Award-winning narrator Ron Butler joins AudioFile’s Michele Cobb to tell listeners about narrating Nicholas Boggs’ stunning audiobook, BALDWIN, one of our picks for Best Biography & Memoir audiobooks of 2025. This comprehensive biography of James Baldwin—the first in over 30 years—is told through the lens of the great loves of his life, something that has never been explored before. Butler dives into what kind of research went into preparing for the narration, and what kind of tone and “music” he invited into performing the text. 

Read AudioFile’s review of the audiobook: Published by Macmillan Audio

AudioFile’s 2025 Best Biography & Memoir Audiobooks are:

AWAKE written and read by Jen Hatmaker

BALDWIN by Nicholas Boggs, read by Ron Butler

BOAT BABY written and read by Vicky Nguyen

MARK TWAIN by Ron Chernow, read by Jason Culp

MEMORIAL DAYS written and read by Geraldine Brooks

THE SPINACH KING by John Seabrook, read by Dion Graham

Explore the full list of 2025 Best Audiobooks on our website .

Support for our podcast comes from Dreamscape, an award-winning audiobook publisher with a catalog that includes authors L.J. Shen, Freida McFadden, and Katee Robert. Discover your next great listen at dreamscapepublishing.com. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices