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Grand
- A Memoir
- Narrated by: Sara Schaefer
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
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Publisher's summary
Emmy Award-winning writer Sara Schaefer’s hilariously honest memoir follows her “on this wild river descent into the Grand Canyon and her own secret family history. This is a Class 1000 Rapids of a memoir and I urge you to take the ride” (John Hodgman, author of Vacationland). Perfect for fans of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.
When Sara Schaefer is in first grade, her father warns her to always tell the truth because one lie leads to another and soon you will find yourself in a hole you can’t escape. A few years later, the Schaefer family is completely upended when it’s revealed that their grand life is based on a lie. Her parents become pariahs in their upper middle class community and go from nonreligious people to devout church members. The idea of good and evil as binary, opposed forces is a lesson she never forgets.
The year she turns 40, Sara decides to take each member of her family on a one-on-one vacation culminating with a whitewater rafting journey through the Grand Canyon with her sister. The only problem is she’s terrified of rafting. Along the way, she grapples with unresolved grief over the death of her mother and the family scandal that changed the trajectory of her life.
“Funny, sweet, heartbreaking, vulnerable, and powerfully written” (Moshe Kasher, author of Kasher in the Rye), Grand is “a wise, funny acknowledgment that we are not always in control - and that growth is most likely to happen when we let go” (BookPage).
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He Came in with It
- A Portrait of Motherhood and Madness
- By: Miriam Feldman
- Narrated by: Ann Richardson
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In an idyllic Los Angeles neighborhood, where generations enjoy deep roots in old homes, the O’Rourke family fits right in. Miriam and Craig are both artists and their four children carry on the legacy. When their teenage son, Nick, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, a tumultuous decade ensues in which the family careens off the conventional course. Like the 10 Biblical plagues, they are hit by one catastrophe after another: violence, evictions, arrests, a suicide attempt, a near-drowning - even cancer and a brain tumor - play against the backdrop of a wild teenage bacchanal.
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So Beautifully Written
- By Michael on 08-01-22
By: Miriam Feldman
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A Very Punchable Face
- A Memoir
- By: Colin Jost
- Narrated by: Colin Jost
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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If there’s one trait that makes someone well-suited to comedy, it’s being able to take a punch - metaphorically and, occasionally, physically. Told with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television, and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guy - with a face you can’t help but want to punch.
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Amazing
- By Erin E. Kace on 07-27-20
By: Colin Jost
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Scars and Stilettos - 2nd Edition
- By: Harmony Dust
- Narrated by: Harmony Dust
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Scars and Stilettos: At 13, after being abandoned by her mother one summer and left to take care of her younger brother, Harmony becomes susceptible to a relationship that turns out to be toxic, abusive, and ultimately exploitative. She eventually finds herself working in a strip club at the age of 19, and her boyfriend becomes her pimp, controlling her every move and taking all of her money. Ultimately, she discovers a path to freedom and a whole new life.
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A religious book
- By Amazonbuyer on 10-12-21
By: Harmony Dust
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Walking to Listen
- 4,000 Miles Across America, One Story at a Time
- By: Andrew Forsthoefel
- Narrated by: Andrew Forsthoefel
- Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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At 23, Andrew Forsthoefel headed out the back door of his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, with a backpack, an audio recorder, his copies of Whitman and Rilke, and a sign that read "Walking to Listen". He had just graduated from Middlebury College and was ready to begin his adult life, but he didn't know how. So he decided to take a cross-country quest for guidance, one where everyone he met would be his guide. In the year that followed, he faced an Appalachian winter and a Mojave summer. He met beasts inside: fear, loneliness, doubt.
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Transcends the typical trekking story
- By barefoot rabbit on 08-07-18
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Will
- By: Will Smith, Mark Manson
- Narrated by: Will Smith
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.
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Will sure loves Will
- By Kejeco on 11-18-21
By: Will Smith, and others
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Miss Fortune
- Fresh Perspectives on Having It All from Someone Who Is Not Okay
- By: Lauren Weedman
- Narrated by: Lauren Weedman
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Lauren Weedman is not okay. She's living what should be the good life in sunny Los Angeles. After a gig as a correspondent with The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, she scored parts in blockbuster movies, which led to memorable recurring roles on HBO's Hung and Looking. She had a loving husband and an adorable baby boy. In these comedic essays, she turns a piercingly observant, darkly funny lens on the ways her life is actually not okay.
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Good
- By Ajules29 on 04-02-16
By: Lauren Weedman
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Comedy Sex God
- By: Pete Holmes
- Narrated by: Pete Holmes
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Part autobiography, part philosophical inquiry, part sacred quest - The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck for the spiritual seeker - a hilarious, profound, and enlightening romp around the fertile mind of standout stand-up comedian, host of the hugely successful podcast You Made It Weird, and star of HBO’s Crashing Pete Holmes.
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Mixed bag
- By Brandon on 06-20-19
By: Pete Holmes
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The Baddest Bitch in the Room
- (Explicit Version)
- By: Sophia Chang
- Narrated by: Sophia Chang
- Length: 8 hrs
- Original Recording
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Sophia Chang is a badass of the music industry. As the daughter of Korean immigrants in predominantly white suburban Vancouver, she grew up shunning the “model minority” myth. Armed with a fierce sense of independence, she moved to New York City and infiltrated the world of hip-hop, yet remained mostly in the shadows of the artists she supported. With her debut memoir, Sophia Chang is finally ready to grab the mic for herself.
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Something in the music spoke to me...
- By Tina G. on 09-30-19
By: Sophia Chang
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In the Water They Can't See You Cry
- A Memoir
- By: Amanda Beard, Rebecca Paley
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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At the tender age of 14, Amanda Beard walked onto the pool deck at the Atlanta Olympics carrying her teddy bear, Harold, and left with two silvers and a gold medal. She competed in three more Olympic games, winning a total of seven medals, and enjoyed a lucrative modeling career on the side. At one point, she was the most downloaded female athlete on the Internet. Yet despite her astonishing career and sex-symbol status, Amanda felt unworthy of all her success. Unaware that she was suffering from clinical depression, she hid the pain beneath a megawatt smile.
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I applaud Amanda - but her editor's were lame
- By Heather on 03-10-15
By: Amanda Beard, and others
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Neon Angel
- A Memoir of a Runaway
- By: Cherie Currie, Tony O'Neill - with
- Narrated by: Cherie Currie
- Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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In this candid autobiography, Cherie Currie - the original lead singer of '70s teenage all-girl rock band The Runaways - powerfully recounts her years in the band, her friendship with guitarist Joan Jett, and her struggle with drugs. An intense, behind-the-scenes look at rock music in the gritty, post-glam era, Neon Angel is a must-listen for anyone whose heart beats to the rhythm of David Bowie, Suzi Quatro, Nick Gilder, and the Sex Pistols, and for every fan of the movie it inspired: The Runaways, starring Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart as Cherie Currie and Joan Jett.
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couldn't finish
- By plantlady on 06-29-21
By: Cherie Currie, and others
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Surrender Your Sons
- By: Adam Sass
- Narrated by: Daniel Henning
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Connor Major’s summer break is turning into a nightmare. His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final destination: Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he “changes”. But Connor’s troubles are only beginning. At Nightlight, everyone has something to hide - from the campers to the “converted” staff and cagey camp director....
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Thankful for the Narrator!
- By CMB4062 on 12-20-20
By: Adam Sass
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Agorafabulous!
- Dispatches From My Bedroom
- By: Sara Benincasa
- Narrated by: Sara Benincasa
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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One of the funniest and most poignant books ever written about a mental illness, Agorafabulous! is a hilarious, raw, and unforgettable account of how a terrified young woman, literally trapped by her own imagination, evolved into a (relatively) high-functioning professional smartass. Down to earth and seriously funny, Benincasa's no-holds-barred revelations offer listeners the politically incorrect hilarity they heartily crave, yet is so often missing from your typical, weepy, and redemptive personal memoir.
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More Fun than a Good Cry in a Bathroom Stall
- By Susie on 03-05-15
By: Sara Benincasa
What listeners say about Grand
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- AMBond
- 08-13-20
A joy from start to finish.
This beautifully told story weaves together a bunch of other beautiful stories and leaves a tapestry of warm fuzzies, laughter, and tears of inspiration and hope. I’m honored to have heard her story and I think anyone would enjoy it thoroughly.
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- Karen
- 11-17-20
tarantula on-ramp
I originally began this book because of the tarantula on-ramp bit from the sample (made me cackle) and the theme of an adult sister trip in nature out of their comfort zones, something I'd like to do with my sister who also happens to be my best friend. Randomly stumbled across one of Sara's stand-up acts, thought she was hilarious and realized that it's the same person who wrote this, so I had to check it out. Glad I did. It was so much more than I expected. Experiences on the sister trek, interspersed with great stories of lighthearted and also heavy life stuff that I deeply related to. I'm very grateful for how blunt she is about the embarrassing stuff. Sara is a brilliant, humble, honest, and hilarious writer. She is now a role model of mine.
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- Lori Wood
- 07-18-21
Hilariously, terrifyingly, Restoringly Real
Beautiful story full of practically every kind of heartache, laughter and joy. She’s SO funny and honest. Loved it!
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- mary
- 05-01-23
Amazing!
I loved it, the stories were heartfelt and funny. I'm always amazed when an author is brave enough to put their life on display and share their triumphs and struggles with the world. The author does an incredible job with the narration, you can feel her emotions and the truth in her words. If you're a person you should listen to this book!
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- KW
- 08-12-20
All the feels
I just finished listening to Sara’s memoir and holy moly, it was so freaking beautiful! What a gorgeously told story, so vivid, so genuine, so seamlessly woven, I had all of the feels. TRULY SPLENDID! Do yourself a favor and purchase the audiobook so you can hear the author herself take you on this unforgettable journey. You will be so glad you did!
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- T. Van Houdt
- 07-20-22
great insight
loved book would recommend to anyone. every day life brought into a focus. Easy read
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- S. Berg
- 09-02-20
I loved this so much
This was needed for my sanity during COVID. Sara is funny, heartfelt, and it’s a beautiful woven story of pain, triumph, let downs, and all told with absolute honesty and a self awareness that feels like a sort of therapy. Sorry for the run-on sentence. I just loved this so very much. Please give it a listen.
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- Shannah Warwick
- 09-21-20
A great memoir
I loved listening to this book. I heard about it on the L2L podcast and listened all day. Very well written.
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- Dedrea
- 08-11-20
GREAT STORY GREAT LISTEN
I have always loved listening to an author read their own material. They tell the story as they feel it. Hearing Sara read what she wrote is a thrill. She can be so funny at times, so deep at another and you will feel what she felt as she screams her way down the Colorado River on a raft. It is a sensitive, honest telling of her families' story, twisting and turning, both happy and sad times. Sara is a gifted writer and every bit of this shows up in her book. I downloaded GRAND as 5 AM this morning and never stopped. You will LOVE it!!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Det313
- 10-14-21
Very Grand Indeed
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I was completely unfamiliar with the author and her work in comedy before purchasing this title. The book is written masterfully with bright imagery. It runs the gamut of emotions from laughter to sorrow. It is 2 separate stories interwoven masterfully into one another. Sure it's about a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon, but it's also about a tumultuous childhood and an intense struggle with self-doubt. Sarah shares her life story in an incredibly honest and raw way. By the end of the book you'll either identify with her or feel like you know her.
The only reason I gave the title 3 stars is really just a personal preference. I do recommend the title so you can draw your own conclusions. My only complaints are that her religious/moral struggle feels incomplete by the end - like she never resolves it within herself - and it is literally the whitest story I've ever listened to. I listened Hillary's memoir, so that should tell you about how white this book is. Aside from not really having minority characters, it carries so many hallmarks of white coming of age, from her dad's white collar crime, to what his consequences were, to moving to New York, to white water rafting, to her musical influences...so white it's almost predictable. Otherwise great book, hope she finds even more success on the other side of 40.
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