Read by the Author

“I adore our former president and I miss him. Yet I cannot help but be ecstatic that Michelle is coming out with a book about her own life so that I can learn more about this powerful, intelligent, and singularly awesome woman. Barack would be the first to say that his wife is a superstar, and I can’t wait to get my hands on Becoming to read about her in her own words.”

“This was a fun listen during my daily 20 minute one way commute. At first, I wasn't sure if I could listen to it given that 1) I had no idea who Retta was other then a comedy tv star and 2) there was a lot of talk about social media in the beginning that I couldn't relate to it since I'm not really on social media. But, as the seconds ticked by, I became invested in her story. I found her depiction of her childhood both truthful and amusing. And, even more so when she started to talk about her struggles with her career and other issues. What was fascinating is her use of twitter and how she loves her tv show. So much, that she live tweets to them. What I really enjoyed was her unbridled enthusiasm about things that she loves... things as mundane as handbags to HAMILTON. I really, really loved the Hamilton/Lin Manuel Miranda chapter. Plus, Retta is a funny and a true entertainer. I may have to put down my print reads at some point to check out Parks and Rec.”

“An absolutely fascinating memoir that combines a personal family account with one of America’s most recognizable foods. Seamlessly exploring the foundation of her family’s wealth and the seemingly cursed lives of three generations of women, Rowbottom has written a page-turning cultural history that hits on both the nostalgia many associate with Jell-O and the societal forces that propelled the brand.”

“I loved listening to this. While I disagreed with many of Beck's choices and decisions, I couldn't help rooting for her and wanting her to figure it ALL out. She's an engaging narrator as well as a talented writer. I especially loved President Obama's cameos and his warmth and dedication shown through. I am curious as to who some of the people are IRL since her descriptions definitely peaked my curiosity. I can't wait to see where she goes next.”

“This collection of short stories take place in Florida, but this is no Disney World! Dog snatching alligators, hurricanes and lurking panthers-just a few of the dangers in this well crafted book. I especially enjoyed "At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners"”

“Saying I loved this book would almost feel like an understatement. The minute I started reading it I got pulled in and couldn't stop until I was done. With beautiful prose, Sarah Winman tells a warm and utterly heart-breaking story. Ellis and Michael are connected, seemingly by fate, at the moment in their lives when they both lose their mothers and need to feel connected to someone. And the connection they make is the one that lasts a lifetime, the one that gets them through, and can't be broken even with the years they spend apart not knowing what the other is doing. Told from both Elli's and Michael's perspective, Tin Man is a story of loss, pain, secrets and shattering loneliness. But above all it’s a story of love and friendship, the need we all feel, to be connected and to belong.”

“Told from the perspectives of prisoners, victims, and staff, Kushner’s stunning depiction of a women’s prison centers on Romy Hall, twenty-nine and serving two life sentences for killing her stalker. Because she worked as a lap dancer, her public defender believed she’d hurt her case if she testified, so her story never came out in court. That’s just one of many outrages Romy is helpless to address. Worse is discovering she’s lost parental rights to her seven-year-old. Even so, the knowledge that her son exists is Romy’s life line. He gives her courage to endure, and even to plan a kind of future—even in the age of mass incarceration, which, the prisoners note, has made prison more horrifying than it was before.”

“I've loved everything Leslie Jamison's written, but best of all so far is The Recovering, a memoir/history/criticism-hybrid that takes addiction and recovery as its subject. Every time I sat down with this book, I felt like I was in the company of my smartest friend, someone who knew all the right words for life's greatest pleasures and pains. Her book moves fluidly from personal remembrances to perfectly synthesized research into how and why people (herself and artists and others) elect to warp their consciousness with substances. The Recovering is a thorough and thoughtful look at many of our worst and some of our best tendencies, and Jamison's continually compelling style makes it a delight to read.”

“This memoir is about trauma and privilege, self-loathing, and a silent fear kept secret for far too long. It's about our obsession with body weight and body image, what happens when we internalize our pain and become self-destructive, and how very, very large people are treated in humiliating ways. The descriptions of addictive behavior and the journey to want to heal make this book more universal than I expected. When you decide that this is the day you're going to change and you get out of bed and fail, that's pretty normal. You'll have another chance tomorrow - just remember to like yourself enough to overcome the fear of healing and try again. Highly recommend.”

“Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich didn't set out to investigate murder of six-year-old Jeremy Guillory in Louisiana; it was the case she happened upon as a young law school intern in 1992. In a fascinating twist, this becomes not only the true story of a heinous crime for which the perpetrator is in prison, but also of the investigation that unlocks the author's memories of her own youth, a childhood in which she and her sisters were repeatedly sexually abused by their maternal grandfather. As Marzano-Lesnevich moves backward and forward in time between the young man who killed Jeremy and her own life, the reader is swept along on a current of dismay and awe: dismay that human beings can do these things to each other, and awe that the author could face such demons and move on. I've never read another book like this.”

“I have been a fan of Paula Poundstore since I was a kid- her sense of humor is so distinct and relatable! I ended up listening to the audiobook version just to hear her tell her story of her search of human happiness, which I definitely recommend! ”

“I know what this book looks like, and it's true that it's a '90s celebrity's memoir. But the other parts of this book are so remarkable that to limit its description to that would be an injustice. Gabrielle Union is an honest writer and cultural critic. I'm ashamed I didn't know this until now. Her reflections on race, gender, and authenticity in an industry that values anything but are refreshing and ring true. These are the portions of the book that really sparkle on the page. Writer to reader, friend to friend, Union simply shares some of her stories, and I was glad to be a part.”