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

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Title: Teacher Man

Author: Frank McCourt

Narrator: Frank McCourt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-31-05

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1254 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Now here at last, is McCourt's long-awaited audiobook about how his thirty-year teaching career shaped his second act as a writer. Teacher Man is also an urgent tribute to teachers everywhere. In bold and spirited prose featuring his irreverent wit and heartbreaking honesty, McCourt records the trials, triumphs, and surprises he faces in public high schools around New York City.

Critic Reviews:

"Should be mandatory reading for every teacher in America. And it wouldn't hurt some politicians to read it, too." (Publishers Weekly) "Teacher Man is an irresistible valedictory, about a man finding his voice in the classroom, on the page and in his soul." (The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Fun, quick, well done!

"Quit bothering me, man". I don't know how ANYONE can tolerate teaching teens. God bless'm! I have some of my own. It is my opinion that teachers should be held in the highest esteem, paid exobintantly and worshipped by all. Teachers have the most important jobs in any society (no, I'm not a teacher). "Teacher Man" was absolutely fantastic and enjoyable. Read well... My only wish was that it was longer.

Insightful and fun

It was great listening to Frank McCourt recount his memories of teaching in New York City. He is honest, insightful, and humorous. He tells his story in a blunt and humorous way. He doesn't try to make himself sound like a goody-goody teacher who was out to save the world; yet he probably made a huge impact on many students. I will look at my students with "wider eyes and a better listening heart" from now on. He is definitely a "late bloomer" as he, himself admitted in his book. I loved his previous book, Angela's Ashes; tolerated his book Tis, but I LOVED this new book of his!!!

Exceptional Audiobook

I loved this book and wished it were longer. I could have listened to Frank McCourt's stories of teaching for hours and hours (and I heard the unabridged version). His teaching career ran the gamut of high school experiences -- from vocational high school to elite college prep, with a little community college thrown in. And somewhere in these teaching experiences, he "found himself."

Mr. McCourt is an exceptional reader -- better than most authors who read their own books. His accent is charming, and easy to understand. His voice added greatly to the memoir.

Wonderful to listen to

This was the most wonderful memoir. McCourt has spoken for many educators who just want to be left alone to teach in classrooms of America. We want the politicians to just "Leave people alone" We are all doing the best that we can, considering the talent we have been sent. We help some to grow academically, but mostly we want to help them to grow into productive members of society. The politicians want us to send out a group of lemmings. Education is about teaching to differences and teaching diferently. McCourt celebrates just that as he reads to us about the love of his life... Helping children, and young adults to see the wonder within themsleves.

For the teachers

Those of you who are part of this circle, this is a must.

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Title: One Bullet Away

Subtitle: The Making of Marine Officer

Author: Nathaniel Fick

Narrator: Nathaniel Fick

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-29-05

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 532 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

If the Marines are "the few, the proud", Recon Marines are the fewest and the proudest. Only one Marine in a hundred qualifies for Recon, charged with working clandestinely, often behind enemy lines. Fick's training begins with a hellish summer at Quantico, after his junior year at Dartmouth, and advances to the pinnacle, Recon, four years later, on the eve of war with Iraq. Along the way, he learns to shoot a man a mile away, stays awake for 72 hours straight, endures interrogation and torture at the secretive SERE course, learns to swim with Navy SEALs, masters the Eleven Principles of Leadership, and much more.

His vast skill set puts him in front of the front lines, leading 22 Marines into the deadliest conflict since Vietnam. He vows he will bring all his men home safely, and to do so he'll need more than his top-flight education. He'll need luck and an increasingly clear vision of the limitations of his superiors and the missions they assign him.

Fick unveils the process that makes Marine officers such legendary leaders and shares his hard-won insights into the differences between the military ideals he learned and military practice, which can mock those ideals. One Bullet Away never shrinks from blunt truths, but it is an ultimately inspiring account of mastering the art of war.

Critic Reviews:

"Candid and fast-paced....Like the best combat memoirs, Fick's focuses on the men doing the fighting and avoids...sensationalism." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Captures both the heroism and frustration

If you're looking for support of your view on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, this is not the book to find it. Rather it is a compelling listen from a dedicated Marine who begins his career with idealistic patriotism, and sees it morphed into a love of his comrades. You'll witness the journey from gung-ho officer candidate to combat leader to sober veteran. I finished this book with a greater appreciation for the dedication and sacrifice we ask of our military men and women, not only in terms of the risk to their lives, but the cost to them after their part in the wars are over. This book toned my political rhetoric down a few notches and it just might yours.

Great book on the war experience of a Marine

I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone interested in what our troops are currently experiencing. It helped me to understand what U.S. troops go through and how much they sacrifice. Great book for any military guru.

Great insight and a great read

My particular interest was in the making of a recon marine, as my dad was one in the Korean War. The rest was secondary for me. Thankyou, Nathaniel Fick. It was an insightful and interesting and amazing account of tough warriors who handle small children like butterflies, in the midst of war.

His account of the psychology of the Iraqi people was wonderful to read, and puts tv reports in so much better perspective.

This is a page-turner, and a gift to the informed American reader.

Good story badly abridged

I listened to the audiobook and then happened to correspond w/ the author. He recommended I read the book itself b/c the abridgment wasn't good in his estimation. After reading it I agree w/ him.

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Title: Julie and Julia

Subtitle: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen

Author: Julie Powell

Narrator: Julie Powell

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-27-05

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 482 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Julie Powell is 30-years-old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens, and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother's dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she will cook all 524 recipes. In the span of one year.

At first she thinks it will be easy. But as she moves from the simple Potage Parmentier (potato soup) into the more complicated realm of aspics and crepes, she realizes there's more to Mastering the Art of French Cooking than meets the eye. With Julia's stern warble always in her ear, Julie haunts the local butcher, buying kidneys and sweetbreads. She sends her husband on late-night runs for yet more butter and rarely serves dinner before midnight. She discovers how to mold the perfect Orange Bavarian, the trick to extracting marrow from bone, and the intense pleasure of eating liver.

And somewhere along the line she realizes she has turned her kitchen into a miracle of creation and cuisine. She has eclipsed her life's ordinariness through spectacular humor, hysteria, and perseverance.

Critic Reviews:

"Both home cooks and devotees of Bridget Jones - style dishing will be caught up in Powell's funny, sharp-tongued, but generous writing." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A good laugh

This book has induced several full-blown belly laughs as I listen with my headphones on, making my husband wonder what I could possibly be listening to. When I tell him it's about a woman who is cooking her way through a Julia Child cookbook, he looks nonplussed. The author, Julie Powell, reads her own work very well; her intonation and comedic timing are dead on. She is very irreverent ( I love how she refers to Julia Child as "JC"!) and does have a fairly foul mouth, but I have to say that I find this refreshing. So many foodie books seem to take themselves all too seriously. Like my favorite food writer Ruth Reichl, Julie Powell shows that she loves food but isn't a Food Snob. I can't wait to get back to the book as I potter around my kitchen.

AUTHENTIC AND ENTERTAINING

I was attracted to this book because of its author's desperation to find meaning in her life--and the creative approach she took to resolving this all-too-common symptom of our empty-calorie society. Happily, I was not disappointed. The desperation of a bright young woman about to hit 30 who's mired in a life that's much too small for her is palpably felt in this book's prose, as well as in the author's voice (She's both a talented writer and an expressive reader). That she chose a formidable French cookery tome by Julia Child to prove her mettle is both highly entertaining and metaphorically satisfying. Her "hunger" for acknowledgment, for a proving ground, for salvation is gradually sated as she checks off one of Child?s bizarre and intimidating recipes after another. As the author records her personal and culinary failures and triumphs in a blog, she begins to attract dedicated fans, as well as CBS Nightly News, CNN, The New York Times, and a major book publisher.

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Title: What Remains

Subtitle: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love

Author: Carole Radziwill

Narrator: Carole Radziwill

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-22-05

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 724 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Carole grew up in a small suburb with a large, eccentric cast of characters. She spent her childhood summers with her grandparents and an odd assortment of aunts and uncles in their poorly plumbed A-frame on the banks of a muddy creek in upstate New York.

At the age of 19, Carole struck out for New York City to find a different life. Her career at ABC News led her to the refugee camps of Cambodia, to a bunker in Tel Aviv, to the scene of the Menendez murders. Her marriage led her into the old world of European nobility and the newer world of American aristocracy.

What Remains begins with loss and returns to loss. A small plane plunges into the ocean, carrying John Kennedy, Anthony's cousin, and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Carole's closest friend. Three weeks later Anthony dies of cancer. The summer of the plane crash, the four friends were meant to be cherishing Anthony's last days. Instead, Carole and Anthony mourned John and Carolyn, even as Carole planned her husband's memorial.

Carole Radziwill has an anthropologist's sensibility and a journalist's eye. She writes about families, their customs, their secrets, and their tangled intimacies with remarkable acuity and humanity. She explores the complexities of marriage, the importance of friendship, and the challenges of self-invention with unflinching honesty. This is a compelling story of love, loss, and, ultimately, resilience.

Critic Reviews:

"Carole Radziwill, a wonderful writer...gets at the essence of what matters: friendship, compassion, destiny." (Oprah Winfrey) "Carole Radziwill has written an unsparing, unsentimental, and inspiring memoir. A spirited journalist with a novelist's eye for detail, she delivers a stunningly honest story about life's great joys and deepest pain." (Christiane Amanpour)

Members Reviews:

Way more than a Real Housewive

This book is beautifully written and read, it is an incredible tale of love for more than one person. Carole Radziwell is such an incredible woman and she is way more than what you see on The Real Housewives of NY. She is a real person, who I admire and respect far more for her life than a Realty TV show. This book is wonderful !!

I also give this book What Remains 5 Stars.

I have listened to this book too many times to count. It is heartbreaking. Carole Radziwill tells the story of John Kennedy Jr's last flight. What draws me to this book is Carole's reading of her own story. She was a very close friend of John's wife. She and her husband the son of Lee Radzwill were enjoying the perfect life, a happy life. The he was stricken with Cancer. I don't want to tell you everything but this is a beautiful book. At one time I was a grief counselor trying to help people deal with loss. I Will admire Carole forever because of the things she did right and how like all of us who loose someone, what not to do. No it is not chock full of Kennedy stories, it is the story of 4 very good friends. So worth the listen.

Tragedy and Immeasurable Courage

WHAT REMAINS is an amazing and heart wrenching account of real people, regardless of their fame or stature. The author clearly wrote it out of grief with no desire to capitalize on anyone's death.

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Title: One L

Subtitle: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School

Author: Scott Turow

Narrator: Holter Graham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-05

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 290 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Each September, a new crop of students enter Harvard Law School to begin an intense, often grueling, sometimes harrowing year of introduction to the law. Will the One Ls survive? Will they excel? Will they make the Law Review, the outward and visible sign of success in this ultra-competitive microcosm?

With remarkable insight into both his fellow students and himself, Turow leads us through the ups and downs, the small triumphs and tragedies of the year, in an absorbing and thought-provoking narrative that teaches the listener not only about law school and the law but also about the human beings who make them what they are.

Critic Reviews:

"The most accurate, complete, and balanced description yet of a century-old rite of passage in America." (Baltimore Sun)

"[One L] should be read by anyone who has ever contemplated going to law school or anyone who has ever worried about being human." (The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

A well-told and well-written account

One L brought insight into the self-induced psychopathology that first year students bestow on themselves, as well as the misdirected, flip pieces of advice that professors give to students undergoing a great deal of stress. I also became very interested in learning the basics of the law. I never knew what "torts" were until I listened to the story. I was impressed with the liveliness of the narration, and the clear writing as well. While some explanations rambled a bit, I was very interested in hearing Turow's story, and listened to the story straight through. I have new insight to the world my lawyer friends went through in their first year, and greater understanding why many of them exhibit the aggressive, combative personas when I talk with them. Turow wrote the book while undergoing law school, and the tone of the narrator's complaints and demonizing remarks sometimes come across as immature and whiny. Nonetheless, the narrative felt authentic, and I was engrossed in Turow's progress.

Still a great choice 30 years later!

This audiobook describes Scott Turow's first year at Harvard Law in the 1970s. The first person perspective kept my attention. He candidly describes elitist professors, competitive fellow students, the detrimental effect on his marriage and the stress all 1Ls seem to endure. Any negativity is balanced by his underlying respect for the law, education and the process. The narrator is very good. I especially admired how adept he was at switching to different accents to portray different characters. This was a great choice for my commute as a 1L. It's remarkable how little legal education has changed in 30 years--many of his experiences are similar to my own. Several of his anecdotes even made me laugh out loud. I wish it hadn't ended...

Comparisons are Lawyerly

John Donne, amongst others, wrote that comparisons are odious. My experience of Scott Turow's recollections of his first year at Harvard Law School suggests that this is not always true.

I went to Law School in Australia in the early 80's. My first two years (here we once split the first year of law over two years in combination with part of a sympathetic second degree, in my case Commerce) bore very little resemblance to his. In some ways heading his memoir I felt like I'd been deprived the trial by ordeal that he endured.

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Title: West with the Night

Author: Beryl Markham

Narrator: Anna Fields

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-03-05

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 176 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Of her memoir Ernest Hemingway said, "She has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer....[She] can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves writers."

Members Reviews:

Captivating

This narrator/author combination rather reminded me of a professor I had in college. He was cursed with a rather plain voice, but once you got past that and listened to what he was saying, it was bitingly funny and terribly insightful. This book is much the same.

I listen while commuting, and I frequently encounter a narrator/author combination that I'll have to turn off after about 30 minutes so that I don't fall asleep while driving. This book is emphatically not one of those. The memoir is beautifully written and wonderfully told; it is infused with magnificent landscapes, dear friends, captivating adventures, and delightful humor. In short, it is the best audio book I've listened to this year.

I Read this wonderful book

Hello I just wanted to put in my 2cents on this great book. I did not listen to it, I read it aloud to my family on a long trip. There were a few paragraphs I skipped over for the benefit of my sensitive 10 year old.

This is a first hand account of the early days of flying in Africa, told by a strong woman, but in the most beautiful lyrical style. It would be great for everyone interested in flying or Africa, but especially for young women.

Outstanding

What a story! And beautifully narrated.... The beauty and adventure and exquisite language will carry you dream-like through this book, and you'll be glad you can listen again.

Wonderfully Addictive.

I have listened to "West With the Night" twice now. Anna Fields voice is so perfect for this story. She does a wonderful reading. Ernest Hemingway loved Beryl Markham's book, and recommended it to Max Perkins, this was the main reason that I purchased, and listened to, "West With The Night". The other reason is, I love East African literature from this era. Markham's words evoke images of the people, the tribes, the animals, and of course The Continent of Africa. It all becomes very real. Three dimensional without pasteboard colored lens glasses. Markhams words through Anna Fields voice conjure up the experience of landing an ancient plane in a torch lite field, at night, in a wild unforgiving country. The second time I listened was even better. Markham loved her Africa, it was her home, she live out her life there. She always returned to her Nairobi, like Lord Delamere she had found a home, and it was East Africa.

An entrancing story wonderfully narrated

Markham's lyrical, well-wrought story of her African childhood, understanding of horses and the natural life of Africa, and passion for aviation and adventure deservedly received Hemingway's choice praise. The narrator flawlessly captured the many voices of the characters without sentimentality and with perfect pacing. This was such an engrossing listen it was hard to hit the pause button.

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Title: Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight

Subtitle: An African Childhood

Author: Alexandra Fuller

Narrator: Lisette Lecat

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-25-03

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 704 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Alexandra Fuller tells the idiosyncratic story of her life growing up white in rural Rhodesia as it was becoming Zimbabwe. The daughter of hardworking, yet strikingly unconventional English-bred immigrants, Alexandra arrives in Africa at the tender age of two. She moves through life with a hardy resilience, even as a bloody war approaches. Narrator Lisette Lecat reads this remarkable memoir of a family clinging to a harsh landscape and the dying tenets of colonialism.

©2001 Alexandra Fuller; (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic Reviews:

"A classic is born in this tender, intensely moving and even delightful journey through a white African girl's childhood." (Publishers Weekly)

"This was no ordinary childhood, and it makes a riveting story thanks to an extraordinary telling." (School Library Journal)

"In this powerful debut, Fuller fully succeeds in memorializing the beauty of each desert puddle and each African summer night sky while also recognizing that beauty can lie hidden in the faces of those who have crossed her path. Highly recommended." (Library Journal)

"An honest, moving portrait of one family struggling to survive tumultuous times." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Moving echos from history

This is a wonderful book. Touching and tragic covering a pivotal point in Rhodesia?s history. It tracks the life of a white family trying to cling on in Africa. They defended themselves from armed insurgents (terrorists or freedom fighters depending on your viewpoint) in a typically British way.

What gives it its power is that it is viewed through the eyes of a young girl with one foot in the colonial past and one in the future, whatever that was to become. Her powerlessness to control events but being forced to watch sums up much of the fate of Southern Africa and it?s people. There are also plenty of poignant moments where her life reaches out across the racial divide showing that everyone involved in those turbulent times were just human beings trying to survive.

Having been born in Rhodesia I am emotionally involved but nevertheless would recommend this title for its honest portrayal of a small part of this now forgotten conflict.

An African Childhood of Harrowing Proportions

This story of English ex-patriots living in a variety of countries in southern Africa with their children is amazing, bizarre, gruesome, violent and filled with disease. Most surprising to me was the fact that even one of them survived. At times, the details of the food and living conditions are so nauseating and disastrous that the title of the book--Go To The Dogs--seemed redundant. By this, I mean that it would be difficult for life to deteriorate further than the story presents. One war torn, drought ridden, broken down and hungry farm after another.

Through all this runs the strong and endearing voice of the author as the child "Bo-bo". Fuller's writing pulls all the loose ends, pain and disaster together and weaves a story of growing up in Africa. This story embodies her deep and visceral love for the place, the smells, the people and the creatures that inhabit that world. At one point in the writing she refers to her life as a child as a "terrifying unhinged blur". Believe me--she captured it in this book.

The narration was fantastic.

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Title: Every Living Thing

Subtitle: The Complete Audio Collection

Author: James Herriot

Narrator: Christopher Timothy

Format: Abridged

Length: 9 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-00

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 383 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

James Herriot is one of the most beloved storytellers of our time, a writer whose rich and unique literary gifts are matched by an exuberant gift for celebrating existence. His tales of life as a country veterinarian in Yorkshire, England have brought joy to countless millions of readers. Now, the good doctor brings us another memorable collection of stories.

©1992 by James Herriot; (P)1993 by Audio Renaissance Tapes, a division of Cassette Productions Unlimited, Inc.

Members Reviews:

I Can Never Get Enough Of James Herriot's Stories

I have loved the James Herriot collection for years and am now ecstatic to have it on my iPod. All his stories elicit a 'feel good' feeling for the listener with his brilliant writing and subject matter. Add Christopher Timothy's ability to make it all come to life in audio and you've got a winning combination over all.

Every Living Thing

I really enjoyed this. I grew up watching the narrator play James Herriot in the British T.V. series and don't think I could imagine any one else reading this. He reads it really well. As he reads the stories you can hear the warmth and humour in his voice. You can even almost "hear" him smiling.

I would definitely recommend it.

Charming, classic literature

Having read the other 3 James Herriot book as a child, I picked this one up knowing what I'd get. It's even more charming than I remembered, peppered with life lessons and the reality of farm life and rural England. You can't go wrong for entertainment and inspiration with this book.

Timeless and endearing!

Where do I begin?!?! James Herriot's words and experiences are brought to vivid life by the flawless and brilliant narration of Christopher Timothy! I have never been so captivated! Timothy's spot-on vocals left me awestruck- he truly captures Herriot's sharp wit and genuine love of every living thing!

Great story and reader but too much static noise

Would you listen to Every Living Thing again? Why?

Yes. I love James Herriot and his heart-warming escapades. The animals and their owners all feel so authentic.

What did you like best about this story?

The author is able to create a positive spin on everything.

What three words best describe Christopher Timothys voice?

British expressive melodious

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

I laughed a few times. One reason I enjoy this author is that the stories are pretty easy to listen to, without huge drama or unbearably emotional stories.

Any additional comments?

The only thing that would make it better is to remove the static background noise in the first nine parts. Ten through thirteen have a clear recording.

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Title: Out of Africa

Author: Isak Dineson

Narrator: Julie Harris

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 134 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Danish countess Karen Blixon, known as Isak Dineson, ran a coffee plantation in Kenya in the years when Africa remained a romantic and formidable continent to most Europeans. Out of Africa is her account of her life there, with stories of her respectful relationships with the Masai, Kikuyu, and Somali natives who work on her land; the European friends who visit her; and the imposing permanence of the wild, high land itself. Stage and television actress Julie Harris delivers a reading that is emotionally charged and reflective, recreating Dinesen's lively appreciation for the land she loved so much.

Members Reviews:

earthy and sensual

It's a love story of Africa. Once I realized that it was this rather than an affair, I could relax and enjoy the story.

The narrator was quite good.

A beautiful story teller

I loved this audio book. The reader brought such character of Isaac dennison to be real. I could truly see thru her eyes the wonders of Africa.

I did not expect to enjoy this

What made the experience of listening to Out of Africa the most enjoyable?

The voice talent of Julie Harris. True, she does not have any "accents" to make the reading more "credible" but her interpretation and delivery, especially the subtext, make the world of the book come alive. It was performed, not read.

Would you recommend Out of Africa to your friends? Why or why not?

I would. I was not a fan of the movie and only purchased this because it was on sale and I wanted to whittle down the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list. I was expecting to slog through it and I was pleasantly surprised. It a great example of "the book is better" rule. That being said, I'm willing to give the movie another try based on this audio book.

Have you listened to any of Julie Harriss other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but definitely will seek her out for future purchases. I enjoyed her so much that I looked her up. Broadway stage legend and Kennedy Center Honoree. It's too bad that she's no longer with us, but there is a lot to choose from on the website.

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

"Meryl Streep is almost as good as Julie Harris and Robert Redford is miscast. Oh, and there are lions."

Any additional comments?

Snark aside, I was really surprised and I enjoyed this book. I hope that there is an unabridged version that presents itself in the future. Though it will be a tough act to follow Julie Harris if it's read by someone else. I'm looking forward to listening to this one again.

Great, but not as good as 'West With the Night'

Any additional comments?

This is a great read and a classic. Just make sure you read it before "West With the Night" and not after, as Beryl Markham's writing is just so spectacular.

Captivating!

Loved every warm, beautiful, heart breaking moment. Listened to this story on a cold winter weekend. Just the ticket!

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Title: The Story of My Life

Author: Helen Keller

Narrator: Alyssa Bresnahan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 128 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

As a 2-year-old, Helen Keller was stricken with a mysterious illness which left her blind and deaf. It wasn't until she was 6, and a teacher, Miss Sullivan, entered her life, that she was able to communicate with her family. In her unforgettable autobiography, Helen shares her struggle with, and ultimate triumph over, her disability. When it was first published in 1902, her story gained the attention of some of the most famous people of her day and it was later popularized by the stage play and movie The Miracle Worker.

Editorial Reviews:

This program reveals the timelessness of Keller's autobiography. Her courageous spirit her greatness never becomes out of date. As the program opens, the listener can hear the frustration and sadness in Bresnahan's voice as Keller struggles to express herself to those outside her dark, silent world. Like a sigh of relief, the narrator recounts Keller's joy when her instructor, Anne Sullivan, breaks through the communication barrier. In a refreshingly modest manner, Bresnahan tells of Keller's remarkable academic achievements and her indebtedness to friends and mentors. Her passion for literature rings clearly in the narrator's blissful tone when addressing this subject. Those looking for an uplifting listening experience will find it here.

Members Reviews:

A wonderful story, but...

Any additional comments?

The prose is wonderful and artfully performed, however the audio cuts out repeatedly and does not have Helen's letters written between 1877-1901 which comprise 100 plus pages of the published book.

Beautiful! "Simply Inspiring"

To anyone who has all 5 senses and has ever made an excuse about what they cannot improve their lives in some positive way "NEEDS" to read this book. For someone such as Helen Keller, who lived most of her life without the ability to hear or see, who accomplished the great things she accomplished, There's no reason why people today should make any "excuses" on why they cannot find ways (or better ways) to improve themselves, and their life styles... This book hits the core of a person, "it touches your spirit."

An eloquent tribute to her teacher

Despite being deaf and blind, Helen Keller composed a beautiful narrative of her life from birth until her college years. Her descriptions of her experiences are vivid and animated. Her humble nature resonates as she gives credit to her teacher, Anne Sullivan, and all of the others who accompanied her on her amazing journey through life.

Remarkable and beautiful

One of the best books I've ever read. Her experiences as a person who overcame great adversity to have a very full and remarkable life are beautiful and amazing, but her views on education and experiences as an avid lifelong learner are even more inspiring. If you are a fan of "alternative" education this book is not to be missed.

This book.

This book was a good book interesting. I learned a lot about Helen Keller. However the actual audio book cuts out and skips parts it would be nice if this was fixed