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Audiobooks read by their authors

Audio

The Boys

Review by G. Robert Frazier

Happy days are here again. Or perhaps should we say, happier days.

That’s the first impression when listening to the soft-spoken, down-home tones of Ron Howard, better known to the world as forever young Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham of “Andy Griffith” and “Happy Days,” respectively. In The Boys (13 hours), Howard takes turns with his brother, Clint, also a child actor in “Gentle Ben,” to reminisce about their memories of being icons to millions of adoring viewers in the 1960s and ’70s.

Both Howards emphasize how their parents guided their lives as child actors through encouragement and strong values, even at the expense of their own Hollywood careers. Ron’s dulcet tones are offset to a degree by Clint’s grittier voice, but somehow the pair complement each other to perfection. Their sincerity and admiration for their parents’ influence echo in every memorable, heartfelt passage.

If you didn’t know better, you’d swear you were sitting at the family dinner table as the Howard boys regaled you with stories of their early days in Hollywood.

If you didn’t know better, you’d swear you were sitting at the family dinner table as the Howard boys regaled you with stories of their early days in Hollywood.
Audio

The Storyteller

Review by G. Robert Frazier

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl’s memoir, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music (10.5 hours), is as raw and unfiltered as his music.

The two-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, guitarist and drummer reads his book in a gruff, sometimes hoarse voice, discussing his lifelong passion for music, his rock influences, his early experiences in Nirvana and the thrill of standing center stage before 50,000 screaming fans. Largely self-taught, Grohl explains how his life has been and will forever be defined by sound, “like an unfinished mixtape waiting to be sent.” His love for making music, which he describes as being in his DNA, is surpassed only by the pride he expresses in his daughter’s fledgling interest in rock music.

If you love the Foo Fighters’ signature wall of sound, you’ll find Grohl’s delivery of his life story to be intensely upbeat and inspiring.

If you love the Foo Fighters’ signature wall of sound, you’ll find Dave Grohl’s delivery of his life story to be intensely upbeat and inspiring.
NonfictionAudio

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play

Review by Mari Carlson

Best known for his role as Ron Swanson on “Parks and Recreation,” Nick Offerman offers an escape from the grind with his latest audiobook, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside (11.5 hours).

The book is a response to a challenge put to Offerman by agrarian philosopher Wendell Berry in 2018: to experience nature more like Aldo Leopold than John Muir. Instead of gazing upon pristine sights, Offerman’s project entails getting dirty, digging into the past and infusing daily life (including social media) with the gifts of the wilderness. He does so by way of three excursions: hiking in Glacier National Park with friends George Saunders and Jeff Tweedy; visiting British author Jeff Rebanks’ sheep farm; and traveling cross-country in an Airstream with his wife, actor Megan Mullally. Tales of pit stops, gear purchases and dangerous falls give the book a gritty, grassroots feel.

Offerman infuses this refreshing take on America’s environmental and social landscapes with disarming humor, and his husky voice is a perfect invitation to the great outdoors.

Read our review of the print edition of ‘Where the Deer and the Antelope Play.’

Nick Offerman’s husky narration of Where the Deer and the Antelope Play is a perfect invitation to the great outdoors.
NonfictionAudio

These Precious Days

Review by Maya Fleischmann

Author Ann Patchett narrates her essay collection These Precious Days (11 hours) with a warm familiarity that inspires reflection.

Patchett adopts a conversational, easygoing style in these 22 personal essays, which include anecdotes about growing up in a blended family, decluttering her life and managing social expectations for women and couples, especially pertaining to having children. Amid this mosaic of moments, she also shares wisdom about her writing practice and thoughts on life and death. The common thread in this collection is the value of our experiences, and Patchett’s grounding and encouraging voice emphasizes that our imperfections have a unique place and perfection of their own.

These Precious Days is a mindful and life-affirming journey that is sure to inspire contemplation in writers and nonwriters alike. It’s especially recommended for readers who enjoyed Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom and The Writing Life by Annie Dillard.

Read our starred review of the print edition of ‘These Precious Days.’

Ann Patchett narrates her essay collection These Precious Days with a warm familiarity that inspires reflection.
NonfictionAudioHumorEssays

Black Nerd Problems

Review by Autumn Allen

The essay collection Black Nerd Problems (8 hours) presents the opinions of William Evans and Omar Holmon, creators of the website by the same name. The two explore geek culture topics ranging from the frivolous to the serious, from the shifting definition of nerd to deep dives into Black superheroes.

The think pieces in this collection beg to be read aloud, and Evans and Holmon deliver high-energy performances with humor and verve, making this audiobook a real treat for fans of pop culture critique. It won’t surprise anyone to discover that the authors are poets as well, and the conviction behind each of their declarations makes the listener feel like they’re hearing a lively podcast or sitting around a table arguing with friends.

Whether you disagree with their opinions, find them insightful and thought-provoking or are indifferent to the subject matter, you will undoubtedly be entertained by Evans and Holmon’s performance.

The authors of this essay collection perform their audiobook with humor and verve. It’s a real treat for fans of popular culture critique.
NonfictionAudioParenting

Act Like You Got Some Sense

Review by Maya Fleischmann

In this often hilarious and consistently stirring performance, comedian, actor and all-around celebrity Jamie Foxx dishes on his toughest role: being a father. Throughout Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me (6 hours), Foxx brings honesty and heart to touching stories about his childhood—growing up with an absent mother and being raised by a loving and unyielding grandmother—and shows how these experiences guided him when he became a parent. Foxx’s impersonations of family members are dynamic and animated, as are his exasperated (and sometimes expletive-filled) responses to the trials and tribulations of parenthood. 

In an equally candid and heartwarming foreword, Foxx’s eldest daughter, Corinne, affirms that, despite some unconventional parenting, her father always showed up for her and her sister, and always conveyed his love for his family. Throughout his rise to fame, Foxx’s continual efforts to stay grounded and live by the values instilled in him by his grandmother shine through in the raising of his daughters. 

This inspiring, raucous and entertaining listening experience brims with attitude and positivity about embracing parenthood and the ups and downs of life. 

In this often hilarious and consistently stirring performance, comedian, actor and all-around celebrity Jamie Foxx dishes on his toughest role: being a father.
NonfictionAudioMemoir

Unbound

Review by Autumn Allen

For Tarana Burke, the explosion of the #MeToo movement in 2017 was a unique emotional journey. As the founder of the movement, she reacted to the use of the hashtag on social media—initially without her awareness or involvement—with alarm, dismay and fear. But she soon moved beyond her protective instinct to a place of gratitude and openness, as she recognized how people were benefiting from the phrase’s transformative power. 

Burke narrates these moments in her memoir, Unbound (7 hours), then goes back in time to her childhood experience of sexual assault and her journey to liberation and activism. Her steady, grounded voice commands the listener’s attention and moves us through time, through emotions, through visceral experiences and psychological breakthroughs. The pain, confusion, vulnerability and, ultimately, power in her story are rendered all the more potent and compelling by her confident voice, distinguishing Burke as a woman who has found her strength and her path to help others heal. This is a listening experience not to be missed.

Read our starred review of the print edition of ‘Unbound.’

In the audio edition of Unbound, the pain, confusion, vulnerability and power in Tarana Burke’s story are rendered all the more potent by her confident voice.

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