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Growing Up in Other People's Houses, a Memoir
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Narrated by:
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Wendy Tremont King
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By:
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Paula McLain
About this listen
This powerful and haunting memoir details the years Paula McLain and her two sisters spent as foster children after being abandoned by both parents in California in the early 1970s.
As wards of the State, the sisters spent the next 14 years moving from foster home to foster home. The dislocations, confusions, and odd pleasures of an unrooted life form the basis of one of the most compelling memoirs in recent years - a book in the tradition of Jo Ann Beard's The Boys of My Youth and Mary Karr's The Liars' Club.
McLain's beautiful writing and limber voice capture the intense loneliness, sadness, and determination of a young girl both on her own and responsible, with her siblings, for staying together as a family.
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Like the work of Cormac McCarthy, Denis Johnson, Richard Ford, and Annie Proulx, Battleborn represents a near-perfect confluence of sensibility and setting, and the introduction of an exceptionally powerful and original literary voice. In each of these ten unforgettable stories, Claire Vaye Watkins writes her way fearlessly into the mythology of the American West, utterly reimagining it.
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Wonderful magnificent stories beautifully told
- By Pedro Ramirez on 12-03-15
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The Miseducation of Cameron Post
- By: Emily M. Danforth
- Narrated by: Beth Laufer
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Cameron Post feels a mix of guilt and relief when her parents die in a car accident. Their deaths mean they will never learn the truth she eventually comes to - that she's gay. Orphaned, Cameron comes to live with her old-fashioned grandmother and ultraconservative aunt Ruth. When she’s eventually outed, her aunt sends her to God’s Promise, a religious conversion camp that is supposed to “cure” her homosexuality. At the camp, Cameron comes face to face with the cost of denying her true identity.
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A very worthwhile Read!
- By TENA on 11-02-14
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Like Water
- By: Rebecca Podos
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In Savannah Espinoza's small New Mexico hometown, kids either flee after graduation or they're trapped there forever. Vanni never planned to get stuck - but that was before her father was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, leaving her and her mother to care for him. Now she doesn't have much of a plan at all: living at home, working as a performing mermaid at a second-rate water park, distracting herself with one boy after another. That changes the day she meets Leigh.
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Does she have HD or not?
- By Jennifer Greenlees on 11-20-17
By: Rebecca Podos
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Mecca
- By: Susan Straight
- Narrated by: Patricia R. Floyd, Frankie Corzo, Shaun Taylor-Corbett
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Johnny Frías has California in his blood. A descendant of the state’s indigenous people and Mexican settlers, he has Southern California’s forgotten towns and canyons in his soul. He spends his days as a highway patrolman pulling over speeders, ignoring their racist insults, and pushing past the trauma of his rookie year, when he killed a man assaulting a young woman named Bunny, who ran from the scene, leaving Johnny without a witness.
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An eye opening read
- By Anonymous User on 10-10-22
By: Susan Straight
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Scarborough
- By: Catherine Hernandez
- Narrated by: Catherine Hernandez
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In Scarborough, a low-income urban neighborhood, three kids struggle to rise above poverty, abuse, and a system that consistently fails them. The adults in their lives either rise to the occasion or fall by the wayside; together, they make up a troubled yet inspired community that refuses to be undone.
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Difficult but excellent!
- By Erna on 01-30-20
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Turtle Moon
- By: Alice Hoffman
- Narrated by: Sandra Burr
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Turtle Moon transports the listener to Verity, Florida, a place where anything can happen during the month of May, when migrating sea turtles come to town, mistaking the glow of the streetlights for the moon. A young single mother is murdered in her apartment and her baby is gone. Keith, a 12-year-old boy in the same apartment building also disappears. In pursuit of the baby, the boy and the killer, are Keith's divorced mother and a cop who himself was once considered the meanest boy in town.
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An enchanting story
- By A.J. on 05-09-11
By: Alice Hoffman
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The Center of Everything
- By: Laura Moriarty
- Narrated by: Julie Dretzin
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The Center of Everything is the fictional story of 10-year-old math prodigy Evelyn Bucknow. Living in Kansas with her single mother and deeply religious grandmother, Evelyn believes she is destined to marry Travis, the boy next door. But as she grows up, she experiences the heartbreak of a love not meant to be. Author Laura Moriarty was a recipient of the George Bennet Fellowship for Creative Writing at Phillips Exeter Academy.
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not religious fiction
- By Theresa Jameson on 04-28-14
By: Laura Moriarty
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The Visiting Privilege
- New and Collected Stories
- By: Joy Williams
- Narrated by: Richard Powers, Emily Woo Zeller, Elisabeth Rodgers, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Joy Williams has been celebrated as a master of the short story for four decades, her renown passing from one generation to the next even in the shifting landscape of contemporary writing. And at long last the incredible scope of her singular achievement is put on display: 33 stories drawn from three much-lauded collections and another 13 appearing here for the first time in book form.
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I sure tried.
- By A.C. CALLOWAY on 01-28-24
By: Joy Williams
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Lit
- A Memoir
- By: Mary Karr
- Narrated by: Mary Karr
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Lit follows Mary Karr's descent into the inferno of alcoholism and madness - and her astonishing resurrection. Karr's longing for a solid family seems secure when her marriage to a handsome, Shakespeare-quoting poet produces a son they adore. But she can't outrun her apocalyptic past. She drinks herself into the same numbness that nearly devoured her charismatic but troubled mother, reaching the brink of suicide. A hair-raising stint in "The Mental Marriott" awakens her to the possibility of joy, and leads her to an unlikely faith.
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Finally! One for the "Win" column
- By Kim on 03-22-10
By: Mary Karr
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If I am Missing or Dead
- A Sister's Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation
- By: Janine Latus
- Narrated by: Shelly Frasier
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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In April 2002, Janine Latus' youngest sister, Amy, wrote a note and taped it to the inside of her desk drawer. "Today Ron Ball and I are romantically involved", it read, "but I fear I have placed myself at risk in a variety of ways. Based on his criminal past, writing this out just seems like the smart thing to do. If I am missing or dead this obviously has not protected me...."
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All About Janine
- By Ellen on 07-02-07
By: Janine Latus
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The Lost Family
- A Novel
- By: Jenna Blum
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1965 Manhattan, patrons flock to Masha’s to savor its brisket bourguignon and impeccable service and to admire its dashing owner and head chef Peter Rashkin, the most eligible bachelor in town. But Peter does not care for the parade of eligible women who come to the restaurant hoping to catch his eye. Running Masha’s consumes him, as does his terrible guilt over surviving the horrors of the Nazi death camp while his wife, Masha - the restaurant’s namesake - and two young daughters perished. Then exquisitely beautiful June Bouquet, an up-and-coming young model, appears at the restaurant, piercing Peter’s guard.
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STIMULATES THE HEART, MIND AND IMAGINATION
- By Miss Manners on 07-01-18
By: Jenna Blum
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The Walking People
- By: Mary Beth Keane
- Narrated by: Sile Bermingham
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Greta Cahill never believed she would leave her village in the west of Ireland until she found herself on a ship bound for New York, along with her sister Johanna and a boy named Michael Ward. Labeled a "softheaded goose" by her family, Greta discovers that in America she can fall in love, raise her own family, and earn a living.
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Irish immigratn story
- By Chrissie on 09-10-13
By: Mary Beth Keane
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Pro: It made me want to read "West With the Night"
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Over-dramatic lamenting
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Not quite enough closure
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When we last saw Zippy, she was oblivious to the storm that was brewing in her home. Her mother, Delonda, had literally just gotten up off the couch and ridden her rickety bicycle down the road. Her dad was off somewhere, gambling or "working." And Zippy was lost in her own fabulous world of exploring the fringes of Moorland, Indiana.
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Great fun !!
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The Sound of Gravel
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Unputdownable
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The Glass Castle
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Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination. Rose Mary painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family; she called herself an "excitement addict."
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What's normal?
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What listeners say about Like Family
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mamacat
- 05-10-21
All the Elements, But Missed the Mark
Performance: she "read" the book (groan), was a bit monotone, and needs to work on her voices. I did get used to her, but it wasn't lively, despite the rollercoaster of events in the book.
Story: I'll say this: interesting choices regarding the timeline. I wasn't a fan, but I can see where some might like it. I'm not one who has to have the story unfold from start to finish, but the overall story arc does have to "make sense." Sometimes, the near future would interrupt a story of the past, and give away key details that would have been better to let unfold.
Good descriptions, and also great metaphors, but a little thick with them at times, esp. when filling one sentence with three or more, which was difficult to digest.
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- Sharlotte
- 05-24-19
Loved it!
Very easy listening and brought back some memories for me--good ones of good times in childhood--which was surprising since the story overall was far from idyllic. The excellent narration kept the story upbeat despite some very sad circumstances.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Nancy C.
- 12-21-18
A famous writer describes her life growing up in foster care
I enjoy Paula McLain’s books and storytelling style. She brings the same engaging style to the telling of her own life. I definitely recommend it.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Tara Ashcraft
- 06-11-19
Foster Care Personalized
A complete story of a childhood lived in foster care. My stars are for courage and honesty.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Minneapolis listener
- 02-24-21
Deeply interesting!
This is a wonderful memoir rich with details about the foster experience — not to. mention the sister experience.
What a writer! McLean’s sentences are packed with beautiful and original metaphors and similes, yet the reader never feels like she is overdoing it or showing off.
I was deeply sad for her and her sisters, especially in some of their placements, and amazed that they were able to soldier on.
I’m sure they all have lasting consequences,
but this particular consequence —Like Family—is a gift. I would recommended it to everyone.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-29-19
A must read
Excellent view of life as a foster child. Recommend reading for all that work with children in foster care.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jess
- 04-12-21
honest
it feels like an honest memoir. the story plays out in a continuous stream of memory with people and places coming and going as they do in childhood. but this also makes the knowing of characters as impossible for the reader as it was for the narrator ... that's the point. so, in that way it really is an excellent representation of the author's life and that is not for anyone to review. it just is. harsh and vulnerable and disturbing and sad.
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- GS
- 04-27-19
Crude
As a foster parent for the last 25 years I was interested in reading this story. I’m not sure if this is based on a true story or not, but I have read other true stories about children in foster care and they do suffer some incredibly sad things that are very well written and not in such an extremely crude form. Experiences can be shared without foul language being crude. Different then the time this book was written foster parents are now trained and screened very carefully. There is always a family that slips through the cracks of though. I tried to get through this book up but I had to finally close it and return it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Deb Anderson
- 10-18-19
Flat and slow moving
This book is a struggle. Flat narration and the story just doesn't move forward . I just can't wait any longer for it to get started.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Andi
- 01-28-20
Had potential but never reached it
TERRIBLE narration. Monotonous voice with no inflections. I almost couldn’t bear to finish listening to this book, but I admire the author’s writing so much I wanted to just learn more about her. This book could have been so much more if it hadn’t dwelled so long on details that really led nowhere. I’m disappointed in the book but not sorry that I stuck it out to finish it. She almost seemed to be getting into her stride in the last chapter, but then it ended.
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1 person found this helpful