Listen to Best Sellers Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

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Title: Here We Go Again

Subtitle: My Life In Television

Author: Betty White

Narrator: Betty White

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-21-10

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 179 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

"Here is Betty White - a woman who has been on television forever!" is generally how Betty White is introduced. And quite accurately, too, since she first appeared in 1949, when both she and television were rank beginners.

Since then, she has had one of the most amazing careers in TV, winning five Emmy awards, creating such unforgettable characters as Sue Ann Nivens and Rose Nylund, and appearing in a host of television classics from 1952's Life with Elizabeth to The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls.

Here We Go Again gives an overview of television's golden era, packed full of wonderful anecdotes about the many famous personalities with whom Betty has worked. It also gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at television over five decades, from her first show, Hollywood on Television, which ran live five and a half hours a day, six days a week (33 hours per week!), to Betty's current television work. In addition, she talks about her personal life - how her hectic career caused strain in her relationships and how she finally found happiness with her third husband, the late talk-show host Allen Ludden.

As warm and funny as its author, Here We Go Again will thrill her many fans and delight all of those who are interested in the history of America's most popular form of entertainment.

Members Reviews:

I don't understand why this was abridged...

Any additional comments?

I love Betty White. She is an amazing person and I grew up on Golden Girls even though that came much later in her career. I was so excited to get this book and listened to it in two sittings. There were moments when I was confused becasue Betty would be talking about one part of her life and then awkwardly segue into a totally different area. I was left wondering how these two things connected or why the segued piece mattered. There are several places where this happens and you feel kind of jolted, like didn't an editor read this before sending it to the publishers... And then at the end I heard every ardent readers or listeners worst nightmare - ABRIDGED. No wonder there were several choppy, disjointed connections that were not even connections at all. What was so boring about that section that it was taken out? I bought the book because I was interested in what Betty had to say about her life, career, the world and I was ROBBED. I don't know why anyone would abridged a book ever! So if you love Betty White get the other book If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't). It is UNABRIDGED! So you'll get the whole amazing experience of Betty!

Betty's Life Story Is Amazing!

Where does Here We Go Again rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

This is by far one of the best short audio books I have listened too and It's not just because I love all things Betty White. Hearing all she has been through with her personal and professional life was inspiring.

What did you like best about this story?

Her Long and Loving relationship with her mother and the support that her mother gave her throughout her life, and how she stay her mother, sharp as a tack until the very end.

What about Betty Whites performance did you like?

Her candid honesty about everything that had happened up until the book was finished.

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Title: Put on Your Crown

Subtitle: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom

Author: Queen Latifah

Narrator: Queen Latifah

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-06-10

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 42 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

Modeled after Maria Shriver's Just Who Will You Be, Queen Latifah's goal with Put on Your Crown is to help young women build a strong sense of self-esteem.

A US Dept. of Justice survey found that females ages 16-24 are more vulnerable to partner violence than any other group, almost triple the national average. Cases like Chris Brown's assault on pop star Rihanna showed an ugly side of adolescent life. However, Queen Latifah has always been a shining example of a woman happy with herself and unwilling to compromise to fit into the "Hollywood ideal" of what a confident beautiful woman should look like. The result: She's one of the biggest A-list celebrities in Hollywood.

Members Reviews:

Young Ladies Need Motivation Too

Her voice is familiar and loved by many young people. She gives handy bits of advice that teens and young women can certainly understand and use.

Simple advice about true beauty, money and overcoming adversity are shared without brow beating.

I think it is a good mother-daughter or mentor-mentee share. I listened to the whole book to see if it would be appropriate for my tween daughter. I certainly think it is. I am also recommending it to my friends.

Dana is an inspiration. I want to hear more.

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

I would recommend this book in a heartbeat. Dana is honest and vulnerable in the telling of her story. She is a regular girl who rose above the obstacles life can throw at us. Her relationship with her mother is deep and together they are paying their blessings forward. This is a must read for all especially teenagers.

What did you like best about this story?

What I loved the most was her human

What does Queen Latifah bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Her beautiful voice. It was as if she was sitting in my living room and she was talking to just me.

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

Yes, this is a one sitting book, that I have now listened to three times already. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. I was moved.

Empowering for women

Would you consider the audio edition of Put on Your Crown to be better than the print version?

I really enjoy audio books. I can listen to them in the car or listen to them as I do chores around the house. It's a great form of entertainment.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This question doesn't really apply to an autobiography.

Have you listened to any of Queen Latifahs other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not really

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

Queen Latifah has more diversity than I gave her credit for. I like her broad perspective on life.

Any additional comments?

I like it that Queen Latifah has a place in the spotlight. There needs to me more room for different types of women in the land of the famous people.

Queen Latifah Rocks!!

Would you listen to Put on Your Crown again? Why?

I don't know.. Her voice was beautiful and her story was touching and I am very glad I read it ,but I am not sure I will listen to it again. Although saying that, there are others who will gain a lot from this and who will enjoy listening to this more then once. Dana is very optimistic and a sunny person.

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Title: The Camino

Subtitle: A Journey of the Spirit

Author: Shirley MacLaine

Narrator: Shirley MacLaine

Format: Abridged

Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-06-10

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 132 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

It has been nearly five decades since Shirley MacLaine commenced her brave and public commitment to chronicling her personal quest for spiritual understanding. Now Shirley is back - with her most breathtakingly powerful and unique book yet.

The Camino is the story of a riveting odyssey that began with a pair of anonymous handwritten letters imploring Shirley to make a difficult pilgrimage along the Santiago de Compostela Camino in Spain. Throughout history, countless pilgrims have taken up the trail. It is an ancient - and allegedly enchanted - pilgrimage. People from St. Francis of Assisi to Dante and Chaucer have taken the journey - a nearly 500-mile trek across highways, mountains, cities and fields.

For Shirley, the Camino was both an intense spiritual and physical challenge. For a woman in her sixth decade, completing such a grueling trip on foot in 30 days at 20 miles per day was remarkable. But even more astounding was her spiritual route: back thousands of years, through past lives to the very origin of the universe.

With rich insight, humility, and grace, The Camino promises listeners the journey of a thousand lifetimes.

Members Reviews:

A good account of traveling the Camino

I read this book because I've had an interest in the Camino for some time - not enough to do it myself, but....

I did go to Santiago de Compostela a few years ago and visited the Cathedral and the town, but I did it the easy way on a day trip from a cruise.

I've known of MacLaine's interest in things spiritual and esoteric for some time and have read some of her previous books. This one doesn't disappoint, although she does get "way out there" in parts of it. She deviates from the story of walking the Camino in recounting the events of a past life in Lemuria. I reamain a skeptic on this aspect of the narrative, but she writes and speaks about it with conviction. Who knows - maybe she's right. I especially enjoyed hearing this book in her voice.

A Camino Story and more.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At one point, I had to force myself to go forward when Shirley gave warning that what she was going to say next might be strange to most people. But, when I listened closely, I had a basic understanding of her thought process and how "it could happen". She talks openly and intelligently on what she believes happened to her and you can see how the dynamics of her thinking relates somewhat to the biblical learnings some of us grew up with and might explain some of lifes mysteries. These mysteries are avoided by some, questioned by others and researched by a few. I give Shirley the thumbs up for being inquisitive enough, open enough, and forthright enough to go forward and seek her truth. Once again, we each have different truths. Her account of the Camino was great and an enjoyable read. I have thought about it for several days and that is an indication of a book that stays in your mind because it gave you food for thought. If you are interested in the Camino de Santiago and seeking a spiritual journey - this book would be a good one to get on audible.

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Title: See, I Told You So

Author: Rush Limbaugh

Narrator: Rush Limbaugh

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-22-10

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 52 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

Rush Limbaugh, America's #1 radio talk-show host, bounded to the top of the best seller lists with The Way Things Ought to Be, the #1 New York Times best seller and the fastest-selling audio in history. Now, this consummate entertainer and provocative political commentator, whom conservatives love and liberals love to hate---this "harmless little fuzzball" who delights in being called "The Most Dangerous Man in America"---is ready to make audio publishing history again with See, I Told You So.

The Democrats may be in the White House---but even President Clinton can't ruin this country in only four years, proclaims Rush. Conservatism's most outspoken champion, Rush leads the charge to embrace and defend the fundamental values that have shaped the American character---the same values that cause liberals to have conniptions. Ever the optimist, Rush sees the "pernicious liberal movement" as a philosophy whose inevitable demise will lead us back to the values that made America great.

A must for the politically incorrect, and sure to be anther blockbuster audio best seller, See, I Told You So is Rush at his best---revealing once again why his syndicated radio show reaches over 20 million listeners each week.

Members Reviews:

A MUST READ.

A great book. It gave a really good look into the conscience of a conservative.

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Title: Open

Subtitle: The Autobiography

Author: Andre Agassi

Narrator: Erik Davies

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-11-09

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 114 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

He is one of the most beloved athletes in history and one of the most gifted men ever to step onto a tennis court - but from early childhood Andre Agassi hated the game.

Coaxed to swing a racket while still in the crib, forced to hit hundreds of balls a day while still in grade school, Agassi resented the constant pressure even as he drove himself to become a prodigy, an inner conflict that would define him. Now, in his beautiful, haunting autobiography, Agassi tells the story of a life framed by such conflicts.

Agassi makes us feel his panic as an undersized seven-year-old in Las Vegas, practicing all day under the obsessive gaze of his violent father. We see him at 13, banished to a Florida tennis camp. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon. By the time he turns pro at 16, his new look promises to change tennis forever, as does his lightning fast return.

And yet, despite his raw talent, he struggles early on. We feel his confusion as he loses to the world's best, and his greater confusion as he starts to win. After stumbling in three Grand Slam finals, Agassi shocks the world, and himself, by capturing the 1992 Wimbledon.

Alongside vivid portraits of rivals, Agassi gives unstinting accounts of his brief time with Barbra Streisand and his doomed marriage to Brooke Shields. He reveals the depression that shatters his confidence, and the mistake that nearly costs him everything.

In clear, taut prose, Agassi evokes his loyal brother, his wise coach, his gentle trainer, all the people who help him regain his balance and find love at last with Stefanie Graf.

With its breakneck tempo and raw candor, Open will be read and cherished for years. A treat for ardent fans, it will also captivate readers who know nothing about tennis. Like Agassi's game, it sets a new standard for grace, style, speed and power.

Members Reviews:

They cut out too much

The fact that it's abridged is annoying because some of the best bits in the book are missing.

Is he really a writer????

Amazingly the first time I was going to buy this book I thought twice. Should I really go for it??? Is it really something I want to read? some Tennis Player talking about Tennis and boring me to death. I mean what the hell will Andre Agassi write about and can the guy actually write?

Surprisingly, I was shocked. I found Andre to really have a way with words and he also had me glued from Page 1.

“Open” looks into the life and struggles of Andre Agassi and the sport he actually hated more than anything in the world and how ironically he ended having it as a career. It looks into his relationship with his father, his marriage to the beautiful Brook Shields and his antics to win the heart of Stephie Graf.

The book is really worth it and has a number of subliminal messages in it. The biggest hidden message or a moral if you would like to call it is don't give up on life and that anything is possible. Agassi did everything he hated but managed to get everything he set his mind to. Some people may call it luck. I call it dedication.

My personal opinion of Andre Agassi before reading this book was that he was a total show off which actually made me hate the guy’s guts. After reading the book, I found out that people just did not understand the man and his beliefs.

I truly admire the man now after reading this book.

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Title: David Attenborough's Life Stories

Author: David Attenborough

Narrator: David Attenborough

Format: Original Recording

Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-28-09

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 83 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

One of the nation's most popular presenters examines 20 marvels of the natural world from his extraordinary and pioneering experiences.

What was Sir David's first pet? Which animal would he most like to be? What creature lays 'the biggest egg in the world'? How do you communicate with an ancient nomadic community in Fiji? And what did Sir David do when confronted by a ten-foot-long reptile?

His enthusiasm is as infectious as ever, and conveys a unique fascination on topics as diverse as the Sloth, Monstrous Flowers, the Platypus, Giant Birds, Dragons, the Fire Salamander, Faking Fossils, the Coelacanth, the Dodo, Bird's-nest Soup and the Large Blue Butterfly. So listen to these stories to find out the real reason why animals sing, the story behind a 150-million-year-old feather, and what it is about snakes that really unnerves Sir David.

Members Reviews:

Outstanding in every respect

This is exceptionally well-narrated and our only complaint was that it did not go on for another 6 hours. Get the enhanced version if possible for maximum sound quality. If you are a fan of his Nature programs, you will really enjoy this. Great for kids and adults.

Who doesn't love David Attenborough?

If your family is like my family, you've watched every David Attenborough film on Netflix so often you can practically recite them (except for the parts with the killer whales and the baby grey whale which we skip all the time, no one should watch that more than once.) You've watched David's joyous response to the blue whale and the lyerbirds mimic chainsaws.

These stories are a nice accompaniment to the films with some nice behind the scenes tidbits.

David Attenborough

David Attenborough is a wonderful presenter and I could listen to him day and night.

delightful!

David Attenborough's Life Stories are just wonderful! He starts his book stating he would like to be a sloth and continues throughout with educated, witty stories. The first time I attempted to listen I could not get through this book, it is not difficult but there are times when a picture would be nice. I had to get to the point in my listening skills where I can imagine what he is saying. At the end he discusses the hobby of collecting and how collecting has changed over the years. Electronic developments, (i.e. emails effect on stamp collecting), internet and books and enviormental controls and concerns have altered many traditional types of collecting. He mentions the advancements in photography and how the camera is the hope and advancement of todays collectors. I loved this short listen and plan to store it on my Kindle so I can listen over and over.

What an absolute delight!

Attenborough is a master in communicating biological science and just thoroughly entertaining. I listened to this book on my morning commute and arrived at working feeling as though I had been at a dinner party listening to an wonderfully interesting guest!

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Title: Finding It

Subtitle: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life Without Opening the Fridge

Author: Valerie Bertinelli

Narrator: Valerie Bertinelli

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-07-09

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 57 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

And as if these everyday challenges weren't enough, Valerie is work-ing to maintain her own very public weight loss. She even gets to thinking she might kick it up a notch, shed more weight, and get so buff she can wear a bikini -- in public.

In this new, inspiring memoir from the beloved actress and author of the best seller Losing It, Valerie tells the story of what happens after you change your life. It's not all peaches and cream, or even non-fat yogurt.

In Finding It, Valerie comes face-to-face with hard questions of family, faith, and beachwear, and realizes that she's hungering for another transformation -- to become better, not just thinner. Forget the scale; the real change is happening inside, and Valerie realizes that this is the part of dieting that no one ever talks about - the reality of keeping the pounds off. Dieting fixes one problem, she discovers, but to maintain that weight loss, she has to work on everything else - all the reasons she got fat in the first place.

Warm and friendly, honest and self-aware - like a talk with your BFF - Finding It tells of the common worries and frustrations, the funny and fabulous moments in Valerie's publicly private life. Humorous and humble, it is also the emotional story of family and the deep bonds and patterns that persist through generations.

Members Reviews:

Too much political talk and image obsession!

I really liked Valerie Bertinelli's first book, "Losing It" and found it very entertaining to listen to. But in this follow up to it I felt like I was listening to her spout on and on about how much she loves to give her political opinion and that her whole universe would have collapsed if she didn't get below 130 lbs to get in that bikini. I am sure it is in part because she works in an industry that values image above all else and that she lives in one of the most liberal states in the union. She, like the rest of Hollywood, has no idea what it's like to live day by day, juggle work and a family and not have the convenience of a personal trainer at your beck and call. Sure if we all had time and resources like the Hollywood types then we would not have a weight problem in this country.

If you want to find out how she has been doing since the weight lose then read it. But really this made me feel like I had something wrong with me since I was not under a size 6 and I happen to think that Obama has not saved our country.

Love Valerie but ...

Few things are more tedious than talk of workout routines, and for all the relatively interesting meanderings about her thoughts and life, I lost interest when Valerie started obsessing about the number on the scale. After endless detail about her trainer and goals and the gleeful "I'M A RUNNER - I'M REALLY A RUNNER!!!" pronouncements, I grew weary of the whining about what amounted to 1 or 2 pounds on the scale. And for all the accomplishment and the fact that she looked fabulous in the bikini, it's a little misleading to suggest that's a reasonable expectation after joining Jenny Craig. Yes, they do talk about diet & exercise together - but that body also had the benefit of obsessive workouts and a personal trainer - hardly likely for most people.

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Title: Elizabeth Taylor

Subtitle: The Last Star

Author: Kitty Kelley

Narrator: Susan Strasberg

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-18-09

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

Here's the unauthorized, best-selling biography of one of America's brightest - and most flamboyantly glamorous - stars. Elizabeth Taylor has beguiled audiences since National Velvet, and her many loves and peccadilloes have provided endless spice and interest for the movie-going and star-watching public. Biographer Kitty Kelley tells all - even the parts Liz would rather keep secret! - in this uncensored biography.

©1992 Kitty Kelley; (P)2009 Phoenix

Members Reviews:

NOT AS PRESENTED

What disappointed you about Elizabeth Taylor?

This is not what I ordered and PAID for. . . The narrator's voice is definitely not that of Susan Strasberg.

Would you be willing to try another one of Susan Strasbergs performances?

I would like to try the first of Susan Strasberg's narrations.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment

Any additional comments?

no

A glimpse of Liz.

Lacked detail. Suprisingly short. No new information or interesting perspectives. Disapointed overall.

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Title: The Great Getty

Subtitle: The Life and Loves of J. Paul Getty--Richest Man in the World

Author: Robert Lenzner

Narrator: Liz Smith

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-17-09

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

The first in-depth biography of the world's richest man. Through interviews with those who were closest to Getty, the picture emerges of a truly miserly art collector, the great lover, the bigamist, the puritan, philanthropist, the suspected Nazi spy...

©2009 Phoenix

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Happy with this purchase. I am very glad I bought it when I did. Thank you from David L.

Five Stars

rarely honest book

OK Pop Overview But Not Scholarly

This is a barely acceptable overview of J. Paul Getty's life. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a well documented biography like Roger Lowenstein's biography Buffett then you will consider this book rubbish. Having said this it is probably the best Getty book available so with that in mind you may have to settle for this if you are intent upon learning something about Getty the richest person in the world during his lifetime. So all in all an OK read given the disgusting trash about Getty poising as biography that are your alternatives. Still this is not much more than a scantily documented overview but better than a gossip biography with no documentation at all. The sad thing is that Lenzner has the research tools to have done this right and I hope in a future edition if he is still alive will first read Lowenstein's book or even Alice Schroeder's book The Snowball, both well documented books on Warren Buffett and using these as blueprints do the biography that Getty deserves.

The Great Getty is a Great Read

Robert Lenzer does an excellent job of showing every side of a very multi-faceted man. J. Paul Getty may be described as a horrible father, an unsurpassed lover, a great business man or a paranoid eccentric. Lenzer finds a way to portray all these descriptions and more in just 235 pages. Lenzer does not drag down the conversational tone with technical business terms. Although business was of central importance to Getty and, as such, of central importance to the book, Lenzer throws in pieces about Getty's personal life to keep the reader entertained.

My sole complaint is that sometimes Lenzer appears to be stretching to make the book longer. Many times Lenzer goes off on tangents, describing a particular favorite beach of Getty's, or giving the history of some of Getty Oil Company's rivals. It seems that Lenzer does not feel he has enough primary source material about Getty alone, so he makes the most of the sources he does have.

Despite the stretching, The Great Getty provides a few hours of entertainment (and often shock) as Lenzer shows us just what it might be like to walk in the shoes of the richest man in the world.

The Great Getty

ISBN 0451146999 - "People hate rich people." On the final page of the text of book (which is followed by over 50 pages of appendices), Lenzner quotes a Getty spouse with that statement. Perhaps it's true - it certainly seems Lenzner himself has an issue with at least one rich person: J. Paul Getty. Getty may have been every bit as terrible a person as he is painted in this book, but there is something not quite impersonal in the writing, as if Getty had somehow offended Lenzner and it seeped into the writing. In fact, Robert Lenzner was once an investment banker for Goldman, Sachs.

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Title: I Am Jackie Chan

Subtitle: My Life in Action

Author: Jackie Chan

Narrator: Daxing Zhang

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-22-09

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 51 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Celebrities

Publisher's Summary:

I Am Jackie Chan is the fascinating, harrowing, ultimately triumphant story of his life: How the rebellious son of refugees in tumultuous 1950s Hong Kong became the disciplined disciple of a Chinese Opera Master. How the "paradise" that young Jackie so eagerly embraced proved to be, in reality, a ruthlessly competitive place. How the dying art of Chinese opera led Jackie to the movie business-and how he made the leap from stunt man to superstar. Finally, after years of plunging off skyscrapers and living to tell the tale, Jackie Chan proves with this poignant, witty, and often astonishing memoir that it's always been a tale worth telling.

Members Reviews:

read the book

this is the abridged version. while it's good, the full story is much better. read the book

Profound in simple honesty

A wonderful tale of the human heart and intentions. After all his evolutions his last film foreigner stamped the period in the showmanship of a master. Master not by the extent of unreachable uniqueness, but the canvas of human life. Wonderful realization that my childhood hero is even greater so when I hear from my adult self. Incredible

An interesting life story

A memorable begin of an action movie legend. This book tell the story of Jackie Chan's training in the arts for the Chinese opera, and how his career took off as an action movie. He gives insight of the courage he gained, and the struggles he faced.

A good listen, a great story

What did you love best about I Am Jackie Chan?

Just finished listening to "I am Jackie Chan", the abridged audiobook version of Chan's autobiography. It's missing some of my favorite stories from the much re-read version that has had its place on my shelves for so long, but it was still a good listen. I'd become a fan of Chan's movies after having been introduced to them by a friend with a passion for martial arts and Chinese cinema. Chan was more accessible than Bruce Lee, with a sense of humor that came through in and complimented his over the top stunt work. There were actors in Hong Kong Cinema who made me laugh more, or who were better fighters, or were telling better stories, but there was something about Chan's silliness that almost always made me happy to spend a few hours watching a man fall down a building or run up a wall. And he really was, at that point in his career, falling down buildings, risking death to get a laugh. That was part of the deal he made with his audience. I've never liked his Hollywood films, but his work in HK even today often has a bit of magic. I'll still watch.There are lessons to be found looking at any life, most of them reminders of things we already know, but then learning often requires review of old information so as to link to new. "I am Jackie Chan" isn't a great book. Chan shares few deep insights about his extraordinary path, or the amazing people he met along the way. But it has been an extraordinary path. I still enjoyed glancing down along it. The hard copy versions are highly recommended. The audiobook version is a pleasant listen. Daxing Zhang's reading shows personality and a fondness for the material, and I'm glad I took the time to hear this story again.

VERY abridged compared to print, still very good.

I own the paperback version of this book and love it.