Listen to Most Popular Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

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Title: Saving Each Other

Subtitle: A Mother-Daughter Love Story

Author: Victoria Jackson, Ali Guthy

Narrator: Amanda Troop, Lori Tritel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-16-12

Publisher: Oasis Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

On the surface, Victoria Jackson is the American Dream personified: from a troubled childhood and unfinished high school education, she overcame immeasurable odds to create a cosmetics empire valued at more than half a billion dollars. Married to Bill Guthy - self-made principal of infomercial marketing giant Guthy-Renker - Victorias most treasured role is mother to three beautiful, beloved children, Evan, Ali, and Jackson. Suddenly, Victorias dream life is broken as she begins to battle a mothers greatest fear. In 2008, her daughter, Ali, began experiencing unusual symptoms of blurred vision and an ache in her eye. Alis test results led to the diagnosis of Neuromyelitis Optica. NMO is a little understood, incurable, and often fatal autoimmune disease that can cause blindness, paralysis, and life-threatening seizures, and afflicts as few as 20,000 people in the world. At the age of 14, Ali was given a terrifying prognosis of four to six years to live.

Saving Each Other begins just as Victoria and Bill learn of Ali's disease, starting them on a powerful journey to save their only daughter. They even brought together a team of more than 50 of the world's leading experts in autoimmune and NMO-related diseases to create the Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation. Told in alternating viewpoints, Victoria and Ali narrate their very different journeys of coming to terms with the lack of control that neither mother nor daughter have over NMO, and their pioneering efforts and courage to take their fight to a global level. Bringing their story to light with raw emotion, humor, warmth, and refreshing candor, Saving Each Other is the extraordinary journey of a mother and daughter who demonstrate how the power of love can transcend our greatest fears, while at the same time battling to find a cure for the incurable.

Members Reviews:

The most inspiring book I have read so far.................

Being on my own personal journey with a teenage who is challenging health,

Saving Each Other, gave me the courage, confidence, strength, love and re-newed my spirit

To continue on a path that is unknown.

Saving Each Other is one of my favourite books at the moment, I recommend every one

To read it. This book brought me back to a place of hope.

God gives us challenges in life and this mother- daughter team conquered there's.

Australia,

Xx

A must read if you or a loved one is diagnosed with NMO

This book was literally what we needed. After dealing with a very recent diagnosis of NMO, our lives have been turned upside down. The fear of not knowing and being given this scary, cold diagnosis was too much to handle. After immediately searching for support and information online, we quickly came across this book and purchased it. I just finished the book last night. This book is heartwarming, and I can relate to the familial bond exemplified in this book. This book is a treasure for us, and has helped us navigate this disease during the past couple of weeks. Both Ali and Victoria shared their experiences candidly which helps us going through the initial stages of living with this new reality.

Courage for the journey!

An awesome story about a brave young lady and her persistent mother! This is a must read for anyone going through a tough medical journey, especially a rare disease like NMO. I also have this disease.

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Title: Mother, Stranger

Author: Cris Beam

Narrator: Cris Beam

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-09-12

Publisher: The Atavist

Ratings: 1.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Author Cris Beam left her mother's home at age 14, driven out by a suburban household of hidden chaos and mental illness. Her mother, a descendant of William Faulkner, told neighbors and family that her daughter had died. The two never saw each other again. Nearly twenty-five years later, after building her own family and happy home life, a lawyer called to say her mother was dead. In this story about the fragility of memory and the complexity of family, Beam decides to look back at her own dark history, and for the secret to her mother's madness.

Cris Beam is an author and professor in New York City. She is the author of the young adult novel I Am J, as well as Transparent, a nonfiction book that covers seven years in the lives of four transgender teenagers, which won the Lambda Literary Award for best transgender book in 2008 and was a Stonewall Honor book. She is currently at work on a book about the foster-care system.

Critic Reviews:

"I was drawn into this compelling book fast and deep. It's full of Beam's usual vitality, and yet almost unbelievably sad. In her first book, in one unsettling paragraph, Cris Beam contemplates how being abandoned by her mother shaped her relationship with the transgirl she fostered. I've never known the rest of the backstory, and now that I do, it's a stake to the heart." (Andrew Solomon, author of

The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, winner of the National Book Award)

I read Cris Beam's

Mother, Stranger in one sitting, riveted in place, unable to take my eyes of her words. What shines through this wrenching and clear-eyed examination of a child caught inside her mother's madness is the writer's courage, her wisdom, her unshakable compassion." (Alison Smith, author of

Name All the Animals)

Members Reviews:

A complete waste of time

What was most disappointing about Cris Beams story?

The author/narrator read with flat, rapid speech and the entire book was so lacking in any emotion or any real story to tell. A series of statements about her mother and the relationship that was sad but sounded like a "pity party". It was that impossible for me to listen more than a couple of minutes at a time and never I jumped forward through the chapters hoping for something to improve. No story. Very self indulgent, yet a sad ranting by a woman who obviously has had a rough time.

Any additional comments?

Very disappointing and sorry for having bothered to purchase and listen to it at all. Don't recommend this book at all. Nothing worthwhile to warrant time and effort.

Unbalanced...

...mother, daughter...and the story. Hard to know what to believe of an overly short, hazy, fragmented tale from the remembrances of a fourteen year old runaway. They all seem to suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder.

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Title: Kitchen Round Table

Author: Marja Samsom

Narrator: Lydia Bastianich, Madhur Jaffrey, Judith Jones, Betty Fussell, Deb Perelman

Format: Original Recording

Length: 1 hr and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-01-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Join us in this exclusive audio program for candid conversations with luminaries in the food world. Kitchen Round Table brings you inside the homes and hearts of Lidia Bastianich, Madhur Jaffrey, Judith Jones, Betty Fussell, and Deb Perelman. We hear about their earliest food memories and how each slowly made their way into the kitchen and ultimately inspired generation upon generation of home cooks. We'll learn how complicated recipes are translated for those of us who don't dice and julienne in our sleep, but we'll also hear about memorable gourmet feats and culinary fireworks, and unforgettable meals.

All the while, Kitchen Round Table never strays far from home, with intimate and loving details of recipes passed down through families and new recipes introduced to successive generations. After a long day at work, what do these renowned cooks prepare at home? It is at home that some of the best food is created. With frugal sensibilities, these gourmet greats tells us some of their favorite dishes created on a budget and entice you to explore your own.

Hosted by Marja Samsom, owner of the iconic Kitchen Club restaurant, a downtown New York City destination for 20 years, Marja prepares for us one of her loved family recipes as a desert for this delicious audio feast.

Members Reviews:

Love this behind the scenes look at TV chef's lives!!

I've often wondered what these chefs on TV cook at home and how they came into their careers. This audio is really insightful, interesting, and fun. You get to hear how Lidia grew up and what her family's attitude to food was like; same with Deb Perelman who I've been reading forever on Smitten Kitchen--she's so funny on her website and just as lighthearted on this audio. It's really like having these ladies over for tea! I love it.

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Title: Torn

Subtitle: True Stories of Kids, Career & the Conflict of Modern Motherhood

Author: Samantha Parent Walravens

Narrator: Catherine Treadgold

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-20-12

Publisher: Coffeetown Press

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Real mothers. Real careers. Real conflict.

Striking the right balance between career and motherhood is one of the most stressful, heart-wrenching tasks facing women today. In Torn, 46 women examine the conflict between the need to nurture and the need to work, and reveal creative solutions for having the best of both worlds. The stories in the collection offer hope and inspiration, but they also reveal the messy realities of modern motherhood and life's inevitable crises, both small and large: from breast pump mishaps to battles with cancer; diaper blowouts to debilitating depression; competitive cupcake baking to coming home from war.

In the end, the listener can take comfort in the knowledge that there is no perfect mother; nor is there a perfect balance when it comes to kids and career. The real challenge facing women today is not juggling their many roles, but realigning their expectations of what is possible and accepting that success does not equal "doing it all".

Torn was selected as a Mom's Choice Awards Gold Medal Winner for 2011.

Members Reviews:

I enjoyed reading the variety of stories in different styles and ...

TORN provides important insights into the days and years of challenges mothers have to face in the modern age. I enjoyed reading the variety of stories in different styles and voices. The essays were extremely well-written and informative. They also provide a real life perspective that I think is particularly useful for those not in the same situation â women considering children, men who want to understand what their wives and partners deal with on a regular basis. Real world stories about speeding up, slowing down, and struggling as parents. A very enjoyable read.

Insight from the front lines

As a full-time working mom struggling to find balance between motherhood, career, family and wife, this book was a blessing.

If you are looking for a how-to guide, or even solutions to do the above, you won't find it in this book.

Rather, you'll find essays written by women who have either "been there" or are going through it now. For me, these stories created a sense that I wasn't alone in the day-to-day struggle of modern motherhood. Some of the stories gave me insights into how to find that balance, while others gave me perspective. The stories are written from the perspective of women who continue to manage a full-time job to those who work part-time, and those who are full-time moms. They share their ups, downs, stumbles and triumphs. In each one, you get a sense that there is no solution. Rather, every woman, such as those featured in this book, have the ability to be the mother they want to be, rather than what society might dictate.

I highly recommend this book to every mother, new or otherwise. It was a great read, and my only regret is that it ended.

Torn brings to life the challenges moms face at work and at home.

I had the pleasure of reading Torn when I was doing research for my book, Work Pause Thrive: How to Pause for Parenthood Without Killing Your Career.Work PAUSE Thrive: How to Pause for Parenthood Without Killing Your CareerI interviewed 186 women for Work Pause Thrive and found them echoing so many of the sentiments in Torn. Each essay brought to life the very real challenges mothers face as we try to integrate work and family.

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Title: George & Hilly

Subtitle: The Anatomy of a Relationship

Author: George Gurley

Narrator: Fred Berman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-17-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Longtime New York nightlife reporter and humor columnist George Gurley at last tells the complete and outrageously humorous story of how he and his girlfriend, Hilly, attempted - with the occasionally bemused assistance of the couples psychiatrist they are seeing - to analyze a relationship poised on the brink of commitment.

George has a great many qualms about marriage. But after more than three years of dating Hilly, hes equally sure that she is the only woman in the world for him. Perhaps its finally time for a march down the aisle. Well...for an engagement ring. Maybe. Or not.

Fresh from what he and Hilly are terming The Big Fight - a tentative discussion of a future together - George is eager for insight on whether hes finally ready (after 20 years) to scale back his bar-hopping, party boy Manhattan life for the love of one fascinating woman. Ever the writer, George conceives a bold plan: He and Hilly will participate in therapy with Dr. Harold Selman, and George will tape-record the sessions.

Six years of intensive therapy with Dr. Selman - combined with innumerable mandated discussions (read: more squabbling) on their own watch - force these two mismatched but undefeated soul mates to evolve into quasi semi-adults.

Wise-ass, confessional, always compelling, George & Hilly is a story of sex, love, money, and big-city life...and of a loveable (and loving) train wreck of a couple who refuse to call their relationship quits just because theyve hit a few bumps.

Members Reviews:

This book may be thoroughly enjoyed on two distinct levels.

In addition to echoing the well-deserved accolades expressed by previous reviewers, I'd like to note that this wonderful George Gurley book may be enjoyed on two completely different levels. If you're looking for a quick, fun, lighthearted read, this book will delight you. You needn't read the chapters in any particular order, since they are, for the most part, independent and self-contained. I personally skipped around and didn't feel disadvantaged in doing so. George, as always, is adroit, funny, self-effacing and a master of the language. George is a skilled practitioner of employing words from our passive vocabulary -- words we all know, but rarely utilize ourselves. George's writing leads to an easy but rich reading experience.

On a deeper level, this book provides some of the keenest insight into human psychology this side of Sigmund Freud. By tape-recording the most intimate dialogue of their real-life therapy sessions, George and Hilly give us, not just a glimpse, but an entire college-level course in romantic and sexual relationships. Perhaps a dozen times while reading this book, I was startled to realize that I was not the only person on earth who entertained such twisted thoughts or anxieties about the opposite sex or about commitment. To that extent, this book is a superb therapeutic volume in itself, and helped me psychologically in a way that few dedicated books on psychology ever have. Send me a bill, Dr. Gurley. You've earned it.

It is easy to overlook the video link on this page. Watch the video! It showcases George and Hilly chatting about themselves and about this book. The video provides a realistic flavor of the book's content.

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Title: Rebooting in Beverly Hills

Subtitle: A Wise and Wild Path for Navigating the Dating World

Author: Marcy Miller

Narrator: Bettye Zoller Seitz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-09-12

Publisher: Bancroft Press

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In a society focused on finding "The One" when you're young enough to live a life glamorized in all manner of media, what happens when you find yourself facing that struggle past the dreaded age of 45?

It's a whole new world out there. If there is a soul mate, where do you even begin to find yours - in the classic single bars or on the oft-disastrous Internet? What's expected in sex in the modern era, and when, after so many years, is the right time?

Rebooting in Beverly Hills is Sex and the City for the next generation. It's the witty, charming, and absolutely true account of Marcy Miller, a competent, attractive professional woman, as she struggles to reenter the dating world after an esteem-killing divorce of an adulterous husband.

Set in the opulent oasis of Beverly Hills, Marcy riffs on pickups, fix-ups, Internet dating, matchmaking, divorce, and all the other craziness - like psychics, girlfriends, and sex - that pop up along the road of leaving single life behind.

This fun, engaging memoir, written by a loveable and slightly saucy storyteller, is for anyone who has faced rejection and the need to start again. It's for anyone who still searches for love.

A hilarious look at the world of dating, Rebooting in Beverly Hills is full of great stories, helpful advice, Beverly Hills glamor, and fun.

Members Reviews:

Witty, Humorous, Smart and Very Revealing

Marcy Miller has had an extraordinarily successful professional life. She's smart, focused, humorous and aggressive. On the other hand, she's experienced less success in finding the "right" husband. Convinced that he is out there, Marcy is willing to reveal the intimate details of her dating history and her relentless pursuit to find "him."

In the process of perfecting the balancing act of "Dating Over 50" she experiences her own sexual renaissance and applies the traits that made her a successful attorney and businesswoman to her focused dating.

As both once divorced and once widowed, myself, I enjoyed the experiences she shares... her marriages, her relationships and her brief encounters. Her writing is cleaver, witty and at many times just outright hilarious.

This book isn't for the over 50 dating woman. It's for any woman or man ...any age...who has ever dated...is dating...or will date in the future.

A fun and intelligent book

This is a great book for anyone entering the dating world. It was fun to read and very well written. I highly recommend it. It was especially entertaining for me as I am a widow and had not dated for 20 years. It made me realize that you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find that prince.

Book is hilarious!

I loved this book - as someone in similar situation - I was anxious to laugh about on line and private match making.

I laughed from cover to cover - and am sharing the book with friends and family!

Engaging and Informative

Not only is this book witty, engaging, provocative, entertaining, well-written, smart and deeply human. It will help people. Buy it for your girlfriends and compare notes!

Can't put it down

I started reading the book a few days ago and can't put it down. It's humorous, insightful and a perfect summer read.

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Title: Slouching Toward Adulthood:

Subtitle: Observations from the Not-So-Empty Nest

Author: Sally Koslow

Narrator: Coleen Marlo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-14-12

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Millions of American parents sit down to dinner every night, wondering why fully grown children are joining them - or, more likely, grunting good-bye as they head out for another night of who knows what. Sally Koslow, a journalist, novelist, and mother of two "adultescents" digs deep to reveal what lies behind the current generation's unwillingness - or inability - to take flight.

By delving into the latest research and conducting probing interviews with both frustrated parents and their frustrated offspring, Koslow uses humor, insight, and honest self-reflection to give voice to the issues of prolonged dependency. From the adultescent's relationship to work (or no work), money (that convenient parental ATM), or social life, Slouching Toward Adulthood is a provocative and razor-sharp, yet heartfelt cri de coeur for all the parents who sent their kids to college only to have them ricochet home with a diploma in one hand and the DVR remote in the other.

Critic Reviews:

"Her book seems less a discussion of why this is happening and what to do about it than a portrait of the adjustments people are making today." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Good Insight into the Boomerang Generation

I was hoping for advice about how to keep my college student from landing right back at home after graduating, but I think it's too early for anyone to realistically have solid answers to that question!! Ms. Koslow's interviews with both the kids and the parents do shed a lot of light. Combine this with the information she provides regarding the latest research on the "adult-escents," and I came away with some solid ideas for what I should do/not do to assure that my baby bird learns to fly from the nest :).

The narration was quite good, with the narrator giving proper and appropriate emphasis where necessary.

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Title: The Things You Would Have Said

Subtitle: The Chance to Say What You Always Wanted Them to Know

Author: Jackie Hooper

Narrator: Joyce Bean, Fred Stella

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-07-12

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Friends fall out of touch, we run out of time, or sometimes our courage simply fails us - and thank-yous, regrets, feelings, and secrets are left unshared. In 2009, Jackie Hooper came up with a way to help people recapture a moment that had once passed them by. She began asking them to write letters that answered one question: If you had another chance, what would you do differently?

Based on the popular blog The Things You Would Have Said, this captivating collection of letters presents the moving, surprising, and inspiring stories of ordinary people. From the everyday to the profound, at times heartwarming, funny, sad, and wise, these voices range across lifetimes and even across history: an indignant young boy urges his bully to become a better man; an old man thanks the woman who protected his family from Nazis during the Holocaust; the mother of a boy with autism atones for the times she picked on an autistic classmate back in high school. Compelling, cathartic, and achingly honest, The Things You Would Have Said is a journey through the lives of people who have learned that there is always a second chance.

Members Reviews:

Wonderful, thoughtful book

I purchased this book (and one for a gift) because one of the entries in it is from me. But I was touched by all the entries. It is a composit from a website with the same title. It started out primarily for people who were grieving over a loss of a loved one and ended up with much more. After the website was about a year old the author began compiling the entries that seemed to touch

her the most and then published this book. It is well worth reading and may bring on a few tears.

Insightful

I thought this was a great concept that Jackie came up with. I especially related most to the letters that were written to deceased family and friends. It was interesting to see what people would say if they could. The only thing I didn't like were the letters written by kids to their crushes who are living- I think the book would be better if it was all letters to people who are unreachable (whether by death or loss of contact).

Thought provoking

What a great concept for a book! We all have been in that position at one time or another in our lives. It was so well put together even though there were so many variables in the letters. I think it is the perfect read for somebody who is busy and wants to spend just a few minutes a day reading something interesting. Whenever I had a few extra minutes I would pull out the book and read one or two letters and then I could put it down, go about my everyday chores and still have my mind occupied on what I had read. Great job, Jackie.

Enough said

The premise of the book was enticing and the first few pages of letters were endearing. After a while it became repetitive. The whole point is to tell that special someone now how you feel, before it's too late.

Five Stars

Product as described, fast shipping.

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Title: Mum's List

Subtitle: A Mother's Life Lessons to the Husband and Sons She Left Behind

Author: St. John Green, Rachel Murphy

Narrator: St. John Green

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-05-12

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

For Kate Green, nothing was as important as the happiness and well-being of her two little boys, Reef and Finn, and her loving husband, St. John, known as "Singe". They had a wonderfully happy family life in Somerset, England. But then tragedy struck - Kate was diagnosed with breast cancer that couldn't be cured.

During her last few days, Kate created what she called Mum's List. With Singe's help she wrote down her thoughts, dreams, and wishes, trying to help the man she loved create the best life for their sons after she was gone.

Mum's List reveals Kate's passionate nature, her free spirit, and even her sense of humor. The list became Singe's rock as he turned to it again and again for strength and inspiration. Her instructions were simple - items like "look for four-leaf clovers" and "always say what you truly mean" - but the effect they had on Singe, Reef, and Finn was incredibly profound.

Singe's lesson to readers everywhere is that a list like Mum's List can change your life - and you don't need to lose someone to make a list and live your dreams. If you've ever wondered if you and your family could be living a happier, more meaningful life full of adventure and joy, then this book is for you.

Members Reviews:

Mum's List

Very heartwarming story that shows the bravery of a dying mother/wife to her husband and how she wants him to carry on after her death. She leaves him a list of things she wants him to show and teach their children. Parts of it are very sad and other parts are amusing and heartwarming. Makes you appreciate your life and family.

A very touching true life story...

I'm still reading this book. The story is quite moving and gives me pause to face my own trials and tribulations in life. Things could always be worse is a good way of being grateful for what we do have.

Great read

I loved reading about this amazing family. Even though most of the time

It was red dead thru tears. Couldn't put it down.

Five Stars

Beautifully to story, so moving and inspirational!

Satisfactory

Satisfied with the purchase.

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Title: Teaching in China: Seven Dog Years

Author: Charlotte Salyer

Narrator: Carrie Steele

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-12

Publisher: Charlotte Salyer

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

You are sure to laugh when a Nevada housewife, struggling through her own midlife crisis, shares her experiences while teaching in China. Through a plentitude of cultural nuances and interesting characters, Salyer details her touching and provocative journey leading to a greater appreciation for everything American. Whether you desire to teach abroad, make a life change or merely satisfy your own curiosity, this story is filled with the truths of one woman's journey and teaching experience abroad.

Members Reviews:

Light insight into the topic, odd audio editing

What did you like about this audiobook?

The topic, Americans teaching in China, intrigued me, but the writer's insight remained superficial.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

To learn more about this topic, I'll turn to other books, blogs, and resources on this topic (because this book is light on depth and breadth).

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

The conversational writing style facilitated the listening experience, but sometimes tipped into a gossipy tone with light substance. It frustrated me to get more insight into the writer's narrow American cultural vision and into her mid-life crisis than into the Chinese culture. For my taste, it felt a bit too self-centered and shallow, as if this trip to China was mostly a feel-good manicure to heal the author's mood. Regrettably, we don't feel much of her investment into her missions (helping Chinese students improve their English, being an ambassador of her culture), and she shares little about her classroom experiences.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

The reader articulates well, but she has a mild case of a California Valley Girl accent that reinforces the superficial overtone of the text (further highlighting the book's weakness). The production is sub-par because the silent pauses at the end of chapters are cut down too short, and it creates run-on sentences that combine the last sentence of a chapter and the title of the next chapter (confusing!). These too-short pauses occur in other places in the text. Otherwise, the audio quality is good.

Do you have any additional comments?

For the same topic, and a much better book (with more insight, cultural comparisons, teaching experiences, stronger prose, etc.), pick Peter Hessler's River Town. If you're still hungry for more, and can be satisfied with a light fare next, try this book.

Hilarious At Times... Unbelievable at Times!

Excellent story of the author's experience of teaching in China during the last decade.

Hilarious at times and unbelievable at times! The author takes you on a journey that almost seems as if you're right there with her throughout.

I've lived in China off and on for the last several years, and I couldn't agree more with the way the author conveys her personal experience of being there and living there.

This book is "right on" and I highly recommend it to anyone thinking about going to China or who wants a great realistic look at the wonderful Chinese people and a fascinating culture to boot!

The author has a great saying that says "life is too short "not" to take chances"

Great book!