AUDIBLE SCHOLAR

Ama Hagan

When Ama first joined Audible as a high school intern back in 2017, she listened to mostly romance novels (the more dramatic the better). Now an Audible Scholar and full-time student at Wesleyan University, she still likes a good romance but has broadened her range of listening considerably. Most recently, inspired by a course in African literature, she's become a bit of an expert on African writers and the talented narrators whose performances bring their stories to life.

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight

By: Kimberly Jones, Gilly Segal

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Channie Waites

Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins

Release date: 09-04-19

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 609 ratings

Two Colors, One Goal

Race is thrown out of the window when two colors, black and white, find themselves stuck in a dangerous night. The two high school girls desperately try to make it home alive as riots seem to sprout everywhere around them. Each having their own personal problems, they still manage to travel throughout the night to their eventual safety. I felt as if I was running and hiding for my life with these two, occasionally losing them in the mix and finding them all over again. I was also just as frustrated as Campbell was to see Lena’s desperateness in getting to her boyfriend rather than getting home. In all of these tragic events, color did not matter although it may have seemed like that in the background. The ultimate goal was to stay alive together. As far as the narration, the switch between the two narrators made the story that much more amazing, especially since it made the conversation come alive. The differences in the tones and speeches would even have the reader feeling as if they are there hearing the two girls in talk, yell, fight each other and more.
The Beauty in Breaking

A Memoir

By: Michele Harper

Narrated by: Nicole Lewis

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Release date: 07-07-20

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 952 ratings

Its Doctor Hagan to You

Medical school all of a sudden became a little more nerve wrecking than it already was with this amazing listen that hones into the personal life and journey of a physician. As I started off listening in the first few chapters, I became very excited because I felt like I knew somewhat what was going on when it came to the health care workers tending to patients in the ER. My knowledge came from virtual clinical cases that I have been observing over the summer which also taught me how to approach different situations, such as a stroke, decreased cardiac output, etc. in the Emergency Room. Not only does this listen go through the personal life of a medical student who became a physician, but it highlights her experiences with different types of cases and people that she confronts in the ER. I loved this listen as it really speaks to the reality of a physician especially for an aspiring physician like me and all aspiring doctors should definitely come across this somewhere throughout their medical journey.
Presence

Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges

By: Amy Cuddy

Narrated by: Amy Cuddy

Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins

Release date: 12-22-15

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 7,442 ratings

How to Actually BE There

We find ourselves in situations where we know we are physically at a place, but people don’t seem to notice us. This listen teaches the listener what it means to not be present in a situation and how to actually be present in one. From the way we think, to our body language and even deeper into how we may eat, the idea of “presence” occurs in every aspect of our lives. Through this listen, we learn that people will only respond to us when we are actually present. This would be great for people who are preparing for big interviews, whether it is for a job or graduate school.

Getting To The Heart Of The Matter

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is the most controversial piece of literature I have ever come across in my years of reading about African people, African history, or anything African. Here's what I learned by confronting this "classic" and finding my own truth.

READ ON

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

By: Dr. Seuss

Narrated by: John Lithgow

Length: 7 mins

Release date: 09-20-07

Language: English

5 out of 5 stars 852 ratings

Where Will You Go?

Oh, the great narration! The excitement, the enthusiasm, the transition of tone, the music, and more! Graduates don’t give the books to your little brother, sister, or cousin just yet. This amazing production as short and as childlike it may be is one of the greatest listens and reads available. It is a book filled with advice and encouragement for those who are ready to enter the next chapter of their lives. John Lithgow narrates the book so passionately engaging the listener in the words that have so much meaning. He switches his tones from high and upbeat happiness as he exclaims “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” to a low, saddening tone when telling the listener of the downsides of reality. Near the end, his tone becomes much more optimistic as he then tells the listener that there are tasks awaiting the individual who has more at hand to tackle than to stick around waiting. So whether you graduated high school or college and just received this books as a gift, make sure to heed Dr. Seuss’s words and be moved by John Lithgow’s enthusiastic and encouraging narration.
Don't Worry, It Gets Worse

One Twentysomething's (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood

By: Alida Nugent

Narrated by: Alida Nugent

Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins

Release date: 03-25-15

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 70 ratings

The Twenties

Alida Nugent narrates her book in a way that sounds similar to a recent twenty something year old college graduate. There is a sense of being unsure of what to do with her life as she enters the real world and who to enter that real world with. There is worry in her choice of dieting and monotone in how much she should spend because she will literally have no more money if she overspends. You may have thought college was bad apart from the parties and the cool friends that you hung out with, but Nugent tells you that adulting gets worse. Growing up brings responsibility to an individual and her tone emulates the responsibility of a recently graduated twenty something year old.
The Kite Runner

By: Khaled Hosseini

Narrated by: Khaled Hosseini

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Release date: 08-01-03

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 20,328 ratings

Redemption is Key

Kite Runner is an eye opening book about the tragedies that occur within the life span of the protagonist. Listening to the author read as the narrator, Amir, allows the reader to follow him from his childhood to his adulthood. I learned to love Amir, as reckless as he is, but hate him simultaneously as he spoke of his constant perpetual sins, but also his desire to repent from them. His integrity and loyalty was questioned by his submissive servant’s son, Hassan, who dwelled with the family and built a very strong relationship with Amir regardless of how Amir mistreated and betrayed him. However, it can be argued the Amir’s actions were justifiable because he desired to help Hassan grow into a self-defending and independent man. This novel reveals a very deep secret near the middle which explains the actions of Baba, Amir’s father, towards Amir and Hassan as they were children. Near the end, the story comes to a very distinct closing referring back to the beauty of kites and a subtle image of how Amir runs after the kite for Hassan’s son the same way Hassan ran after the kite for Amir. This book is thrilling, and full of many captivating moments.
The Grapes of Wrath

By: John Steinbeck, Robert DeMott

Narrated by: Dylan Baker

Length: 21 hrs and 1 min

Release date: 06-15-11

Language: English

4.5 out of 5 stars 13,834 ratings

The Wrath Kept Them Going

The Grapes of Wrath is a great read especially for the English classes where students can listen to the dialect through Dylan Baker’s great narration. This literature is very heavy with diction that may not be easily processed when the eye quickly reads over it, but the reader can hear every detail of the novel when listening to it. This is a book that critiques institutions like religion, law enforcement, big business, etc. The reader also learns to love some of the characters, sympathize with them, as well as despise others. Although somewhat perplexing while reading, the audio helps to relieve some confusion and the listener is able to follow the plot of the story. The reader especially can highlight the themes that are laid out in Steinbeck’s non-narrative chapters and connect it to the life of the Joad family, the main characters in the novel.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

By: Junot Diaz

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Staci Snell

Length: 16 hrs

Release date: 12-31-06

Language: English

4 out of 5 stars 4,909 ratings

Zafa to the Fuku?

Audio is a very fond way of “reading” a book. Listening is more efficient than reading also because it can be done anywhere at any time such as walking, jogging or even eating lunch. Listening The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao took me on a journey with the various characters who have been victimized under authoritarianism. Oscar Wao was the perfect Dominican in his childhood years. He was the perfect example of hyper masculinity and captivated the attention from females a lot. However, all of that changes. Could it be the fuku that he inherited from his mother? Belicia, a mother of two, a “morena” with excessively black skin that resembles more with the Haitian identity, rather than the Dominican culture, has been born into this eternal curse or fuku. Her mother commits suicide, her father is jailed, and she is sold into slavery. Fuku! And where did this curse come from? Maybe it originated from the era of Trujillo, the tyrant of the family’s life. Lola, a girl who represented the Dominican dominant standard of beauty through her long hair grows up and becomes rebellious. She despises her dying mother and becomes the non-ideal child. Abelard, Lola, Oscar, Belicia, La Inca, the narrator Yunior, are all victims of this generational curse, but who gets closer to being the Zafa or even writing the counter spell to this curse? Find out through the journey of this novel about the brief, yet wondrous life of Oscar Wao and make your own suggestion about what the Zafa might be.