Behind the Mic With Kirkus Reviews

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten share what they love about this new collection of 44 short but moving biographies of Black Americans from ESPN’s The Undefeated. Narrator JD Jackson’s warm baritone makes an excellent companion to chapters featuring familiar icons, such as Barack Obama and Oprah, as well as lesser-known figures, such as Robert Abbott. This inspiring collection features ac...

A masterwork of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen is given a contemporary feel in a new L.A. Theatre Works production. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten share their thoughts on this piece of audio theater. The varied voices interact at breakneck speed and pacing, which can create a simultaneously overwhelming yet rewarding listening experience. Ibsen’s play is in full dramatic effect, wit...

Corretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award-winning author Mildred D. Taylor concludes her Logan family series with this moving audiobook. AudioFile’s Robin Whitten and host Jo Reed talk about the subtle yet emotive performance by Allyson Johnson. She welcomes listeners with her warm narration of a story centered around Cassie Logan, whom listeners first met as an 8-year-old in ROLL OF THUNDER,...

Chuck Palahniuk may be best known for FIGHT CLUB, and in this audiobook on the craft of writing, he shares what he’s learned over the years. AudioFile’s Jonathan Smith and host Jo Reed discuss Edoardo Ballerini’s talent as a narrator, making what could seem a self-aggrandizing work approachable and engaging. He conveys a degree of snark that anyone who has read Palahniuk won’t be surprised to hear...

Narrator Rachel Fulginiti is the calming voice behind this alarming audiobook about how Big Tech ate the economy and everyone’s privacy along with it. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Jonathan Smith talk about Rana Foroohar’s account of Big Tech—including Google, Amazon, and Facebook — and the industry’s avarice, lust for power and control, and endless appetite for everyone’s personal data. Listen to...

Narrator Will Damron makes Buddy Levy’s fascinating account of Greely’s Polar Expedition come to life. AudioFile’s Jonathan Smith and host Jo Reed discuss this audiobook history that takes listeners on a high-stakes mission to reach the North Pole. In the late nineteenth century, Greely’s crew conducted scientific research, launched rescue missions, and fought to stay alive. This is a harrowing ad...

Isaiah Quintabe is back in Joe Ide’s gripping PI series. AudioFile’s Jonathan Smith and host Jo Reed talk about narrator Zeno Robinson’s skills in narrating this dynamic mystery. Robinson not only provides narrative clarity and excellent pacing but also expertly voices a large cast of characters to the point where it’s hard to believe he’s this audiobook’s sole narrator. IQ’s latest case has espec...

Jessie and John Frémont captured the country’s attention in the 1800s, and Steve Inskeep’s enthusiasm and keen insights into their story are apparent in his audiobook narration. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Jonathan Smith discuss America’s first political couple on today’s episode. John Frémont was one of the United States’s leading explorers in the nineteenth century, and one of the most acclaime...

A young woman has put her soul at risk by bargaining with a monster. AudioFile’s Emily Connelly tells host Jo Reed what impressed her about narrator Angela Dawe’s performance in this audiobook full of myth and magic. Enna has struck a deal with a creature, Maekallus, and when he fails in his mission and finds himself trapped in the human realm, their lives become even more intertwined. Dawe is abl...

Carmen Maria Machado narrates her memoir chronicling an abusive relationship with her former girlfriend with a steady, vulnerable voice. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly share their thoughts on a compelling memoir from the National Book Award finalist (HER BODY & OTHER PARTIES). Machado and her then-girlfriend, “the Woman from the Dream House,” fell into an intense relationship. She cov...

Host Jo Reed welcomes Golden Voice narrator Jim Dale to Behind the Mic with AudioFile Magazine for a conversation about his audiobook narration and his extraordinary career in the entertainment industry. Jim Dale has narrated 40 audiobooks, including the Harry Potter series, treasured classics, the audiobook musical SPIN, and the worldwide bestseller, THE NIGHT CIRCUS. He’s garnered numerous award...

Bahni Turpin draws listeners back into the world of Orïsha, where Maji warriors and a corrupt monarchy battle to determine the fate of the kingdom. AudioFile’s Emily Connelly tells host Jo Reed about diving back into this dynamic new young adult audiobook from Tomi Adeyemi. Bahni truly excels in conveying all of the raw emotion, with Reaper Zélie and Princess Amari both mourning close family membe...

Meg is known as the “Planner of Park Slope” and is getting great recognition for the hand-lettering career she loves. Then why is everything going so wrong? Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Emily Connelly talk about a shared love for literary love letters to New York, and all the reasons this audiobook should be your next listen. Nicol Zanzarella’s playful and heartfelt delivery highlights Meg’s love...

Scoob has just jumped aboard his G’ma’s Winnebago for a road trip like no other — at least, that’s what Scoob thinks. AudioFile’s Emily Connelly tells host Jo Reed all about Nic Stone’s latest audiobook, narrated by Dion Graham. It has the perfect mix of humor and emotions, powerful writing, and complex lessons about personal and political injustices that are all marvelously expressed by Graham in...

A memorable debut novel on race, privilege, and money. AudioFile’s Michele Cobb tells host Jo Reed why she loved listening to this gripping audiobook. Nicole Lewis’s lively pacing and vivid characterizations enliven the story. Emira is an African American babysitter who is briefly and falsely accused of kidnapping her young charge. Lewis superbly captures the fallout from this disturbing encounter...

The story of how Prince’s memoir came to be is in many ways as compelling as the brief portion of his story we get in this audiobook. AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss this incomplete memoir. Dan Piepenbring’s introduction, which he narrates, tells of how he came to work with Prince on his memoir, and the tragedy of Prince’s death before they truly were able to dig into the writing...

A stirring audiobook, this novel about the aftermath of a fictional school shooting is told from multiple points of view. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb talk about how the second person narration of this shooting at a southern college provides the distance required to listen. Both the dialogue and narrative are tightly written, and narrator Charlie Thurston’s delivery recognizes their p...

A heart-wrenching graphic memoir adapted for audio for the first time. AudioFile’s Michele Cobb and host Jo Reed discuss this audiobook that doesn’t hold back. Graphic memoirs and graphic novels are such visual mediums, and this audiobook adaptation with more than 40 performers works to bring the story to vivid life. When he was 3 years old, Krosoczka’s grandparents removed him from his mother’s c...

Listeners will feel like they’re hearing true crime. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb discuss Steph Cha’s gripping mystery and the compelling dual narration of Greta Jung and Glenn Davis. Set in the aftermath of a police shooting of a black teenager in L.A., this is an audiobook that packs an emotional punch. No matter the scene, listeners will feel as though they are experiencing each ch...

AudioFile’s Robin Whitten and host Jo Reed discuss Susan Bennett’s narration of this multilayered novel on audio. In 1940, a young artist faces hostility from the people of Edenton, North Carolina, when she is hired to paint a mural in the post office. In 2018, a woman just out of prison uncovers disturbing details and sinister events while restoring the now decaying mural. Bennett adds an excitin...

Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Michelangelo’s masterpieces and this new audiobook from art historian Wallace. British actor Simon Callow’s magnificent basso profundo voice recounts the many projects this prolific sculptor, artist, and architect designed and executed. The book is centered around the last 20 years of Michelangelo’s life in mid-16th century Rome while he worked on...

Dive into a new series with characters from Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle. AudioFile’s Robin Whitten and host Jo Reed discuss this much anticipated spin-off series which does not disappoint, especially with the return of narrator Will Patton. Patton is totally in his element, narrating with a creepy, suspenseful, almost mournful tone that takes listeners on a wild ride of art forgers, dreamers, and dre...

Grab a front-row seat for a live performance by the incomparable Alan Cumming. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss this entertaining audiobook from the talented entertainer, recorded live at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City. Cumming is superb as he sings and monologues and doesn’t shy away from politics. His natural charm and sense of humor shine. He offers perceptive insig...

AudioFile’s Robin Whitten and host host Jo Reed discuss veteran travel writer Paul Theroux’s immersive look at Mexico, enlivened on audio by narrator Joseph Balderrama. Theroux’s journey through Mexico is enlightening and thorough, including border towns that are sites of high tension, neighborhoods of Mexico City, and rural areas of Oaxaca. Balderrama’s fluency in Spanish adds to his eloquent nar...

Mo Rocca is delightfully obsessed with underappreciated dead people—and dragons. AudioFile’s Jonathan Smith tells host Jo Reed why he enjoyed listening to author Rocca share a seemingly endless supply of interesting facts and observations. Rocca’s naturally enthusiastic performance enhances the drama and entertainment value of his excellent research and tight storytelling. CBS Sunday Morning viewe...