An American Childhood Audiobook By Annie Dillard cover art

An American Childhood

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An American Childhood

By: Annie Dillard
Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
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A book that instantly captured the hearts of readers across the country, An American Childhood is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard’s poignant, vivid memoir of growing up in Pittsburgh in the 1950s.

Much of the book focuses on her parents and some of her intellectual pursuits. Her mother was a non-conformist; her father taught her about plumbing and economics, and shared his enthusiasm for the novel On The Road. Annie took piano and dance classes, went rock and bug collecting, and loved books, especially about World War II.

©1987 Annie Dillard (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Art & Literature Authors Women Celebrity Heartfelt Mental Illness

Critic reviews

“With… An American Childhood… Dillard helped usher in the age of memoirs… [and] defined a literary genre.” ( Washington Post)
“A remarkable work… An exceptionally interesting account.” ( New York Times)
“A vivid and thoughtful evocation of particular personal experiences that have an exuberantly timeless appeal.” ( Chicago Sun-Times)
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I love memoirs, in general. This one stands out because of the excellent writing style. I enjoyed learning about Annie's childhood memories, her unique family, her sibling rivalry, and her emotional ups and downs. Great story!

Loved this memoir!

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Dillard is a superlative reader but narration is awful; narrator sounds like a teacher reading to squirmy toddlers. It's a shame, as the book, which I plan to buy, is a gem.

Overblown narration

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I love Annie Dillard’s writing and it was fascinating to learn of her growing up. The Pittsburgh history lesson from an insider was informative.

Beautiful prose and fascinating life

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I met a kindred spirit on this book and re-examined life through the spirited, imaginative eyes of a child. Delightful, thoughtful, soulful.

brought me back in time

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Is able to create a present tense for events that took place long ago, in the different person that was herself (all of ourselves) as a child. Truly lovely.

Coming alive to consciousness

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I grew up in Pittsburgh at the same time as the author but lived in a poorer neighborhood: Lawrenceville.
(A primarily Polish neighborhood. I lived across the street from the GMC Truck factory and next door to a business that may have been auto repair). When the Author was having the freedom of roaming her affluent neighborhood, I was locked in the cellar on Liberty Avenue. Though I could not relate to her childhood pursuits, I could relate to her realizations of autonomy. In that cellar, I came to the realization that “I was the only one behind my eyes!”

The Author’s writing expertise held me there as it was enjoyable to listen to her use of words. I recognized the names of places even though I didn’t travel there, except for passing on the bus on the way to my first secretarial job at Mellon Institute.

For a native of “The Burgh” it is an interesting listen!

Great Writer

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A fascinating memoir of Annie Dillard’s first seventeen years. This book is dense and intricate with interest and meaning, and resonant with themes that the author explores in her other work. I look forward to returning to it again and again.
Tavia Gilbert may very well be my favorite audiobook narrator. She’s brilliant at interpreting Annie Dillard.

The early formation of one of our great literary minds

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This book haunts me. Not because of its beginning or middle. The last 15 minutes cuts me down the middle and makes me see myself for who I am. Beautiful like poetry

Stay fir the ending

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Overwritten, overly boring. I cannot imagine how a Pulitzer Prize-winning author could write such an uninteresting memoir. It is, and by far, the worst memoir I have ever read. I only wish I had heeded the poor reviews on Amazon.com before wasting my monthly credit on this one.

Very Disappointing

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