For those contemplating long car trips to wrap up the summer, or just lying on the beach or in the shade with a tall glass of iced tea, few treats are greater than hearing the author of a memoir read her own words (all downloaded from Libro.fm).
Finding Me, written and read by Viola Davis (HarperOne, $17.99 paper), won the 2023 Audie Awards' Audiobook of the Year, and this listener can see (hear) why. Davis held me rapt with her survival stories--living through hunger and poverty in Rhode Island while also working hard in school to excel; the looming presence of predatory older men; holding down jobs in high school despite long commutes, and using it all as grist for her performance mill. One of the standout scenes involves Davis's audition for Juilliard, and how her honesty and necessity combined for a climactic turn of events.
Another harrowing story of surviving childhood comes from Jennette McCurdy, who narrates her memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died (S&S, $27.99). Fans who grew up watching iCarly--and even folks (like me) who did not--will be amazed by what went on behind the scenes for the child actress who played Sam Puckett. The extraordinary observation derived from both Davis's and McCurdy's memoirs is that, as a child, you don't question the behavior of the adults around you; you believe everyone is having the same experience you're having, and this somehow allows you to keep getting out of bed in the morning to do what needs to be done to get through another day. What McCurdy's mother put her through would be incredible if we as an audience weren't hearing it directly from the survivor. She wound up in a career she'd never wanted, attempting to escape it in any way she could. Let's hope writing wins out, and we'll hear much more from McCurdy in the years to come.
Lessons in Chemistry by debut author Bonnie Garmus (Doubleday, $29) may not be memoir, but listeners (and readers) will grow so fond of Elizabeth Zott, the stunningly beautiful chemist protagonist whose brilliance is overshadowed by her looks, that it may be hard to stop exercising or driving or whatever else you may be doing as you listen. Miranda Raison's narration perfectly captures Zott's almost naïve belief that truth and hard work will prevail in early 1960s Southern California, and her twisty road of having to give up the lab for a stint as a TV cooking show host, in order to fulfill another role she'd never wanted: mother. That Zott does both beautifully (though not without bumps along the way) is a tribute to her hardwon belief in herself and the way she inspires the women around her. If you listen now, you'll be ready for the TV series, with Brie Larson in the starring role, premiering October 13 on Apple TV+.
There's also a wonderful subplot about Zott's introduction to and mastery of rowing, which led me to... The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (Penguin, $19). It chronicles the true story of the unlikely rise of the University of Washington's crew team all the way to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Brown's words, and Edward Herrmann's reading of them, plunge readers into the lives of these young collegiate rowers, their coaches, coxswains, and the man who made their boat, George Yeomans Pocock. Pocock's quotes, which kick off most chapters, are worth the price of admission. Hearing what many of these young men went through--growing up during the Depression, their training, what they gave up to excel in school and on the water--makes one temporarily forget that we know they actually did make it to the Olympics. The undercurrent of Hitler's rise alongside that of the nine young men of Washington's crew only adds to the air of foreboding and suspense. George Clooney directed the film version, set for a December 25 release, which stars Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, the rower who first drew Daniel James Brown to this story. This is one for the entire family. How I wish I were listening to these four stories again, for the first time. --Jennifer M. Brown, senior editor, Shelf Awareness