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An American Childhood
- Narrated by: Alexandra O’Karma
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
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The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his. In December 2000, the Baltimore Sun ran a small piece about Wes Moore, a local student who had just received a Rhodes Scholarship. The same paper also ran a series of articles about four young men who had allegedly killed a police officer in a spectacularly botched armed robbery. The police were still hunting for two of the suspects who had gone on the lam, a pair of brothers. One was named Wes Moore.
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Publisher's Summary
Sometimes there is an entire year that sparkles in the memory as a time brimming over with the fullness of life. By the age of 10, Annie’s intervals of awakening began to occur more frequently; the hours and minutes of the years that followed were spent reveling in the delights and the anguishes that accompany being fully alive.
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What listeners say about An American Childhood
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- w.l.
- 08-27-20
Nothing compares to Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
While there is something I love about Annie Dillard, I can't seem to find another book she has written that is worth my time - yet I keep trying. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek truly spoke to me and fed all my love of reading, exploring, and nature. It inspired me. Somehow I feel a kinship to her. But other than that one book, nothing else has done it.
She writes with the incredible knowledge of one who was born to art and words. Her descriptions sing. She does not simply see a person or place, she breathes it. A person is described in the way an artist sees, with words that give the reader a picture that is real. A person's movements, muscle, sinew, and demeanor jumps from a page. So, what's wrong? Her topics, I think.
I expected a lot from this book. I got the music, description, character, attitude, time, and place. I could see her thoughts and vision. What I could not get was my own emotional involvement. I simply did not care about her story, so highly regarded by others. I admired her, but just did not feel moved. Perhaps this comes from a lack of interest in Pittsburgh, or what seemed to me, her odd childhood. I could not relate.
I keep trying. I read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and was blown away. I read The Maytrees and Teaching a Stone to Talk, and now An American Childhood. I admire her style, but so far no other book by her sings to me.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Betty S. Humphries
- 04-16-21
How could Annie Dillard be hailed as such a great writer
I was not a fan... maybe her other stories are more interesting
She has intense literary devices
But the content put me to sleep
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dr. David Good
- 07-22-13
terrific memoir!
Masterful account of a precocious, world-embracing, spiritual, and mind-expanding childhood. Annie Dillard is phenomenal and unique! Superb narration is a bonus.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- J.C.D.
- 03-16-16
PRIVILEGED CHILDHOOD
If you could sum up An American Childhood in three words, what would they be?
PRIVILEGED ELITIST MUSINGS
Who was your favorite character and why?
Probably the father - he tried to do something different by sailing his boat to Louisiana; otherwise, they were all dull people.
What about Alexandra O’Karma’s performance did you like?
She was okay.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
This book is not worthy of a film. There's hardly a story there.
1 person found this helpful
