From Whoopi Goldberg telling you the story of her life to the biography of a civil rights icon, from the lives of three jazz greats and Billie Holiday's last year to what Stanley Tucci ate in a year, AudioFile magazine's best biography and memoir audiobooks of 2024.
Every year the editors at AudioFile magazine spend a lot of time putting together their best-of-the-year list of recommended audiobooks, picking out titles they regard as exceptional. In particular, they look for books that are “uniquely audio”—i.e. you get something extra from listening to (as opposed to reading) the book. Memoirs are a good example. “We always love memoirs,” says AudioFile founder and editor Robin Whitten, “like Stan Tucci’s What I Ate In One Year. Would you really want to read that instead of hearing him tell you? I don’t think so.”
Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg and narrated by Whoopi Goldberg
Entertainer Whoopi Goldberg’s raspy timbre and amused tone make her the only person appropriate to narrate her memoir. As listeners hear just a trace of a New York City inflection at the ends of some sentences, the story of Goldberg’s career is skillfully woven into anecdotes featuring her exceptional mother, Emma Johnson, and her unique older brother, Clyde.
(6.5 hours)
Bitter Crop: The Heartache and Triumph of Billie Holiday’s Last Year by Paul Alexander, narrated by Maya Days
Performing this revealing look at the complexities of the revered jazz pioneer Billie Holiday, actress Maya Days connects with every ounce of the brilliance and tragedy of the singer’s life. Her heartfelt resonance with Holiday’s difficult life makes the author’s evocative writing riveting.
(12 hours)
John Lewis: A Life by David Greenberg, narrated by David Sadzin
John Lewis has been described as a quiet revolutionary and the conscience of Congress. This sums up the two halves of this biography, which covers his early years as a frontline civil rights campaigner and his later years as a driving force on Capitol Hill. David Sadzin’s smooth narration adds to the compelling nature of the text.
(24.5 hours hours)
Profiles in Mental Health Courage by Patrick J. Kennedy and Stephen Fried, narrated by Johnny Heller and Patrick J. Kennedy
Johnny Heller’s moving performance of this excellent audiobook is never out of sync with the shifting moods and overall poignant content offered by the articulate congressman and his cowriter. The authors recount the stories of 12 prominent people with psychiatric disorders as they struggled to manage their symptoms, seek help, and integrate their conditions with their work and personal relationships.
(10 hours)
3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool by James Kaplan, narrated by Dion Graham
This absorbing audiobook looks at the lives of three jazz greats—Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans. Their lives were challenging and full of pathos, which narrator Dion Graham captures with the empathy and vocal talent he’s known for. Pauses, pitch patterns, and finely modulated intensity make his performance sing but never upstage the drama.
(14 hours)
What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci, narrated by Stanley Tucci
A nuanced narrator who plays with tone and tempo like a jazz musician, Stanley Tucci knows how to be ironic, self-effacing, witty, and charming, yet his performance is most satisfying because of his restraint. Tucci is a creative gourmand who is mischievous (he whispers his preparation of pigeon breasts) and masterfully ends each section with suggestions, recipes, appreciations, and observations.
(7.75 hours)
For their best-of-the-year lists, AudioFile editors choose books in a variety of genres—from novels to nonfiction, and from single voice to full-cast productions. You can listen to a podcast with Robin Whitten, founder and editor of AudioFile, explaining how they make their selections here. Throughout December, AudioFile editors will also be focusing on the best books in different categories in their ‘Behind the Mic’ podcast.
December 8, 2024
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