Listen to Top 100 Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

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Title: The Pastor

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Eugene H. Peterson

Narrator: Arthur Morey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-15-11

Publisher: christianaudio.com

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 191 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

If anyone knows how to be a pastor in the contemporary context that person is Eugene Peterson. Eugene possesses the rare combination of a pastors heart and a pastors art. Take and read! (Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline)

Ive been nagging Eugene Peterson for years to write a memoir. In our clamorous, celebrity-driven, entertainment culture, his life and words convey a quiet whisper of sanity, authenticity, and, yes, holiness. (Philip Yancey, author of What Good is God)

A good book for folks who like pastors. And a good book for folks who dont. The Pastor is the disarming tale of one of the unlikely suspects who has helped shape North American Christianity. (Shane Claiborne author of The Irresistible Revolution)

Members Reviews:

A must read for pastors

I love Eugene Peterson. I think he is a voice to this generation that is unmatched in its sense of understanding of scripture of a story that is intended to speak to the average person. This is his memoir of how he became a pastor and what he learned about being a pastor. He was a pastor of one church that he started for 29 years before he retired to work full time on the Message Bible. I have read a lot of books about being a pastor, my whole family is basically pastors, but this is the best book on being a pastor. If we could recover pastor as a role in the way that Peterson writes about it, the church would be very different.

This is my third reading of the book and it is just as good as the first.

Touched Me, Helped Me

My Dad was a Presbyterian pastor like the author and a part of me has always regretted nit following in his footsteps mire exactly. I still feel the heart of a pastor in me and this book spoke to that part of me. Though directed primarily to vocational pastors, I am encouraged in my non-vocational pastoral ministry to family, friends, co-workers and to those folks I meet each day. Thank you, Pastor Eugene.

A collection of inspirational memoirs

I'm not a pastor, but I am a pastor. Thank you Mr Peterson for your honest reflection on a life of being a pastor! Life is a journey and the problem with our journeys is that we don't remember them. We don't remember half of half of them. But you have done a great job of reflecting on your life. Through all the messiness God is working to bring glory to his name. Your reward is certain.

Refreshing

Refreshing reminder of being a pastor in every field and profession as a believer in Christ.

A great insight to being a pastor!

I loved this book and the narration. Unfortunately, all the S's really stuck out in the recording. Arthur More was beyond wonderful. I just wish the recording engineer would have caught it.

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Title: The Heart and the Fist

Subtitle: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL

Author: Eric Greitens

Narrator: Eric Greitens

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-11-11

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1402 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Like many young idealists, Eric Greitens wanted to make a difference. During college and afterward, he traveled to the world's trouble spots, working in refugee camps, serving the sick and the poor on four continents, from Gaza to Croatia to Mother Teresa's home in Calcutta, among others. Yet he could not prevent violence or save anyone from becoming a refugee; he could only step in afterward and try to ease the damage. So Eric joined the Navy SEALs and became an elite warrior.

In a moving and inspiring memoir, told with genuine humility, Eric offers something new in the history of military memoirs: a warrior who wanted to be strong to be good, only to discover that he had to be good to be strong. Throughout his SEAL training and deployments in Kenya, Thailand, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the lessons of his humanitarian work bore fruit. The result is a lesson for us all: the heart and fist together are more powerful than either one alone.

Critic Reviews:

"This tale of [Greitens's] dual military/humanitarian effort could be paired with Rye Barcott's It Happened on the Way to War." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

One of the best books on Audible

I've been a member of Audible for several years, listening to a small library of books and this is one of the best by far. An inspiring and mesmerizing true story, the author recounts his time as a humanitarian volunteer in many of the worst spots on earth and his eight years with the US Navy SEALS. Greitens makes his philosophy of humanitarian compasion, backed up with force to ensure protection of those who need it, clear and relevant.

This book is a great example of what America could be if it didn't spend so much time wrapped up in partisan infighting.

Unforgettable

It helps that the author reads his book, but his viewpoint and his character outshine even a rollicking good read about SEAL training, Mother Theresa, Oxford, the Bosnian and Ruanda genocides, and special ops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Found myself looking for anything and everything else by or about this fellow.

A peaceful activists eyes opened

I bought this book for my father, who is a big war fan. But on a long drive to Florida, my husband & I listened to it. Wow! As a peaceful activist I have always abhorred war. I wasn't sure I would find anything in common with someone who had become a SEAL. I was wrong. Eric went from being in the Peace Corps to a SEAL, which seems completely incongruous. However, following Eric on his journey I realise that he is honouring his deep convictions by becoming a protector of the weak not just caring, educating and assisting them. I can't imagine living through what he has lived through, but I am ever grateful for his moral compass in our military. He truly 'Steps up' in his life & he is an inspiration to all.

The audiobook was riveting. I only found a one part less interesting, which was the description of the hazing in the pacific. Otherwise, this book helped me learn & understand more about those who chose to serve in this way. A very brave & honest book.

I hope everyone will read this!

This is one of the best books I've read lately. It has inspired me to be better and do better.

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Title: Life, on the Line

Subtitle: A Chef's Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat

Author: Grant Achatz, Nick Kokonas

Narrator: Johnny Heller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-18-11

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 303 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In 2007, chef Grant Achatz seemingly had it made. He had been named one of the best new chefs in America by Food & Wine in 2002, received the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year Award in 2003, and in 2005 he and Nick Kokonas opened the conceptually radical restaurant Alinea, which was named Best Restaurant in America by Gourmet magazine. Then, positioned firmly in the world's culinary spotlight, Achatz was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma - tongue cancer.

The prognosis was grim, and doctors agreed that the only course of action was to remove the cancerous tissue, which included his entire tongue. Desperate to preserve his quality of life, Grant undertook an alternative treatment of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. But the choice came at a cost. Skin peeled from the inside of Grant's mouth and throat, he rapidly lost weight, and most alarmingly, he lost his sense of taste. Tapping into the discipline, passion, and focus of being a chef, Grant rarely missed a day of work. He trained his chefs to mimic his palate and learned how to cook with his other senses. As Kokonas was able to attest, the food was never better. Five months later, Grant was declared cancer-free, and just a few months following, he received the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef in America Award.

Life, on the Line tells the story of a culinary trailblazer's love affair with cooking, but it is also a book about survival, about nurturing creativity, and about profound friendship. Already much-anticipated by followers of progressive cuisine, Grant and Nick's gripping narrative is filled with stories from the world's most renowned kitchens - the French Laundry, Charlie Trotter's, el Bulli - and sure to expand the audience that made Alinea the number-one selling restaurant cookbook in America last year.

Critic Reviews:

"Achatz and Kokonas share an engaging, well-written, and informative description of what it's like to work in commercial kitchens along with the stirring story of Achatz's fight for his life." (

Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

A Tasteless World?

This narrator did a fantastic job of describing Grant and his trials and tribulations from working his way up at the French laundry to Alina and what he encountered along the way.

As a chef I found the book inspiring enough to want to pick up his cookbook as well as Thomas Keller's. It's also a gentle reminder to us all, not to take anything for granted including our sense of taste.

Some of his creative ideas and food presentations descriptions have given me pause for thought. If you haven't looked up his YouTube video that videos you might do so just to wet your taste buds.

A great story about beating the odds, not accepting no for an answer and delving forth with courage when you think you're all tapped out.

Great Cook! Great Story!

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

I would recommend this to anyone who loves the ins of the kitchen.

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Title: The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux

Subtitle: The Story of a Soul

Author: Therese Martin O.Carm., John Beevers (translator)

Narrator: Sherry Kennedy Brownrigg

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-12-10

Publisher: St. Anthony Messenger Press

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 409 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Sharing memories from early childhood through her life as a Carmelite nun, Therese opens her heart to us. This bride of Christ reveals her passion and longing for union with God. Her simplicity is charming and we begin to believe that we can travel the path to salvation that she points out to us.

Members Reviews:

The Lion of Lisieux

Any additional comments?

A beautiful account of child-like simplicity and complete dedication to Christ. Less a 'little flower' and more a lion, Saint Therese demonstrates heroic love, heroic virtue and an heroic prayer life. All primarily from her small village and nun's cell. Without this book she probably would have been unknown to the world, but she was certainly known by Our Lord.

Extraordinary Book on Love and Christian Mysticism

What made the experience of listening to The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux the most enjoyable?

Therese's personality and approach to life are so incredible that every Christian should read this book, in addition to John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress". The two most important commandments for Christians are to love God, and to love your neighbor as yourself, and this book shows that in action.

Loved It!

This book and the life of St. Therese does a wonderful job of showing us how we can work for God in very small ways. All our efforts for good should be given to God.

I also found it fascinating to learn what a Saint thinks and does to become a Saint. This book caught my attention right away because it started from St. Therese's very young years.

Surprisingly contemporary

If you could sum up The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux in three words, what would they be?

Honest Faithful Hopeful

What other book might you compare The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux to and why?

Psalms as St. Therese states almost every recollection as a thankful prayer to God.

Have you listened to any of Sherry Kennedy Brownriggs other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first time.

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

All of it was inspiring in particular how I can hear the voice of the young woman come through and easily hear my young daughters and their concerns in the writing.

Any additional comments?

This is a book to read / listen to and put down to come back to over a period of a month as it is inspirational and trying to read it too quickly robs one of the full experience.

Read and reread

The simplicity is great. Yet with each read there is more to be found and strength to be gained.

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Title: Decision Points

Author: George W. Bush

Narrator: George W. Bush

Format: Abridged

Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-09-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1412 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

President George W. Bush narrates and describes the critical decisions of his presidency and personal life.

Decision Points is the extraordinary memoir of America's 43rd president. Shattering the conventions of political autobiography, George W. Bush offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life. In gripping, never-before-heard detail, President Bush brings listeners inside the Texas governor's mansion on the night of the hotly contested 2000 election; aboard Air Force One on 9/11, in the hours after America's most devastating attack since Pearl Harbor; at the head of the table in the Situation Room in the moments before launching the war in Iraq; and behind the Oval Office desk for his historic and controversial decisions on the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, Afghanistan, Iran, and other issues that have shaped the first decade of the 21st century.

President Bush writes honestly and directly about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his accomplishments reforming education, treating HIV/AIDS in Africa, and safeguarding the country amid chilling warnings of additional terrorist attacks. He also offers intimate new details on his decision to quit drinking, discovery of faith, and relationship with his family.

A groundbreaking new brand of memoir, Decision Points will captivate supporters, surprise critics, and change perspectives on one of the most consequential eras in American history - and the man at the center of events.

Members Reviews:

straight forward

if I knew this information while Bush was in office; if americans all knew this information, we would have appreciated and understood what a great man and president he was and is. What an eye opener to the president;s job. amazing.

Loved this book!

Whether you are for or against President George Bush, this book is a revealing look inside a man making difficult, almost impossible decisions - decisions that affected the entire world. It's so easy to listen to the press's interpretation of events and decisions, but I feel I never know the whole story. This book let me peek behind the scenes of the presidency and understand with the information available at any given time, how a president thinks. I love it when asked the question, "if you knew then what you know now, would you do it differently?" His answer is "I didn't have that luxury". It is far too easy to second guess past decisions, but in any moment we can only act on the information we have. Having the book read by President Bush himself was a real treat.

I liked it despite myself

I once broke up with a girl friend because she voted for this guy. I'm not his biggest fan but what I believe is that he was doing the best he could given his skill set. It's surprisingly religious. Not my cup of tea. Perhaps I should have expected that... I believe he believes what he wrote. I don't necessarily believe that it's as simple as he describes. He's very black and white. That said, he faults himself in situations in which he deserves it and he's candid about a lot of events that allowed even me, a hater, to find him very human and almost endearing. Interesting book no matter your views. I recommend it.

Interesting Account of Presidency

First off, there is an unabridged version of the book that I wish Audible would have linked to from either the front page or this page.

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Title: Extraordinary, Ordinary People

Subtitle: A Memoir of Family

Author: Condoleezza Rice

Narrator: Condoleezza Rice

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-12-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 295 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Condoleezza Rice has excelled as a diplomat, political scientist, and concert pianist. Her achievements run the gamut from helping to oversee the collapse of communism in Europe and the decline of the Soviet Union, to working to protect the country in the aftermath of 9-11, to becoming only the second woman - and the first black woman ever -- to serve as Secretary of State.

But until she was 25, she never learned to swim - not because she wouldn't have loved to, but because when she was a little girl in Birmingham, Alabama, Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor decided he'd rather shut down the city's pools than give black citizens access.

Throughout the 1950's, Birmingham's black middle class largely succeeded in insulating their children from the most corrosive effects of racism, providing multiple support systems to ensure the next generation would live better than the last. Condoleezza's father, John, a minister and educator, instilled in her a love of sports and politics. Her mother, a teacher, developed Condoleezzas passion for piano and exposed her to the fine arts. From both, Rice learned the value of faith in the face of hardship and the importance of giving back to the community.

As comfortable describing lighthearted family moments as she is recalling the poignancy of her mothers cancer battle and the heady challenge of going toe-to-toe with Soviet leaders, Rice holds nothing back in this remarkably candid telling. This is the story of Condoleezza Rice that has never been told, not that of an ultra-accomplished world leader, but of a little girl - and a young woman - trying to find her place in a sometimes hostile world, and of two exceptional parents, and an extended family and community, that made all the difference.

Critic Reviews:

"[R]ecords a thrilling, inspiring life of achievement."(

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Fabulous!

From Michelle Carver - I rarely write reviews but I simply had to with this book. This book is not a political book about her term under President Bush. And you don't need to agree with her politically to find yourself absolutely enthralled by this book. As the title suggests, this is a memoir of her family history, how she was raised, the choices her amazing parents made to help her become who she is today. Besides being a very engaging writer, I thoroughly enjoyed her narration as well. I found myself completely sucked into the book unable to turn it off even late into the night, like a good fiction novel might capture me. She was raised in Birmingham, Alabama during the civil rights movement and her completely thorough description of everyday life as a black family carving out a piece of happiness through those tumultuous times was simply astounding. The details she recalls paint a completely clear picture, I could see what she was describing and it was terrific, every stage of her life fascinating. She's completely amazing and I hope she writes more, I'll definitely read it. Two thumbs up!!!

March without a march

A wonderful story of march of 3 people marching to end segregation without marching in public. An inspiring story about human struggle, focus and determination.

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Title: My Life With the Saints

Author: James Martin

Narrator: James Martin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-05-10

Publisher: St. Anthony Messenger Press

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 283 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Be inspired by saints like never before in My Life with the Saints by James Martin, SJ. This best-selling memoir of spiritual self-discovery is an homage to the saints who have accompanied Fr. Martin throughout his life. From a lukewarm childhood Catholicism, to the Wharton School of Business, to the executive fast track at General Electric, to the Jesuits, to a media career in Manhattan, Martin has relied on the saints to intervene in and guide his life.

As Martin shares with us his many surprising encounters and journeys with the saints, he convincingly explains how we, too, can be close friends with the saints.

Critic Reviews:

"Martin, a Jesuit priest and associate editor of America magazine, takes a splendid idea and develops it masterfully by weaving stories from his life into those of his favorite saints." (Publishers Weekly)

"It is one thing to read the lives of the saints, quite another to hear about somebody who lives with the saints, who thinks about, researches, and calls upon certain saints regularly. Such a person is, today, a rarity. Such a person is GE-exec-turned-Jesuit Martin, associate editor of the national Catholic weekly America, who details his introduction to and relationship with more than a dozen of his favorite haloed heroes in this book." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

The title describes the book

I almost deleted this book after the first 20 minutes. I had just listened to a purely factual book and expected 'My Life with the Saints' to be similar: a condensed biography of a selection of saints. It seemed too slow and conversational. But then I understood that this was his "life" with the Saints, not a book about the "lives of the Saints". Well it isn't. It interweaves the life of James Martin with lessons and some history of the Saints he selects. To use a cliche, he "makes the Saints come alive". Through the book you see the relevance of these Saints in a modern world, to the poor in Africa, to the homeless, to the student and office workers. There are some who are not canonized Saints - Pedro Arupe for example and Thomas Merton. But what "saintly" lives they led. And then there is the very last chapter. It brings perspective to "sainthood" that I hardly imaged. That was the great tour de force. I listened to the book over about a month to and from work and was excited to see who the next Saint was. I miss Father Martin's conversational style and the people - both Saints and the "ordinary" people he met in his travels. This is a great start if any one wants to visit with the Saints prior to jumping headlong into biographies of individual ones. I hope he writes / records volume 2. By the way, I am not Catholic - but my life was inspired by these men and women through the book.

Personable and Informative

I loved this book because not only do you learn a lot about many saints, the author weaves them into his own autobiographical sketch. He highlights the saints meaning to him during a partcular time in his life. His story is also a testament to the energetic and interesting life a Jesuit leads. This book would be great for everyone, but especially good for someone considering the priesthood or religious life.

easy listening hagiography

I was so excited to see St Anthony Messenger Press titles added to Audible that I quickly used up all my accumulated credits on several.

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Title: The Amityville Horror

Author: Jay Anson

Narrator: Ray Porter

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-31-09

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1175 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In December 1975, the Lutz family moved into their new home on suburban Long Island. George and Kathleen Lutz knew that, one year earlier, Ronald DeFeo had murdered his parents, brothers, and sisters in the house, but the property - complete with boathouse and swimming pool - and the price were too good to pass up.

Twenty-eight days later, the entire Lutz family fled in terror.

This is the spellbinding, best-selling, true story that gripped the nation - the story of a house possessed by evil spirits, haunted by psychic phenomena almost too terrible to describe.

Jay Anson began as a copy boy on the New York Evening Journal in 1937 and later worked in advertising and publicity. With more than 500 documentary scripts for television to his credit, he was associated with Professional Films, Inc. He died in 1980.

Critic Reviews:

"A fascinating and frightening book." (Los Angeles Times)

"This book will scare the hell out of you." (Kansas City Times)

Members Reviews:

So good, its scary.

I was never a big fan of the movie but I have to admit, this book scared the hell out of me. Very intense and spooky. In addition, the narrator keeps the listener on the edge of their seat with every word. If looking for a horror book, look no further! Great stuff.

Ditto, Flavius

If it was true, it would be scary. It is written as if it is true, yet you know it is not. I have read plenty of made up stories that were scary, see: J.A. Konrath, Stephen King, Blake Crouch or Dean Koontz.

How many times do you have to find your wife floating out the window before you leave the house? For this guy it was more then once. It was very convenient that no one had to go work. Are all priests this big of a coward? What kind of parent subjects their three kids to this for so long?

You want scary seek out the authors listed above.

Winning author and narrator pair!

Not at all comfortable with horror but decided to give this book a listen even if I had to stop and delete it because I became terrified.

Well-researched book read by a perfect narrator. If I could, I'd abduct this narrator and drop him into nearly every book I've ever read.

HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Maybe, Maybe Not

Where does The Amityville Horror rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

It was a fast, creepy read. The happenings at the Amityville house have been hotly debated for many years, but I couldn't care less. I loved it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Amityville Horror?

The sick priest and all that befell the colleagues who tried to help him.

What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Absolutely. The narrator brings you into the events like reading alone never could.

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

Yes, and I think I managed it in 4 or 5.

Solid and unsettling

It's hard to say for certain since I never read the text myself, but I felt like the writing was a bit dry.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the narration here. It gave me a sense of the steady escalation of horror experienced by those in the house. It was eerie in the methodical terrorizing of family and visitors.

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Title: The White House Boys

Subtitle: An American Tragedy

Author: Roger Dean Kiser

Narrator: T. Ryder Smith

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-24-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 97 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Hidden far from sight, deep in the thick underbrush of the North Florida woods are the ghostly graves of more than 30 unidentified bodies, some of which are thought to be children who were beaten to death at the old Florida Industrial School for Boys at Marianna. It is suspected that many more bodies will be found in the fields and swamplands surrounding the institution. Investigations into the unmarked graves have compelled many grown men to come forward and share their stories of the abuses they endured and the atrocities they witnessed in the 1950s and 1960s at the institution.

The White House Boys: An American Tragedy is the true story of the horrors recalled by Roger Dean Kiser, one of the boys incarcerated at the facility in the late fifties for the crime of being a confused, unwanted, and wayward child. In a style reminiscent of the works of Mark Twain, Kiser recollects the horrifying verbal, sexual, and physical abuse he and other innocent young boys endured at the hands of their "caretakers." Questions remain unanswered and theories abound, but Roger and the other White House Boys are determined to learn the truth and see justice served.

Members Reviews:

Tough. Brutal. Realistic. Vivid

If you could sum up The White House Boys in three words, what would they be?

Painful. Hard. Sad.

What did you like best about this story?

I am a child advocate and began my (volunteer) work with children of abuse/neglect in the early 1970s (and still do); a number of my cases involved children that were beaten to death and dealing with siblings that survived. The heartache and struggles that are carried from one generation to the next. Often detachment is the only way to survive.

This story is very real and I can see how such facilities could have been in many other states (and countries).

It is a wonder that Roger Dean Kiser was even able to relive and go through such brutality and was able to tell about it. It had to be tough just to reduce all of this pain to a book.

I am proud of him.

What does T. Ryder Smith bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Good telling.

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

I couldn't take all the reality in one sitting. I had to space it out because of the vivid brutality. Even with my personal experience with children (now adults), it was hard. But, a story that needed to be told. There are more stories out there. But, this kind of story takes a lot of courage.

Any additional comments?

Thank you Roger Dean Kiser. You are a testiment to the survival and you may help other children.

Tragic

Astonished that so many boys endured this horrific brutality. Roger is very brave for sharing with us his life and I am deeply affected by this tragedy. I wish I could have saved them. These boys deserve more than an apology, they deserve justice.

A must for anyone who interacts with another human

Amazingly, Mr. Kiser, vividly and objectively shares his story as a ward of the state.

Very touching

Hard to listen to but so glad he could help others by telling his story.

Wow

This one is hard to review. Not a pleasant story. A lot of violence. I've read tons of true crime but never handle it well when the victims are kids, so this one was a challenge. Although the story was rough to get through, I'm so glad the author told a story that needed to be told.

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Title: Stasiland

Subtitle: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

Author: Anna Funder

Narrator: Denica Fairman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-23-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 275 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In 1989, the Berlin Wall fell; shortly afterwards, the two Germanies reunited, and East Germany ceased to exist. Anna Funder tells extraordinary tales from the underbelly of the former East Germany.

In a country where the headquarters of the secret police could become a museum literally overnight, and one in50 East Germans were informing on their fellow citizens, there are thousands of captivating stories. She meets Miriam, who, as a 16-year-old, might have started World War III; she visits the man who painted the line that became the Berlin Wall; and she gets drunk with the legendary "Mik Jegger" of the east, once declared by the authorities to his face to "no longer to exist."

Each enthralling story depicts what it's like to live in Berlin as the city knits itself back together - or fails to. This is a history full of emotion, attitude, and complexity.

Critic Reviews:

"A brilliant and necessary book about oppression and history...Here is someone who knows how to tell the truth." (Evening Standard - Books of the Year)

"A journey into the bizarre, scary, secret history of the former East Germany that is both relevant and riveting." (Sunday Times Travel Books of the Year)

Members Reviews:

Important book

Anna Funder visits what was East Germany, armed with fluent German and knowledge of international law. She listens to the stories of those who endured immense pain at the hand of the Stasi, the regime which replaced Hitler as dictators of this part of Germany. She also listened with undisguised amazement and horror, to the world view and self justifications of some of the Stasi themselves. In Stasiland she portrays a society imprisoned by the notorious Wall as well as webs of betrayal, lies, mental and emotional torture.

This is neither sensationalist or a horror story. It is an intelligent, measured exploration of the extremes of human nature, from bravery and the capacity for endurance, to the self delusion and cruelty of dictators. It reveals the insidious ways that a people can be controlled through their minds -- in effect, life was simple if everyone capitulated without question to the arbitrary, contradictory, the blatantly ridiculous. In return, citizens were given apparent certainties in housing, employment and health, certainties which some now mourn.

This is a shared personal journey and the narrator, Denica Fairman, offers a reading that works as an outstanding partnership with Funder.

Stasiland not only delves into recent history, but places before the reader the realities of human nature that contribute to human society -- from small communities to whole nations.

Small people crushed by the events of time

This book is a valauble addition to the Audible line of books. It depicts how ordinary people - none of them really political activists - acted against the oppression of Communist East Germany. At times it is more suspensful than many suspense novels, even without having had that intention. The portraits are great and you really get to know these people - or at least you wish that you had known them.

an excellent book

Maybe it is because I too moved to Germany rather spontaneously, and ended up finding so much meaning here, that this book is not only one of the best I have ever ordered from Audible, but is also one of the best books of my experience.