additional depth to the reading of his works. The audio performance is very good.

Highly recommended.

Awesome!

Highly recommended! The reader was excellent. This is the most important book that I have read in a long, long, long time!

--Stephen York

Must read for all Americans

must read for those who want to better understand and appreciate what it to be an American. We are not just black or White.. We're a mixed collective group of people Who have not excepted the fact that we are all related. America will never truly be free until we can see the humanity in each other and not our color.

James Baldwin a biography

The author treated the subject with the respect that he was worthy of, his life examines humanity as we are forced to look at our selves.

This book provides an insight of one the most prolific author to grace this earth.

A requirement for everyone to read. The reader will always want to know more and though you know the ending you are still left with the urge for more!!!

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Title: The Empathy Exams

Subtitle: Essays

Author: Leslie Jamison

Narrator: Coleen Marlo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-26-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 80 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

From personal loss to phantom diseases, The Empathy Exams is a bold and brilliant collection, winner of the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize

A Publishers Weekly Top Ten Essay Collection of Spring 2014

Beginning with her experience as a medical actor who was paid to act out symptoms for medical students to diagnose, Leslie Jamison's visceral and revealing essays ask essential questions about our basic understanding of others: How should we care about each other? How can we feel another's pain, especially when pain can be assumed, distorted, or performed? Is empathy a tool by which to test or even grade each other? By confronting pain - real and imagined, her own and others' - Jamison uncovers a personal and cultural urgency to feel. She draws from her own experiences of illness and bodily injury to engage in an exploration that extends far beyond her life, spanning wide-ranging territory - from poverty tourism to phantom diseases, street violence to reality television, illness to incarceration - in its search for a kind of sight shaped by humility and grace.

Members Reviews:

provocative

If you could sum up The Empathy Exams in three words, what would they be?

Smart, philosophical, creepy

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Empathy Exams?

I am only half way through the book, but the 2nd essay is skin crawling, literally.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Coleen Marlo?

Anyone. She has a strange, annoying voice that sounds digitally generated. She also isn't consistent in her pronunciations. Seemed unrehearsed to me, and I found myself distracted from the narrative, wanting to turn her off.

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

The first essay will remain with you.

What's up with the narrator?

This is beautiful writing, but I'm hearing through a metallic sounding robot. I have two hours to go but don't think I can finish because this narrators voice is so deeply unpleasant.

Not my cup of tea...

A very real and detailed look at pain, suffering and empathy from the authors personal experience/research...some of it is very moving and thought-provoking to me, however I did not enjoy the style in which some of it was portrayed. I did listen to the end and enjoyed the narration.

Examining our relationship to empathy

In a world of cynicism and a deluge of stories and strangers, Leslie Jamison brilliantly weaves together literature, vulnerable personal narrative, pop culture, and other diverse sources, uniting the essays with a single invitation: to let pain and experiences of others touch us, no matter how we have been taught to dismiss them.

Jamison's analysis and intuition for human experience is rich, at times almost too thick too take in even over multiple readings, but never becomes lofty, remaining grounded in vulnerable exposes of her own life.

Perhaps the undergirding gift in the book is found in Jamison's ability to anticipate skepticism, articulate bias, and empathize with cynics and those we default judgement to, all the while avoiding resorting to jaded cynicism herself, directing us instead to a deeper invitation to be human and to be inhabited by the experiences of other humans.

What a thrill... onion

This book is by no means a typical read for me, and it certainly drove the point home as I progressed through it.

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Title: Believer

Subtitle: My Forty Years in Politics

Author: David Axelrod

Narrator: David Axelrod

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-15

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 491 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

The great strategist who masterminded Obama's historic election campaigns opens up about his years as a young journalist, political consultant, and ultimately senior adviser to the president

The man behind some of the greatest political changes of the last decade, David Axelrod has devoted a lifetime to questioning political certainties and daring to bring fresh thinking into the political landscape. Whether as a child hearing John F. Kennedy stump in New York or as a strategist guiding the first African American to the White House, Axelrod shows in Believer how his own life stands at the center of the tumultuous American century.

Believer begins in the inimitable world of 1960s New York, but rapidly moves west. As a young newspaperman in the Chicago of the 1970s and 1980s, Axelrod reported on the dissolution of the last of the big city political machines, along with the emergence of a black, independent movement that made Obama's ascent possible. Seeing the golden age of Chicago journalism collapse, Axelrod switched careers to become a political strategist, working for pathbreakers like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and morally conflicted characters like John Edwards. For better and worse, Axelrod helped to redefine the techniques by which modern political campaigns are run.

The heart of Believer is devoted to Axelrod's 20-year friendship with Obama, a warm partnership that inspired both men even as it propelled each to great heights. As senior adviser to the president, Axelrod served during one of the most challenging periods in national history and worked at Obama's side as he battled an economic disaster, navigated America through two wars, and fought to reform health care, the financial sector, and our grid-locked political institutions.

Members Reviews:

Excellent !!!

I especially hearing from David directly. What a brilliant man. I highly recommended to anyone. Sure wish some of the staunch Republicans would take the time to read it. Their biases have caused our nation to head backwards. This president will go down in history as one of the greatest. Mark my words'n.

Love letter to Obama

Believer is pseudo autobiography of David Axelrod with a specialized emphasis on his experiences as Senior Advisor to President Obama. The book is best described as a re-telling of the Obama Senatorial and Presidential elections from the guy who designed and implemented the strategy. The story is entertaining and reminds an educated reader about how Obama basically came out of no-where to become President within 5 years of any public notoriety. Believer does suffer from two major faults: 1) Axelrod does not provide the informed reader any new or revealing information. If you are an avid reader of current events, Believer will read like cliff notes. 2) Axelrod paints a picture of President Obama as a near deity. According to Axelrod the three worst you can say about the President is he smokes, uses profanity, and occasionally refuses to listen his advisors. Dont think me an Obama hater! I twice voted for him and consider him one of the most consequential Presidents since LBJ.

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Title: Wrestling for My Life

Subtitle: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar

Author: David Thomas, Shawn Michaels

Narrator: Daniel Butler

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-15

Publisher: Zondervan

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 243 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In Wrestling for My Life, WWE superstar Shawn Michaels shares from his heart the highs and lows of his life inside the WWE. Included are some never-before-shared stories and an intimate look into his career as well as stories of hunting, family, and faith.

With millions of fans, Michaels had adulation and all the attention he could ask for, but he discovered there was something more. When he became a committed Christian during his years in the WWE, it had to affect everything. Michaels reveals what it is like to be a man of faith in this unusual world and shares insights for all of us.

Members Reviews:

Love hearing about the other side & the relationship with God

As a long time Wrestling fan, now at the age of 42, I have seen my fair share of matters. I have gone through the phase a brand-new naïve and thinking about all of this was real. Real meaning not scripted. I was wrapped up in the excitement of the matches screening and chanting until I lost my voice. As I grew older I learned to appreciate the psychology of a match, the tempo, working the crowd, etc. It was in the latter phase that I became more interested in the personalities in the behind the scenes lives of the wrestlers. This book was right up the alley. As a Catholic, it was interesting to hear about the transformation in the inclusion of God on their lives. Thank you for a very good listen.

Awesome read

Loved the message! Great book would recommend it that is a wrestling fans, & even if your not, it's a wonderful book, very inspiring.

Narration problems

The book was excellent, full of relatable stories and struggles that make a legend seem like the guy next door. The problem is the reader. He did a fine job but he isn't Shawn. We know Shawn's voice and it was hard to get past that it wasn't his voice telling his stories. If Shawn read this, this would be 5 stars across the board.

Awesome book anyone can relate to

This book exceeded my expectations. Such a great listen to hear a man spill his guts out and just be honest about personal issues he's had and sometimes he still struggles with. This is the kind of book that will make you strive to be a better man, and not in the whole bible bashing way......just in

the way of trying to be a decent human being whatever faith or beliefs you may have. MUST READ.

A book for men!

loved it! ironically, Shawn relates his life so exact to every other man! A must read!

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Title: Beyond the Call

Subtitle: The True Story of One World War II Pilot's Covert Mission to Rescue POWs on the Eastern Front

Author: Jeremy Dronfield, Lee Trimble

Narrator: Donald Corren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-03-15

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 217 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Near the end of World War II, thousands of Allied ex-POWs were abandoned to wander the war-torn Eastern Front. With no food, shelter, or supplies, they were an army of dying men. The Red Army had pushed the Nazis out of Russia. As they advanced across Poland, the prison camps of the Third Reich were discovered and liberated. In defiance of humanity, the freed Allied prisoners were discarded without aid. The Soviets viewed POWs as cowards and regarded all refugees as potential spies or partisans.

The United States repeatedly offered to help recover their POWs but were refused. With relations between the Allies strained, a plan was conceived for an undercover rescue mission. In total secrecy the OSS chose an obscure American air force detachment stationed at a Ukrainian airfield; it would provide the base and the cover for the operation. The man they picked to undertake it was veteran 8th Air Force bomber pilot Captain Robert Trimble.

With little covert training, already scarred by the trials of combat, Trimble took the mission. He would survive by wit, courage, and a determination to do some good in a terrible war. Alone he faced up to the terrifying Soviet secret police, saving hundreds of lives. At the same time he battled to come to terms with the trauma of war and find his own way home to his wife and child.

One ordinary man. One extraordinary mission. A thousand lives at stake. This is the compelling, inspiring true story of an American hero who laid his life on the line to bring his fellow men home to safety and freedom.

Members Reviews:

A story of a real hero!

Would you listen to Beyond the Call again? Why?

Absolutely! The narrator was excellent - very engaging. The Story was that of a true hero. The book tells of all the atrocities of war but one man's mission to save as many POWs and refugees that he can during his mission. It was a very emotional ending, but you got to reall yknow Captain Trimble and fell like you were on the journey with him.

What other book might you compare Beyond the Call to and why?

I read "The Envoy" which was about a Swedish man who saved Jews during the war. Had the same feeling but a little difference kind of story.

Have you listened to any of Donald Correns other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Donald Corren before but after this performance will see what other books he has read. Very enjoyable narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I have listened to many WWII books, mainly about the holocaust so I was not surprised but the awful things that Captain Trimble witnessed. But I guess it never gets easier to hear of the cruelly humans have suffered. I cried at the end of this book. I don't want to give away too much but the part about the French medal is where it got emotional for me and then never ended...

Any additional comments?

A must read for anyone who enjoys stories of triumph and real war heroes. If you are an "Unbroken" fan, I think you'll like this one too.

Past is Prologue; A Must for Understanding Vets

What did you love best about Beyond the Call?

This book could have been written about contemporary US involvement in Iraq.

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Title: Babylon's Ark

Subtitle: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo

Author: Lawrence Anthony, Graham Spence

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-26-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 681 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

When the Iraq war began, conservationist Lawrence Anthony could think of only one thing: the fate of the Baghdad Zoo, caught in the crossfire at the heart of the city. Once Anthony entered Iraq, he discovered that hostilities and uncontrolled looting had devastated the zoo and its animals. Working with members of the zoo staff and a few compassionate U.S. soldiers, Anthony defended the zoo, bartered for food on war-torn streets, and scoured bombed palaces for desperately needed supplies.

Babylon's Ark chronicles Anthony's hair-raising efforts to save a pride of Saddam's lions, close a deplorable black-market zoo, run ostriches through shoot-to-kill checkpoints, and rescue the dictator's personal herd of Thoroughbred Arabian horses.

Critic Reviews:

"A wartime story with a joyful ending." (

Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

Engrossing, inspiring, and a little meandering

This is a heartwarming, inspiring, and informative account. Sometimes depressing, maddening, and sad. It's also interesting and thought provoking. Set in Baghdad in 2003, this "true" story is told in first-person perspective by Lawrence Anthony, conservationist (with Graham Spence editing). Lawrence Anthony comes across as knowledgable but not arrogant. He seems a likable guy.

Anthony recounts the restoration of the bombed and looted Baghdad Zoo and its remaining animals, located in Al Zawra Park. Through his perspective, we see that this hard-won success was achieved through collaboration. Helpers included local Iraqis, a few Kuwaiti veterinarians, several South African conservationists (especially Lawrence Anthony), the military coalition (especially Captain Sumner), and reps from several international organizations like Care For The Wild, Wild Aide, and IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare).

Kudos to all these heroes! And especially to those first few responders, working without pay (at first) to save the dehydrated and starved animals. In the intense heat, these Iraqi and Kuwaiti helpers along with Lawrence himself carried endless buckets of water from the canal to the cages. I wish I could buy them all a cold one!

As with the author's previous memoir, The Elephant Whisperer, this book was superbly narrated by Simon Vance. He's amazing. I loved Whisperer, and also enjoyed this book (but not quite as much). The author and editor take some topical digressions that could have been shortened. They also sporadically jump back in time when the author reflects on something.

It was sometimes hard to keep track of time, but I think Lawrence Anthony stayed in Baghdad working (without pay) for about four months. When he returned home to South Africa, the animals were recovering from months of dehydration, starvation, illness and injury, and reconstruction engineers had rebuilt the bombed and looted zoo, giving it back to the Iraqis and the City of Baghdad, along with Saddam Hussein's prized Arabians.

This kept my interest! At several points, my friend and I would stop the tape and discuss various decisions made by Lawrence Anthony, or by the military, or by other parties.

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Title: Of Water and Spirit

Subtitle: Ritual Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman

Author: Malidoma Patrice Somé

Narrator: Malidoma Patrice Somé

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-17-14

Publisher: New World Library

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 123 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Born in West Africa in the early 1950s, Somé was kidnapped at age four by a French Jesuit missionary to be trained as a priest, for the next 15 years enduring the harsh regimen of a seminary where his native language and tribal traditions were systematically suppressed. At age 20 he escaped, but when he returned to his Dugara people in Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) they rejected him as an outsider. To reconnect with his native culture, Somé underwent a month-long initiation into shamanism during which he reports that he journeyed to the underworld, became a bird, then a porcupine, and was buried alive.

Members Reviews:

We need more audio books like this

This book opened me up into another world of magic and culture that inspires me to look more closely at the world and beyond the surface of other cultures. I enjoyed this book immensely.

Phenominal and life-changing!!!

I loved this book...his story is the story of all of us if we will pause, surrender and listen to the voices of our ancestors...they are the bridge to our future but we have to be willing to "let go" of who we "think" we are to become who we "already are"!!! I am ready for my initiation...

so beautifully eye opened by this book thank you!

it helped me in so many ways! Ase! I thank you for your incite! love

Life changing

This was the most amazing book i have ever read in my life. Please be prepared for a life changing moment.

I loved the story but expected a longer version of

I wish it was a full version of the book and story. it felt short and incomplete. There is so much depth and wisdom in this story. Worth having it all.

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Title: Good Hunting

Subtitle: An American Spymaster's Story

Author: Jack Devine

Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-14

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 148 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A master class in spycraft from one of its greatest practitioners.

Jack Devine ran Charlie Wilson's War in Afghanistan. It was the largest covert action of the Cold War, and it was Devine who put the brand-new Stinger missile into the hands of the mujahideen during their war with the Soviets, paving the way to a decisive victory against the Russians. He also pushed the CIA's effort to run down the narcotics trafficker Pablo Escobarin Colombia. He tried to warn the director of central intelligence, George Tenet, that there was a bullet coming from Iraq with his name on it. He was in Chile when Allende fell, and he had too much to do with Iran-Contra for his own taste, though he tried to stop it. He also tangled with Rick Ames, the KGB spy inside the CIA, and hunted Robert Hanssen, the mole in the FBI.

Good Hunting: An American Spymaster's Story is the spellbinding memoir of Devine's time in the CIA, where he served for more than 30 years, rising to become the acting deputy director of operations, responsible for all of the agency's spying operations. This is a story of intrigue and high-stakes maneuvering - all the more gripping when the fate of our geopolitical order hangs in the balance. But this audiobook also sounds a warning to our nation's decision makers: covert operations, not costly and devastating full-scale interventions, are the best safeguard of America's interests worldwide.

Part memoir, part historical redress, Good Hunting debunks some of the myths surrounding the agency and cautions against its misuses. Beneath the exotic allure - living abroad, running operations in seven countries, serving successive presidents from Nixon to Clinton - this is a realist's gimlet-eyed account of the CIA. As Devine sees it, the agency is now trapped within a larger bureaucracy, losing swaths of turf to the military, and most ominous of all, becoming overly weighted toward paramilitary operations after a decade of war.

Members Reviews:

Fascinating, An education on spying

A global view of our countries history and involvement in the clandestine world of Spy's and their craft. Jack Devine can tell a story well. Jack is the only person I know of who makes the Iran Contra episode of our history understandable. One of the most exciting revelations is jack's confirmation that operation Gladio was real.

The reader is an excellent choice for the story.

Truly Apolitical

Deliberate and apolitcal account of events throughout decades that took me back to Mr. Bates's 10th Grade history class. Haha. A very good listen and probably awesome read too! Will likely purchase hard copy (though at a discount bookstore - not AMZ).

great story of the career of a CIA case officer.

great story of the career of a CIA case officer. Mr Devine provides excellent insight on relevant National Security and intelligence issues of today.

Interesting escapades.

Jack has certainly had an eventful and impactful career at the CIA. His experience has led him to strongly support a more active, aggressive role for the CIA rather than a more passive intelligence gathering only role. For example he would like to see the current drone program under CIA control vs military control. In my opinion, since it involves killing terrorists it is a military role. Gathering intelligence about their methods and plans is an appropriate intelligence role.

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Title: Top Dog

Subtitle: The Story of Marine Hero Lucca

Author: Maria Goodavage

Narrator: Neil Shah

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-23-14

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 607 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

The New York Times best-selling author of Soldier DogsTop Dog, Maria Goodavage takes listeners into the life of Lucca K458, a decorated and highly skilled military working dog. An extraordinary bond developed between Lucca and Marine Corps handler Chris Willingham, launching what became a legendary 400-mission career. A Specialized Search Dog, Lucca belongs to an elite group trained to work off-leash at long distances from her handler. She served alongside both Special Forces and regular infantry. She and Willingham became so sought-after that units scheduled missions around their availability.

The audiobook describes in gritty detail the teams adventures on and off the battlefields, including tense, lifesaving explosives finds and firefights as well as the bravery of fellow handlers and dogs they served with. Ultimately, we see how the bond between Lucca and Willingham overcame the endless brutalities of war and the traumas this violence ignites. Here is a portrait of modern warfare with a heart-warming and inspiring conclusion that will touch dog lovers and the toughest military listeners.

Members Reviews:

Great story for dog lovers!

This is an excellent story that reveals the inner workings of Marine dog handlers and the bond they forge with their dogs. It also gives you a greater appreciation for the brave men and women in the military and the sacrifices they and their families make for our country. And, as a bonus, there's very few profanities.

Loved it!

As a former Law Enforcement explosive detection K9 handler I really enjoyed this book. Brought back lots of great memories and even a few tears when hearing the pain these handlers endured with a loss. The bond between a handler and his K9 is so strong it's almost indescribable.

Top Dog

If you like or love dogs this is great book. Sad but great. If you like to know about our military this is a great book as well.

Masterfully told epic of a canine hero

This is the story of Marine Corps hero Lucca K458, a German shepherd-Belgian Malinois mix, off-leash IED-detecting military working dog (MWD). Lucca conducted 400 missions over three deployments during her six year career and saved countless soldiers and marines without injury except her own. On March 23, 2012, with a dozen Special Forces soldiers in the Nahr Saraj district of Afghanistan, Lucca detonated an IED and lost her left forelimb.

Lucca had two handlers in her career, Marine Staff Sgt. Chris Willingham and Cpl. Juan ROD Rodriguez, who saved her life after the explosion. Goodavage captures the pure essence of the handler-dog bond when she writes of Willinghams extended transfer of the leash to Rodriguez. Lucca is retired and was adopted by Willingham and his family. The DOD does not give dogs awards, but the Marine Corps League of Tuscaloosa gave her a Purple Heart plague, the VFW in Fairfax, Virginia gave her an honorary position in its organization.

The book is a beautifully told story told through the eyes of the handler. I enjoyed this true story and if you are a dog person you will to. Neil Shah narrated the story.

Top dog top story

I have read a lot of dog stories I have enjoyed all of the ones that I've read but this story hits home.