Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine AudioFile Magazine

Journalist Nicholas Kristof delivers his monumental memoir—by turns harrowing (think gunfire, rats, Darfur) and inspiring (he mentors young journalists, starts a nonprofit, and champions rural America). Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss Kristof’s thoughtful narration as he covers his long and distinguished career. He’s worked four decades as a reporter, foreign correspondent, bureau chief, and, indelibly, an opinion writer for THE NEW YORK TIMES. A compelling and satisfying audiobook.
Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Support for AudioFile’s Sound Reviews comes from Hachette Audio, and the audiobook edition of RELENTLESS by Luis A Miranda Jr, featuring a foreword read by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. To find out more about this, and any other Hachette Audio productions, please visit www.hachetteaudio.com, or @HachetteAudio  
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Alma Cuervo’s warm, rich timbre and measured style suit Julia Alvarez’s captivating audiobook. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Alan Minskoff discuss this story of an author with a magical twist. A novelist leaves Vermont and returns to her native Dominican Republic to bury her untold (unfinished) works. She creates a cemetery for the stories, and their imaginary characters take over. Alvarez has crafted a fantastical world, packed with local color and expressions, and Cuervo ensures that it’s enjoyable on audio.
Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Recorded Books.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Support for AudioFile’s Sound Reviews comes from Hachette Audio, and the audiobook edition of RELENTLESS by Luis A Miranda Jr, featuring a foreword read by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. To find out more about this, and any other Hachette Audio productions, please visit www.hachetteaudio.com, or @HachetteAudio.
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Narrating his own work, Salman Rushdie offers an emotionally resonant account of the shocking knife attack that almost ended his life. Host Jo Reed and AudioFIle’s Michele Cobb discuss his memoir of the attack, its immediate aftermath, and the difficult recovery. Interwoven throughout are musings on literature, writing, politics, friendship, religion, and more, delivered with passion and more than a little humor. Wide-ranging and deeply insightful, this meditation on life, love, and resilience makes for compelling listening.
Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Random House Audio.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Support for AudioFile’s Sound Reviews comes from Hachette Audio, and the audiobook edition of RELENTLESS by Luis A Miranda Jr, featuring a foreword read by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. To find out more about this, and any other Hachette Audio productions, please visit www.hachetteaudio.com, or @HachetteAudio
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self.
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Amy Lin’s performance of her memoir is so staggeringly beautiful it will break your heart. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Lin’s story of loss. Lin’s husband Kurtis was running a virtual half-marathon when he dropped dead for no discoverable reason. He was 32 years old. She was left absolutely broken. She tells her memoir in vignettes of meeting and losing Kurtis, and her grief is so obviously raw and her memories of their life together so full of love that it’s astonishing the author was physically and emotionally able to read the work aloud. Lin teaches us, or reminds us, that sitting with someone in their sadness is far more helpful than a futile attempt to distract someone from their grief.
Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Zibby Books.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Support for AudioFile’s Sound Reviews comes from Hachette Audio, and the audiobook edition of RELENTLESS by Luis A Miranda Jr, featuring a foreword read by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. To find out more about this, and any other Hachette Audio productions, please visit www.hachetteaudio.com, or @HachetteAudio
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self.
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Journalist Kara Swisher specializes in reporting on the Internet, and she narrates her memoir with urgency and focus. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss this history of Silicon Valley from Swisher’s perspective. With more than a decade of podcasting experience, Swisher has developed a well-honed, rapid-fire delivery; an aura of journalistic integrity; and a firsthand knowledge of tech history. Swisher serves as the Valley's outlier conscience—fearful of the future and optimistically pessimistic.
Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website. Published by Simon & Schuster.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Support for AudioFile’s Sound Reviews comes from Hachette Audio, and the audiobook edition of RELENTLESS by Luis A Miranda Jr, featuring a foreword read by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. To find out more about this, and any other Hachette Audio productions, please visit www.hachetteaudio.com, or @HachetteAudio
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self.
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Entertainer Whoopi Goldberg’s raspy timbre and amused tone make her the only person appropriate to narrate her memoir. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss what Michele calls an “audio must.” The story of Goldberg’s career is skillfully woven into anecdotes featuring her exceptional mother, Emma Johnson, and her unique older brother, Clyde. All will remain in listeners’ thoughts after hearing this singular memoir and performance.
Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile’s website, and hear from Whoopi herself in her video interview with Michele. Published by Blackstone Audio.
Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile’s website.
Support for AudioFile’s Sound Reviews comes from Hachette Audio, and the audiobook edition of RELENTLESS by Luis A Miranda Jr, featuring a foreword read by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda. To find out more about this, and any other Hachette Audio productions, please visit www.hachetteaudio.com, or @HachetteAudio
This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/AUDIOFILE and get on your way to being your best self.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices