The audiobook industry is thriving as much as ever, with busy people finding convenient ways to consume their entertainment or school studies with better comprehension than reading. While this is not everyone’s go-to replacement for a good paperback, the vast selection of enjoyable packages on Audible sometimes makes for a perfect alternative. Here are some very different books that will make an easy entry point into the audiobook world for any listener.
We Are A Haunting
The newest entry on this list is a debut novel of wonder, authenticity, and social awareness written by a fresh voice in New York fiction. Tyriek White’s We Are A Haunting is an impressive, heartrending novel that is as gripping as it is individual, and the audiobook version brings out the best in White’s vision.
Narrated by three compelling voice performers, this audiobook captures the multiple eras of the family that We Are A Haunting covers, with three generations of characters interweaving across each chapter. Modern fiction fans who enjoy the lyrical side of poetic modern fiction will be the most drawn in, but the story itself is very moving as well.
Once I Was You
The memoir of Maria Hinojosa, anchor of NPR’s Latino USA program and irreplaceable voice for Hispanic-American communities, is a searing tale of the immigrant experience in South Side Chicago, so it is only fitting that the audiobook version is self-narrated. While the outer framing is autobiography, the journalist’s life as told by her book is a pressing message to the people of the United States to reflect on their pasts and channel the lessons we have learned into the future for systematic change, using personal experience to outline her universally applicable calls to action.
Hinojosa is well-known as a dedicated reporter of Latinx issues, and her memoir conveys the knowledge, commitment, and understanding of decades of significant work. Her vocal performance on the audiobook version of Once I Was You is simultaneously narratively alluring and informative, another noteworthy quality of a seasoned non-fiction veteran.
The Road
If you are looking for an American classic, The Road is one of the coolest and darkest to pick. Though future Mindhunter creator Joe Penhall already adapted Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic The Road to film in 2009, the original novel tells the hopeless tale in the most devastating fashion imaginable.
Tom Stechschulte narrates the official version of The Road on Audible, and while his other credits have successful and deeply enthralling performances as well, this is by far his best. The novel is a true standout classic and a must-hear in this emotionally crushing audiobook version.
Strega Nona
Unexpectedly, children’s books can also work well as audiobooks. With three separate editions to choose from in hearing this timeless picture book come to life, you can test each method on your favorite book-loving child to see which works best for you.
John McDonough reads the most straightforward version of Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona, while the other two offerings have something more exciting in the presentation. Peter Hawkins’s reading is much more dramatic in the voice of the matronly Strega Nona and the young Big Anthony, with an attached page-turning sound so the listener can follow along with the pictures if desired, and the final edition features narration by the author and a delightful score of Italian-style music.
Each of these books is streaming now on Audible and Spotify.
