Meryl

I was honored to be able to hear so candidly the ups and downs of this beautiful, graceful actor. I have always admired her and now having read her story along with her mother's story, I am more in awe of her. She speaks with such truth.

My grandfather had a premonition and fled Germany before the war. My mother was ten when they emigrated to the United States. Our family lost a lot of family and friends.

When I listened to this memoir Wanda McCaddon's voice brought back memories of my grandmother's voice. My grandmother taught me to sew.

This is a truly riveting story of one woman and her family's survival during the Hitler regime. I've read a lot about the war. I have to keep reading about it. It's part of the fabric of my people. This history must be kept alive.

I am a seamstress and sewed the whole time I listened to this audiobook. My latest quilt got wet from all the tears I shed listening to Sara Turvel's story. I'm so glad she had her story finally published.

This audiobook, Super Brain, is packed with information that is uplifting, easy to follow, challenges us all to be more creative, healthy and fulfill our highest potential.

I feel encouraged and inspired to continue my journey as a lifelong learner, meditator, exerciser and healthy eater. This audiobook sure makes the case for doing all these things and more.

I have loved the writings and lectures of Deepak Chopra over the years. I am also grateful for the insights of Rudolph Tanzi. The narration is spot on.

There was a lot said, it was rich in information. One time listening does not seem enough.

Get it, listen to it and follow the instructions. Then listen again.

I was captivated by the story and motivated to read on. Gaige's style is interesting. I thought the narrator was excellent. Collyer made the main character seem believable even appealing at times. Schroder/Kennedy made one bad decision after another. Painful.

Having been through a difficult divorce (with children) I could feel the angst created in the story line. You felt angst throughout the audio.

I would recommend this book whole heartedly except that the end was not good. I like a book to have a true beginning, middle and end. I was disappointed with the end. I felt like the story stopped abruptly and I was left saying to myself, "Huh?".

I watched an interview with Jane Fonda recently and thought she has aged beautifully, is sensitive and articulate with the ability to laugh at herself. I’d like to age with such grace and since I am about to enter my “third act” as Jane Fonda calls 60+, I was open to the lessons Fonda had for me.

I have come away with mixed reviews. I did learn things, I was also bored by some of the more elementary sections of information.

What I liked and appreciated was being read aloud to by Jane Fonda. Her voice was faltering and slow but it felt personal and for the most part sincere. I learned about generativity which for me is a new concept. I want my “third act” to be based on this new concept. I learned about other books, doctors, and authors that Fonda quoted. I plan to look into reading these books, learning about the doctors. I enjoyed some of Fonda’s confessions, self disclosures, and anecdotes.

What I didn’t like was that the book read too much like a very basic “how to” book. The part about what to eat, the lists of foods or amounts of foods was not necessary. For some of us this is far too elementary.

I think Fonda is intelligent and witty. I think she is a great actor and did wonders for the fitness boom especially for women. I appreciate that she quoted lots of doctors. However I feel that some subjects should have been left for experts. These areas fell short of insights or credibility.

I was able to find wisdom. I really like the concept of a “third act”. This appealed to me and I found myself feeling more hopeful as I shortly enter my “third act”.

I laughed, I cried. When an audiobook can inspire the whole gamut of human emotions then I'm satisfied. I was very glad that the authors took the time to read their own stories.

I wish my daughter and I had been clever enough to have written this book ourselves. We have similar stories and we similarly lean on each other and are each other's best friend. In other words, I could relate to these short stories easily, laughing with authors, laughing at the authors, laughing at myself because everything could have been me or my daughter, and definitely feeling the same pangs of shame, guilt, or sadness that the authors also wonderfully conveyed.

A sure bet.

Exceptionally well read by both readers. I loved all the characters. Difficult, weighty subjects gracefully, tenderly addressed.

Not a Jewish American literary masterpiece like Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth nor does it contain the wit of Jewish comedic geniuses such as Woody Allen or Seinfeld, but a still, a good listen. I was moved by the realistic characters in the audio with all their flaws and imperfections. Each character is lovable perhaps because each could rise above their individual condition of being imperfect. I didn’t find this audiobook funny. It’s depressing. I chuckled but barely a few times throughout. So if you are looking for a good laugh, laugh elsewhere. I wouldn’t pass it up though. If you’re a Jewish woman as I am you’ll relate. If addiction runs rampant in your family you will relate. If you’ve witnessed or experienced betrayal or its opposite, loyalty and love, you will relate.

Though this is a very intricate, long audio, I found myself wanting to know more and I was thoroughly involved and motivated to continue. This audio had many surprises, unwinding subtly and artfully. I was absorbed and intrigued. I am glad I continued. It was wonderful. Are there secrets in all the histories of our lives?

This is a disturbing tale written in beautiful prose. I am grateful for the information I gleaned by listening to this tale, a partial powerful autobiography. Knowing this truth is completely moving.

For me there seems to be an incongruity with the first person narrative from a little girl and the sophisticated language (such as her amazing and stunning similes and metaphors) she uses.

The narrator did sound like a little girl. This worked.

I found that my favorite part of the audio was the ending which was an epilogue spoken by the author. This made the most sense to me. It was the most moving part of this book. I would rather have listened to her speak about her own life from the start without having turned her story into a novel.

I am extremely moved by the writing of Junot Diaz. What a gift this man has. He speaks his truth from his heart and gut. These stories are raw and vulnerable, filled with what it's like to be a young Dominican man in and out of love and lust, both the highs and lows. These stories are powerful and I wanted more. I loved his first novel and I loved these short stores. I wish for more. His writing is art. I think he is an excellent writer, story teller, artist, he is full of soul.