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My Brilliant Life
- Narrated by: Raymond J. Lee
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
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Publisher's Summary
"A moving, earnest, and deeply-felt exploration of a unique family in all its joys and disappointments...an utter delight." (Claire Lombardo, New York Times best-selling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had)
Ae-ran Kim's My Brilliant Life explores family bonds and out-of-the-ordinary friendships, interweaving the past and present of a tight-knit family, finding joy and happiness in even the most difficult times.
Areum lives life to its fullest, vicariously through the stories of his parents, conversations with Little Grandpa Jang- his 60-year-old neighbor and best friend - and through the books he reads to visit the places he would otherwise never see.
For several months, Areum has been working on a manuscript, piecing together his parents’ often embellished stories about his family and childhood. He hopes to present it on his birthday, as a final gift to his mom and dad; their own falling-in-love story.
Through it all, Areum and his family will have you laughing and crying, for all the right reasons.
A Macmillan Audio production from Forge Books
"This novel snuck up on me and captured my heart." (Margarita Montimore, USA Today best-selling author of Oona Out of Order)
"Kim's beautifully written novel is exquisitely brought to life by Raymond J. Lee's performance." (AudioFile magazine)
Critic Reviews
"Reading Ae-ran Kim is to fall in love with her." (Kyung sook Shin, New York Times best-selling and Man Asian Prize-winning author of Please Look After Mom)
“Poetic...the humor, wisdom, and grace of this family carry us through a touching story of the hardest of times.” (Laurie Frankel, New York Times best-selling author of This Is How It Always Is)
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What listeners say about My Brilliant Life
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Rae Stang
- 08-28-21
TOUCHING, SAD YET UPLIFTING
An unusual story about family relationships, illness, death. The narration was excellent and the story was quite surprising. I really enjoyed it
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-
Story5 out of 5 stars 26
Aaron and Tillie don't know each other, but they are both feeling suicidal, and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn't sure what her problem is - only that she will never be good enough. On the bridge, there are four things that could happen: Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't. Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't. They both jump. Neither of them jumps. Or maybe all four things happen....
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5 out of 5 stars
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A life saver
- By Maura on 05-28-22
By: Bill Konigsberg
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Almond
- A Novel
- By: Won-pyung Sohn
- Narrated by: Greg Chun
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 360
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 309
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 307
Yunjae was born with a brain condition called alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. He does not have friends - the two almond-shaped neurons located deep in his brain have seen to that - but his devoted mother and grandmother aren’t fazed by his condition. Their little home above his mother’s used bookstore is decorated with colorful Post-it notes that remind him when to smile, when to say "thank you", and when to laugh. Yunjae grows up content, even happy, with his small family in this quiet, peaceful space.
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4 out of 5 stars
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So many quotes to choose from...
- By Lori G. on 01-31-22
By: Won-pyung Sohn
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The How & the Why
- By: Cynthia Hand
- Narrated by: Phoebe Strole, Erin Spencer
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 27
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 27
Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for; they’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs - but she has questions, too. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can’t answer, no matter how much they love her. But 18 years ago, someone wrote Cass a series of letters. And they may just hold the answers Cass has been searching for.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great story!
- By Grace McCreary on 12-13-22
By: Cynthia Hand
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Breasts and Eggs
- By: Mieko Kawakami
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller, Jeena Yi
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 371
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 321
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Story4 out of 5 stars 322
Breasts & Eggs paints a portrait of contemporary womanhood in Japan and recounts the intimate journeys of three women as they confront oppressive mores and their own uncertainties on the road to finding peace and futures they can truly call their own. It tells the story of three women: the 30-year-old Natsu, her older sister, Makiko, and Makiko’s daughter, Midoriko. Makiko has traveled to Tokyo in search of an affordable breast enhancement procedure. She is accompanied by Midoriko, who has recently grown silent.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Masterful Writing and Performance
- By Noelle on 03-01-21
By: Mieko Kawakami
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A Happy Catastrophe
- A Novel
- By: Maddie Dawson
- Narrated by: Amy McFadden
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 587
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 522
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 521
Marnie MacGraw and Patrick Delaney have been in love for a few years now, enough to realize that they are imperfectly perfect together. Still, there are some things that maybe need a little attention. Marnie’s ebullient; he’s brooding. She thrives on change; he prefers stability. She sees marriage and parenthood in their future, but he can’t see beyond the shadow of an earlier tragedy. Then an eight-year-old surprise from Patrick’s past shows up on their doorstep, cartwheeling into their lives and spinning things in all directions.
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3 out of 5 stars
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I wish I had read it instead of listening to it.
- By Dave & Amy Astle on 10-08-20
By: Maddie Dawson
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Somebody's Daughter
- A Memoir
- By: Ashley C. Ford
- Narrated by: Ashley C. Ford
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,146
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 963
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 960
Through poverty, adolescence, and a fraught relationship with her mother, Ashley Ford wishes she could turn to her father for hope and encouragement. There are just a few problems: he’s in prison, and she doesn’t know what he did to end up there. She doesn’t know how to deal with the incessant worries that keep her up at night, or how to handle the changes in her body that draw unwanted attention from men. In her search for unconditional love, Ashley begins dating a boy her mother hates.
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5 out of 5 stars
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It gives words to the journey of so many brown girls.
- By Kenyon Martin on 06-06-21
By: Ashley C. Ford
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The Bridge
- By: Bill Konigsberg
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 27
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Story5 out of 5 stars 26
Aaron and Tillie don't know each other, but they are both feeling suicidal, and arrive at the George Washington Bridge at the same time, intending to jump. Aaron is a gay misfit struggling with depression and loneliness. Tillie isn't sure what her problem is - only that she will never be good enough. On the bridge, there are four things that could happen: Aaron jumps and Tillie doesn't. Tillie jumps and Aaron doesn't. They both jump. Neither of them jumps. Or maybe all four things happen....
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5 out of 5 stars
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A life saver
- By Maura on 05-28-22
By: Bill Konigsberg
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
- By: Benjamin Alire Saenz
- Narrated by: Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9,528
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 8,737
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,725
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship - the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
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5 out of 5 stars
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One of the best novels I've listened to in years.
- By Nyx on 10-27-13
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Hope and Other Punch Lines
- By: Julie Buxbaum
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Robbie Daymond, Julie Buxbaum
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 56
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 53
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
Abbi Hope Goldstein is like every other teenager, with a few smallish exceptions: Her famous alter ego, Baby Hope, is the subject of internet memes, she has asthma, and sometimes, people spontaneously burst into tears when they recognize her. Abbi has lived almost her entire life in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of September 11. On that fateful day, she was captured in what became an iconic photograph: In the picture, Abbi (aka "Baby Hope") wears a birthday crown and grasps a red balloon; just behind her, the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Terrible book
- By Lindsey on 08-20-20
By: Julie Buxbaum
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Let's Never Talk About This Again
- A Memoir
- By: Sara Faith Alterman
- Narrated by: Sara Faith Alterman
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 65
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Samantha Irby meets Bettyville in this darkly funny and poignant memoir about love, loss, Alzheimer's, and reviving her father's pornographic writing career, from writer and Mortified live producer Sara Faith Alterman. In this cringeworthy, hilarious, and moving memoir, Sara shares the profound experience of discovering new facets of her father; once as a child, and again as an adult. Let's Never Talk About This Again is a must-hear confessional from a woman who spent years trying to find humor in the perverse and optimism in the darkness, and succeeded.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Stay with it past the first few chapters
- By Jamie L. Usry on 04-29-21
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All My Puny Sorrows
- By: Miriam Toews
- Narrated by: Erin Moon
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 387
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 340
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Story4 out of 5 stars 340
Elf and Yoli are sisters. While on the surface Elfrieda's life is enviable (she's a world-renowned pianist, glamorous, wealthy, and happily married,) and Yolandi's a mess (she's divorced and broke, with two teenagers growing up too quickly), they are fiercely close - raised in a Mennonite household and sharing the hardship of Elf's desire to end her life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant and beautiful
- By Mira on 03-17-16
By: Miriam Toews
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With or Without You
- By: Caroline Leavitt
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 57
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
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Story4 out of 5 stars 51
After almost 20 years together, Stella and Simon are starting to run into problems. An up-and-coming rock musician when they first met, Simon has been clinging to dreams of fame even as the possibility of it has grown dimmer, and now that his band might finally be on the brink again, he wants to go on the road, leaving Stella behind.
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4 out of 5 stars
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not my cup of tea
- By Grekis on 12-23-20
By: Caroline Leavitt
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This Will All Be Over Soon
- A Memoir
- By: Cecily Strong
- Narrated by: Cecily Strong
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 429
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 377
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 377
A powerful memoir from the Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong about grieving the death of her cousin - and embracing the life-affirming lessons he taught her - amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great Book, from the heart❤️
- By Tammie Castaneda on 08-19-21
By: Cecily Strong
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On Being Human
- A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard
- By: Jennifer Pastiloff, Lidia Yuknavitch - foreword
- Narrated by: Jennifer Pastiloff
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 510
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 448
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 446
An inspirational memoir about how Jennifer Pastiloff's years of waitressing taught her to seek out unexpected beauty, how hearing loss taught her to listen fiercely, how being vulnerable allowed her to find love, and how imperfections can lead to a life full of wild happiness. Centered around the touchstone stories Jen tells in her popular workshops, On Being Human is the story of how a starved person grew into the exuberant woman she was meant to be all along by battling the demons within and winning.
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5 out of 5 stars
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What a beautiful memoir.
- By Ana McCarty on 06-11-19
By: Jennifer Pastiloff, and others
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Love Walked In
- By: Marisa de los Santos
- Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 371
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 275
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Story4 out of 5 stars 279
Award-winning poet Marisa de los Santos crafts an irresistibly touching debut novel. Love Walked In is a contemporary tale, steeped in nostalgic, cinematic charm, of love in all its forms. Unapologetically idealistic about love, Cornelia Brown appears to catch the break of a lifetime when the dashing Martin Grace, her own personal Cary Grant, comes strolling into her life. But it is Martin's connection to 11-year-old Clare Hobbes that touches Cornelia's heart in ways she never imagined.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Dreadful audio quality
- By Marenghi on 09-16-11
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House of Sticks
- By: Ly Tran
- Narrated by: Ly Tran
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 122
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 116
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 115
Ly Tran is just a toddler in 1993 when she and her family immigrate from a small town along the Mekong river in Vietnam to a two-bedroom railroad apartment in Queens. Ly’s father, a former lieutenant in the South Vietnamese army, spent nearly a decade as a POW, and their resettlement is made possible through a humanitarian program run by the US government. Soon after they arrive, Ly joins her parents and three older brothers sewing ties and cummerbunds piece-meal on their living room floor to make ends meet.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A story that will change how you view your own life
- By Anonymous User on 07-18-21
By: Ly Tran
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Postcards from Cookie
- A Memoir of Motherhood, Miracles, and a Whole Lot of Mail
- By: Caroline Clarke
- Narrated by: Caroline Clarke
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 87
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 83
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Story5 out of 5 stars 83
Award-winning journalist and host of Black Enterprise Business Report Caroline Clarke’s moving memoir of her surprise discovery of her birth mother - Cookie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole - and the relationship that blossomed between them through the heartfelt messages they exchanged on hundreds of postcards. A heartfelt, inspiring tribute to both Caroline’s adoptive parents and her biological mother, Postcards from Cookie illuminates the enduring power of love to shape and guide our lives.
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5 out of 5 stars
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tear jerker
- By Amazon Customer on 01-04-23
By: Caroline Clarke
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Dear Haiti, Love Alaine
- By: Maika Moulite, Maritza Moulite
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 153
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 141
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 141
You might ask the obvious question: What do I, a 17-year-old Haitian American from Miami with way too little life experience, have to say about anything? Actually, a lot. Thanks to "the incident" (don’t ask), I’m spending the next two months doing what my school is calling a "spring volunteer immersion project." It’s definitely no vacation. I’m toiling away under the ever-watchful eyes of Tati Estelle at her new nonprofit. And my lean-in queen of a mother is even here to make sure I do things right.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome representation of Haiti and it’s rich juicy history
- By Anonymous User on 05-16-20
By: Maika Moulite, and others
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Finding Chika
- A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family
- By: Mitch Albom
- Narrated by: Mitch Albom
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,928
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,669
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,661
Chika Jeune was born three days before the devastating earthquake that decimated Haiti in 2010. She spent her infancy in a landscape of extreme poverty, and when her mother died giving birth to a baby brother, Chika was brought to The Have Faith Haiti Orphanage that Albom operates in Port Au Prince. With no children of their own, the 40-plus children who live, play, and go to school at the orphanage have become family to Mitch and his wife, Janine. But at age five, Chika is suddenly diagnosed with something a doctor there says "no one in Haiti can help you with."
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5 out of 5 stars
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BUY READ AND RECOMMEND THIS BOOK
- By Ann Grant on 11-05-19
By: Mitch Albom