On My Own
A Memoir
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $13.50
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Diane Rehm
-
By:
-
Diane Rehm
About this listen
In a deeply personal and moving book, the beloved NPR radio host speaks out about the long, drawn-out death (from Parkinson's) of her husband of 54 years and of her struggle to reconstruct her life without him.
With John gone, Diane was indeed on her own, coping with the inevitable practical issues and, more important, with the profoundly emotional ones. What to do, how to react, reaching out again into the world - struggling to create a new reality for herself while clinging to memories of the past. Her focus is on her own roller-coaster experiences, but she has also solicited the moving stories of such recently widowed friends as Roger Mudd and Susan Stamberg, which work to expose the listener to a remarkable range of reactions to the death of a spouse.
John's unnecessarily extended death - he begged to be helped to die - culminated in his taking matters into his own hands, simply refusing to take water, food, and medication. His heroic actions spurred Diane into becoming a kind of poster person for the "right to die" movement that is all too slowly taking shape in our country. With the brave determination that has characterized her whole life, she is finding a meaningful new way to contribute to the world.
Her book - as practical as it is inspiring - will be a help and a comfort to the recently bereaved and a beacon of hope about the possibilities that remain to us as we deal with our own approaching mortality.
©2016 Diane Rehm (P)2016 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Remains of the Day
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of a butler named Stevens. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.
-
-
Beautiful and ever relevant
- By bbots on 07-04-20
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
When My Time Comes
- Conversations About Whether Those Who Are Dying Should Have the Right to Determine When Life Should End
- By: Diane Rehm, John Grisham - foreword
- Narrated by: Diane Rehm, Susan Bennett, Dan Bittner, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The renowned radio host and one of the most trusted voices in the nation candidly and compassionately addresses the hotly contested right-to-die movement, of which she is one of our most inspiring champions. The basis for the acclaimed PBS series.
-
-
Good Book, weird performance
- By Bookevangelist on 03-10-20
By: Diane Rehm, and others
-
Tom Lake
- A Novel
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Meryl Streep
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
-
-
So incredibly boring
- By Rhonda Morrison on 08-05-23
By: Ann Patchett
-
Bittersweet
- How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
- By: Susan Cain
- Narrated by: Susan Cain
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Quiet, Susan Cain urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued, indispensable introverts among us, thereby revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight. Now she employs the same mix of research, storytelling, and memoir to explore why we experience sorrow and longing, and how embracing the bittersweetness at the heart of life is the true path to creativity, connection, and transcendence.
-
-
I REALLY wanted to love this book!
- By Leo B. on 05-02-22
By: Susan Cain
-
In Love
- A Memoir of Love and Loss
- By: Amy Bloom
- Narrated by: Amy Bloom
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amy Bloom began to notice changes in her husband, Brian: He retired early from a new job he loved; he withdrew from close friendships; he talked mostly about the past. Suddenly, it seemed there was a glass wall between them, and their long walks and talks stopped. Their world was altered forever when an MRI confirmed what they could no longer ignore: Brian had Alzheimer’s disease.
-
-
A helpful,healing memoir
- By Helen on 03-31-22
By: Amy Bloom
-
The Eternal Pain
- When a Family Death Leaves You Empty Inside We Are Bonded by Blood
- By: Paul Simon
- Narrated by: Rhonda Pownall
- Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Family is the one thing you can rely on when the chips are down and you need help. When so-called friends and colleagues desert you in your hour of need, it is family that will likely be there to help you put the pieces back together again. Maintaining a close and loving relationship with your family members is crucial for so many reasons, so it’s vitally important that you work on it as hard as possible. This book, The Eternal Pain, gives a deep insight into why our families are so important to us and how we can work to keep those strong bonds and make them even stronger.
-
-
Recommended for all
- By Ronald C. Franzen on 12-11-21
By: Paul Simon
-
The Remains of the Day
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of a butler named Stevens. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.
-
-
Beautiful and ever relevant
- By bbots on 07-04-20
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
When My Time Comes
- Conversations About Whether Those Who Are Dying Should Have the Right to Determine When Life Should End
- By: Diane Rehm, John Grisham - foreword
- Narrated by: Diane Rehm, Susan Bennett, Dan Bittner, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The renowned radio host and one of the most trusted voices in the nation candidly and compassionately addresses the hotly contested right-to-die movement, of which she is one of our most inspiring champions. The basis for the acclaimed PBS series.
-
-
Good Book, weird performance
- By Bookevangelist on 03-10-20
By: Diane Rehm, and others
-
Tom Lake
- A Novel
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Meryl Streep
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
-
-
So incredibly boring
- By Rhonda Morrison on 08-05-23
By: Ann Patchett
-
Bittersweet
- How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
- By: Susan Cain
- Narrated by: Susan Cain
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Quiet, Susan Cain urged our society to cultivate space for the undervalued, indispensable introverts among us, thereby revealing an untapped power hidden in plain sight. Now she employs the same mix of research, storytelling, and memoir to explore why we experience sorrow and longing, and how embracing the bittersweetness at the heart of life is the true path to creativity, connection, and transcendence.
-
-
I REALLY wanted to love this book!
- By Leo B. on 05-02-22
By: Susan Cain
-
In Love
- A Memoir of Love and Loss
- By: Amy Bloom
- Narrated by: Amy Bloom
- Length: 4 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Amy Bloom began to notice changes in her husband, Brian: He retired early from a new job he loved; he withdrew from close friendships; he talked mostly about the past. Suddenly, it seemed there was a glass wall between them, and their long walks and talks stopped. Their world was altered forever when an MRI confirmed what they could no longer ignore: Brian had Alzheimer’s disease.
-
-
A helpful,healing memoir
- By Helen on 03-31-22
By: Amy Bloom
-
The Eternal Pain
- When a Family Death Leaves You Empty Inside We Are Bonded by Blood
- By: Paul Simon
- Narrated by: Rhonda Pownall
- Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Family is the one thing you can rely on when the chips are down and you need help. When so-called friends and colleagues desert you in your hour of need, it is family that will likely be there to help you put the pieces back together again. Maintaining a close and loving relationship with your family members is crucial for so many reasons, so it’s vitally important that you work on it as hard as possible. This book, The Eternal Pain, gives a deep insight into why our families are so important to us and how we can work to keep those strong bonds and make them even stronger.
-
-
Recommended for all
- By Ronald C. Franzen on 12-11-21
By: Paul Simon
-
Women Rowing North
- By: Mary Pipher
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Women growing older contend with ageism, misogyny and loss. Yet as Mary Pipher shows, most older women are deeply happy and filled with gratitude for the gifts of life. Their struggles help them grow into the authentic, empathetic and wise people they have always wanted to be. In Women Rowing North, Pipher offers a timely examination of the cultural and developmental issues women face as they age.
-
-
The narrator is a distraction
- By Amazon Customer on 03-01-19
By: Mary Pipher
-
Love's Executioner
- By: Irvin D. Yalom
- Narrated by: C.M. Carlson
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The collection of 10 absorbing tales by master psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom uncovers the mysteries, frustrations, pathos, and humor at the heart of the therapeutic encounter. In recounting his patients' dilemmas, Yalom not only gives us a rare and enthralling glimpse into their personal desires and motivations but also tells us his own story as he struggles to reconcile his all-too-human responses with his sensibility as a psychiatrist.
-
-
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
- By Espanolish on 11-02-16
By: Irvin D. Yalom
-
On Grief and Grieving
- By: Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, David Kessler
- Narrated by: David Kessler, Samantha Desz
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On Death and Dying began as a theoretical book, an interdisciplinary study of our fear of death and our inevitable acceptance of it. It introduced the world to the now-famous five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. On Grief and Grieving applies these stages to the process of grieving and weaves together theory, inspiration, and practical advice, all based on Kübler-Ross' and Kessler's professional and personal experiences.
-
-
If you fear death after loss, DON'T READ.
- By wrinkled sheets on 07-06-21
By: Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, and others
-
The Rainbow Comes and Goes
- A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss
- By: Anderson Cooper
- Narrated by: Anderson Cooper, Gloria Vanderbilt
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Though Anderson Cooper has always considered himself close to his mother, his intensely busy career as a journalist for CNN and CBS affords him little time to spend with her. After she suffers a brief but serious illness at the age of ninety-one, they resolve to change their relationship by beginning a yearlong conversation unlike any they have ever had before. The result is a correspondence of surprising honesty and depth in which they discuss their lives, the things that matter to them, and what they still want to learn about each other.
-
-
Enjoyed the early parts
- By Dedrick on 07-06-16
By: Anderson Cooper
-
The Awakening Heart
- My Continuing Journey to Love
- By: Betty J. Eadie
- Narrated by: Betty J. Eadie
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Awakening Heart is a work of love, but at times it took all that I had to write it. I am a private person, so sharing more about myself, especially after being in the public spotlight, was difficult and challenging. Yet, I "knew" that my continuing journey here is not about me. I am to teach others not to fear, but to have hope in God. My commitment to God is sometimes a struggle, however, I can't quit, I won't quit! The Awakening Heart can build your trust and personal relationship with God. And in doing so, it will enhance your life through your own "awakening".
-
-
Love is a verb
- By Margaret on 08-04-17
By: Betty J. Eadie
-
Bella's Gift
- How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation
- By: Rick Santorum, Elizabeth Santorum, Karen Santorum
- Narrated by: Rick Santorum, Diana Batarseh
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four days after Rick and Karen Santorum welcomed their eighth baby into the world, they were given the devastating news that their little girl, Bella, was going to die. The full story of life with Bella has never been told until now. This inspiring family memoir explores what it means to embrace and celebrate the life of each person and find hope even in the midst of painful challenges.
-
-
A Lovely Story of Life and Loving Our Lord
- By Beck on 12-19-22
By: Rick Santorum, and others
-
I Am an Angelic Walk-In
- The Autobiography of Angel Ariel
- By: Claire Candy Hough
- Narrated by: Claire Candy Hough
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listeners first met Angel Ariel in Claire Candy Hough's previous work, One True Home - Behind the Veil of Forgetfulness, and followed her through her Earthly incarnations as she fulfilled her spiritual quest. Now, in I Am an Angelic Walk-In, Ms. Hough completes the story as Angel Ariel embarks on her most challenging mission ever. Like many of us, Candy felt as if her life was spiraling out of control. Her health and finances in ruins, this desperate woman wished only for death. Then one day, Candy's entire existence was amazingly and irrevocably transformed.
-
-
Inspiring memoir!
- By Wendy Rose Williams on 10-02-18
-
You Can Heal Your Heart
- Finding Peace After a Breakup, Divorce, or Death
- By: Louise L. Hay
- Narrated by: David Kessler
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In You Can Heal Your Heart, self-empowerment luminary Louise Hay and renowned grief and loss expert David Kessler have come together to start a conversation on healing after loss. Louise and David discuss the emotions and thoughts that occur when a relationship leaves you brokenhearted, a marriage ends in divorce, or a loved one dies.
-
-
Good Information, Poor Narration.
- By Ryan Healey on 04-20-14
By: Louise L. Hay
-
Creatures of a Day, and Other Tales of Psychotherapy
- By: Irvin D. Yalom
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his long career, eminent psychotherapist and author Irvin Yalom has pressed his patients and readers to grapple with life's two greatest challenges: that we all must die, and that each of us is responsible for leading a life worth living. In Creatures of a Day, he and his patients confront the difficulty of these challenges. Although these people have come to Yalom seeking relief, recognition, or meaning, they discover that such things are rarely found in the places where we think to look.
-
-
A book of rich experience, wonderfully narrated
- By LostinBooks on 04-12-15
By: Irvin D. Yalom
-
The Caregiving Season
- Finding Grace to Honor Your Aging Parents
- By: Jane Daly
- Narrated by: Patty Fogarty
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Caring for elderly parents is challenging. It's a season of life requiring strength that comes only from God. In The Caregiving Season, Jane Daly openly shares her stories from the front lines of battling guilt, negotiating new boundaries, and dealing with exhaustion. Her message of grace and hope will help you honor your aging parents well, and deepen your personal relationship with Christ along the way.
-
-
What a Suprise
- By Ericka on 05-23-18
By: Jane Daly
-
For You When I Am Gone
- Twelve Essential Questions to Tell a Life Story
- By: Steve Leder
- Narrated by: Steve Leder
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Writing an ethical will, a document that includes stories and reflections about your past, is an ancient tradition. It can include joy and regrets, and ultimately becomes both a way to remember a loved one who is gone and a primer on how to live a better, happier life. Beloved Rabbi Steve Leder has helped thousands of people to write their own ethical wills, and in this intimate book helps us write our own.
-
-
Life Changing
- By Ms Deb on 07-09-22
By: Steve Leder
-
The Unwinding of the Miracle
- A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After
- By: Julie Yip-Williams
- Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller, Joshua Williams
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
That Julie Yip-Williams survived infancy was a miracle. Then, at age 37, with two little girls at home, Julie was diagnosed with terminal metastatic colon cancer, and a different journey began. The Unwinding of the Miracle is the story of a vigorous life refracted through the prism of imminent death. When she was first diagnosed, Julie Yip-Williams sought clarity and guidance through the experience and, finding none, began to write her way through it - a chronicle that grew beyond her imagining.
-
-
Heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time
- By Cristina on 02-18-19
Related to this topic
-
Women Rowing North
- By: Mary Pipher
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Women growing older contend with ageism, misogyny and loss. Yet as Mary Pipher shows, most older women are deeply happy and filled with gratitude for the gifts of life. Their struggles help them grow into the authentic, empathetic and wise people they have always wanted to be. In Women Rowing North, Pipher offers a timely examination of the cultural and developmental issues women face as they age.
-
-
The narrator is a distraction
- By Amazon Customer on 03-01-19
By: Mary Pipher
-
Beyond Tears
- Living After Losing a Child, Revised Edition
- By: Carol Barkin, Barbara J. Goldstein, Audrey Cohen, and others
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The death of a child is that unimaginable loss no parent ever expects to face. In Beyond Tears, nine mothers share their individual stories of how to survive in the darkest hour. They candidly share with other bereaved parents what to expect in the first year and long beyond.
-
-
Comforting and familiar
- By Jeanne on 01-12-17
By: Carol Barkin, and others
-
The Four Things That Matter Most 10th Anniversary Edition
- A Book About Living
- By: Ira Byock MD
- Narrated by: Barry Abrams
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four simple phrases - "Please forgive me", "I forgive you", "Thank you", and "I love you" - carry enormous power to mend and nurture our relationships and inner lives. These four phrases and the sentiments they convey provide a path to emotional well-being, guiding us through interpersonal difficulties to life with integrity and grace. Dr. Ira Byock, an international leader in palliative care, explains how we can practice these life-affirming words in our day-to-day lives.
-
-
A must read
- By Light Seeker on 03-14-21
By: Ira Byock MD
-
You Can Heal Your Heart
- Finding Peace After a Breakup, Divorce, or Death
- By: Louise L. Hay
- Narrated by: David Kessler
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In You Can Heal Your Heart, self-empowerment luminary Louise Hay and renowned grief and loss expert David Kessler have come together to start a conversation on healing after loss. Louise and David discuss the emotions and thoughts that occur when a relationship leaves you brokenhearted, a marriage ends in divorce, or a loved one dies.
-
-
Good Information, Poor Narration.
- By Ryan Healey on 04-20-14
By: Louise L. Hay
-
Gathering Blossoms Under Fire
- The Journals of Alice Walker
- By: Alice Walker, Valerie Boyd - editor
- Narrated by: Aunjanue Ellis, Alice Walker, Janina Edwards
- Length: 22 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Alice Walker and edited by critic and writer Valerie Boyd, comes an unprecedented compilation of Walker’s fifty years of journals drawing an intimate portrait of her development over five decades as an artist, human rights and women’s activist, and intellectual.
-
-
A must-read for any creative artist!!
- By amazonluver on 04-30-22
By: Alice Walker, and others
-
Modern Loss
- Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome.
- By: Rebecca Soffer, Gabrielle Birkner
- Narrated by: Meredith Mitchell, Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At a time when we mourn public figures and national tragedies with hashtags, where intimate posts about loss go viral and we receive automated birthday reminders for dead friends, it's clear we are navigating new terrain without a road map. Let's face it: Most of us have always had a difficult time talking about death and sharing our grief. We're awkward and uncertain; we avoid, ignore, or even deny feelings of sadness; we offer platitudes; we send sympathy bouquets whittled out of fruit.
-
-
Not What I Was Expecting
- By Bessie Mae on 03-01-23
By: Rebecca Soffer, and others
-
Women Rowing North
- By: Mary Pipher
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Women growing older contend with ageism, misogyny and loss. Yet as Mary Pipher shows, most older women are deeply happy and filled with gratitude for the gifts of life. Their struggles help them grow into the authentic, empathetic and wise people they have always wanted to be. In Women Rowing North, Pipher offers a timely examination of the cultural and developmental issues women face as they age.
-
-
The narrator is a distraction
- By Amazon Customer on 03-01-19
By: Mary Pipher
-
Beyond Tears
- Living After Losing a Child, Revised Edition
- By: Carol Barkin, Barbara J. Goldstein, Audrey Cohen, and others
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The death of a child is that unimaginable loss no parent ever expects to face. In Beyond Tears, nine mothers share their individual stories of how to survive in the darkest hour. They candidly share with other bereaved parents what to expect in the first year and long beyond.
-
-
Comforting and familiar
- By Jeanne on 01-12-17
By: Carol Barkin, and others
-
The Four Things That Matter Most 10th Anniversary Edition
- A Book About Living
- By: Ira Byock MD
- Narrated by: Barry Abrams
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four simple phrases - "Please forgive me", "I forgive you", "Thank you", and "I love you" - carry enormous power to mend and nurture our relationships and inner lives. These four phrases and the sentiments they convey provide a path to emotional well-being, guiding us through interpersonal difficulties to life with integrity and grace. Dr. Ira Byock, an international leader in palliative care, explains how we can practice these life-affirming words in our day-to-day lives.
-
-
A must read
- By Light Seeker on 03-14-21
By: Ira Byock MD
-
You Can Heal Your Heart
- Finding Peace After a Breakup, Divorce, or Death
- By: Louise L. Hay
- Narrated by: David Kessler
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In You Can Heal Your Heart, self-empowerment luminary Louise Hay and renowned grief and loss expert David Kessler have come together to start a conversation on healing after loss. Louise and David discuss the emotions and thoughts that occur when a relationship leaves you brokenhearted, a marriage ends in divorce, or a loved one dies.
-
-
Good Information, Poor Narration.
- By Ryan Healey on 04-20-14
By: Louise L. Hay
-
Gathering Blossoms Under Fire
- The Journals of Alice Walker
- By: Alice Walker, Valerie Boyd - editor
- Narrated by: Aunjanue Ellis, Alice Walker, Janina Edwards
- Length: 22 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Alice Walker and edited by critic and writer Valerie Boyd, comes an unprecedented compilation of Walker’s fifty years of journals drawing an intimate portrait of her development over five decades as an artist, human rights and women’s activist, and intellectual.
-
-
A must-read for any creative artist!!
- By amazonluver on 04-30-22
By: Alice Walker, and others
-
Modern Loss
- Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome.
- By: Rebecca Soffer, Gabrielle Birkner
- Narrated by: Meredith Mitchell, Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At a time when we mourn public figures and national tragedies with hashtags, where intimate posts about loss go viral and we receive automated birthday reminders for dead friends, it's clear we are navigating new terrain without a road map. Let's face it: Most of us have always had a difficult time talking about death and sharing our grief. We're awkward and uncertain; we avoid, ignore, or even deny feelings of sadness; we offer platitudes; we send sympathy bouquets whittled out of fruit.
-
-
Not What I Was Expecting
- By Bessie Mae on 03-01-23
By: Rebecca Soffer, and others
-
Nothing Was the Same
- A Memoir
- By: Kay Redfield Jamison
- Narrated by: Renée Raudman
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps no one but Kay Redfield Jamison---who combines the acute perceptions of a psychologist with writerly elegance and passion---could bring such a delicate touch to the subject of losing a spouse to cancer. In spare and at times strikingly lyrical prose, Jamison looks back at her relationship with her husband, Richard Wyatt, a renowned scientist who battled severe dyslexia to become one of the foremost experts on schizophrenia.
-
-
Liked the story better than the narrator
- By Pamela Harvey on 07-22-11
-
Chicken Soup for the Soul - Find Your Happiness
- 101 Inspirational Stories about Finding Your Purpose, Passion, and Joy
- By: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen
- Narrated by: Cynthia Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What makes you happy? Others share how they found their passion, purpose, and joy in life in these 101 personal and exciting stories that are sure to inspire and encourage listeners to find their own happiness. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Find Your Happiness will encourage listeners to pursue their dreams, find their passion and seek joy in their life with its 101 personal and inspiring stories. This book continues Chicken Soup for the Soul’s focus on inspiration and hope, reminding us that we all can find our own happiness.
-
-
I got even more depressed
- By Tom on 09-08-14
By: Jack Canfield, and others
-
The Caregiving Season
- Finding Grace to Honor Your Aging Parents
- By: Jane Daly
- Narrated by: Patty Fogarty
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Caring for elderly parents is challenging. It's a season of life requiring strength that comes only from God. In The Caregiving Season, Jane Daly openly shares her stories from the front lines of battling guilt, negotiating new boundaries, and dealing with exhaustion. Her message of grace and hope will help you honor your aging parents well, and deepen your personal relationship with Christ along the way.
-
-
What a Suprise
- By Ericka on 05-23-18
By: Jane Daly
-
Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them)
- A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying
- By: Sallie Tisdale
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You get ready to die the way you get ready for a trip. Start by realizing you don't know the way. Listen to a few travel guides. Study the language, look at maps, gather equipment. Let yourself imagine what it will be like. Pack your bags. This book is one of those travel guides - a guide to preparing for your own death and the deaths of people close to you. The fact of death is hard to believe. Sallie Tisdale explores our fears and all the ways death and talking about death make us uncomfortable - but she also explores its intimacies and joys.
-
-
I thought I had more time...
- By Alyssa on 09-09-19
By: Sallie Tisdale
-
Mother Daughter Me
- A Memoir
- By: Katie Hafner
- Narrated by: Katie Hafner
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complex, deeply binding relationship between mothers and daughters is brought vividly to life in Katie Hafner's remarkable memoir, an exploration of the year she and her mother, Helen, spent working through, and triumphing over, a lifetime of unresolved emotions. Dreaming of a "year in Provence" with her mother, Katie urges Helen to move to San Francisco to live with her and Zoe, Katie's teenage daughter. Katie and Zoe had become a mother-daughter team, strong enough, Katie thought, to absorb the arrival of a 77-year-old woman set in her ways....
-
-
Listen and be swept away!
- By Barbara Quick on 06-02-22
By: Katie Hafner
-
This Close to Happy
- A Reckoning with Depression
- By: Daphne Merkin
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This Close to Happy is the rare, vividly personal account of what it feels like to suffer from clinical depression, written from a woman's perspective and informed by an acute understanding of the implications of this disease over a lifetime. Taking off from essays on depression she has written for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, Daphne Merkin casts her eye back to her beginnings to try to sort out the root causes of her affliction.
-
-
I should be the last person to recommend this book
- By Mariaposa on 03-04-17
By: Daphne Merkin
-
Forgiven
- The Amish School Shooting, a Mother's Love, and a Story of Remarkable Grace
- By: Terri Roberts, Jeanette Windle
- Narrated by: Pamela Klein
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a son does the unthinkable, how can a mother go on? On October 2, 2006, a gunman entered an Amish one-room schoolhouse, shooting 10 girls, killing five, then finally taking his own life. This is his mother's story. Not only did she lose her precious son through suicide, but she also lost her understanding of him as an honorable man. It was a trauma that no one should ever have to face.
-
-
If they can forgive you can too
- By Grandma B on 06-25-19
By: Terri Roberts, and others
-
A Promise Is a Promise
- An Almost Unbelievable Story of a Mother's Unconditional Love and What It Can Teach Us
- By: Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
- Narrated by: Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
- Length: 1 hr and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This story, which tells of Kaye O'Bara's devotion to her comatose daughter, Edwarda, transcends our own experiences of love. It reminds us to look within and see where we can give unconditionally.
-
-
An interesting story
- By Jes_074 on 10-04-23
-
Peace from Broken Pieces
- How to Get Through What You're Going Through
- By: Iyanla Vanzant
- Narrated by: Iyanla Vanzant
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Iyanla Vanzant recounts the last decade of her life and the spiritual lessons learned—from the price of success during her meteoric rise as a TV celebrity on Oprah, the Iyanla TV show (produced by Barbara Walters), to the dissolution of her marriage and her daughter's 15 months of illness and death on Christmas day.
-
-
Iyanla is Inspirational! A GREAT LISTEN!!!
- By Theresa on 12-04-11
By: Iyanla Vanzant
-
Messenger
- The Legacy of Mattie J. T. Stepanek and Heartsongs
- By: Jeni Stepanek
- Narrated by: Jeni Stepanek
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Oprah Winfrey has called him an inspiration, Maya Angelou saw him as a kindred spirit and fellow poet, and Jimmy Carter described Mattie Stepanek as the "most remarkable person I have ever known". When Jerry Lewis received his lifetime achievement award at the Oscars, footage of Mattie played behind him. Five years after his death from a rare neuromuscular disease, Mattie is still being celebrated for his indomitable spirit and message of hope.
-
-
Loved Jeni telling Mattie’s story
- By Hello Mrs. on 12-29-22
By: Jeni Stepanek
-
Changing the Way We Die
- Compassionate End-of-Life Care and the Hospice Movement
- By: Sheila Himmel, Fran Smith
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There’s a quiet revolution happening in the way we die. More than 1.5 million Americans a year die in hospice care - nearly 44 percent of all deaths - and a vast industry has sprung up to meet the growing demand. Once viewed as a New Age indulgence, hospice is now a $14 billion business and one of the most successful segments in health care. Changing the Way We Die, by award-winning journalists Fran Smith and Sheila Himmel, is the first book to take a broad, penetrating look at the hospice landscape.
-
-
Sadly, not very engaging.
- By Debra S. Long on 06-16-18
By: Sheila Himmel, and others
-
Diana
- Her True Story - in Her Own Words
- By: Andrew Morton
- Narrated by: Michael Maloney, Caroline Langrishe
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sensational biography of Princess Diana, now revised to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her death. When Diana: Her True Story - in Her Own Words was first published in 1992, it forever changed the way the public viewed the British monarchy.
-
-
Wonderful overall with one issue...
- By globewest on 07-02-17
By: Andrew Morton
What listeners say about On My Own
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Meezer Lover
- 05-16-16
A story to cherish...
inspirational; motivational; honest; thought provoking; heart warming and courageous. A not to be missed read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- amy
- 03-07-16
Good to get to know DR, but ...
Interesting and fascinating life , emotionally honest and brave regarding fears and trials of her journey. A bit tough due to redundancy and slow parts that circle same concept. If edited better would be A+!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Max G
- 08-05-21
Diane’s Chaotic Structure Puts You In Her Shoes
While many reviewers here feel that the organization of the chapters, which vary from before and after her husband’s death, results in a confusing narrative, I found that it allowed me to better empathize with the terrible grief that she experienced.
I haven’t experienced a loss like hers, but I can imagine that it feels as though you are walking through a daze, constantly reliving the past with the person who is gone, while trying to make sense of a present that doesn’t feel real. Thank you Diane for this incredibly intimate and honest accounting of your loss.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- KKM1224
- 05-11-16
The Grief Journey
The Diane Rehm show was a favorite of mine when we lived in DC and now I am so glad I can listen to her podcast.
This book is such an accurate account of the many aspects of grief and a personal look into her own grieving and also her marriage and family life. I loved this book and would recommend it highly.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lynne
- 01-07-17
The experience of being a widow
Five years after the death of my husband I felt gratitude over and over as I listened to Diane's honest assessment of her marriage and her life without her husband. I felt I was listening to a trusted friend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- BAB
- 08-05-17
Always a role model
Diane's honesty re Johns illness & death and her responses is so helpful to those of us sharing that journey.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marian
- 04-18-16
Diane Rocks!
Where does On My Own rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Among the best - authors don't always score by narrating their own books but Diane seals it!
Who was your favorite character and why?
Diane.
What does Diane Rehm bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Her story is riveting and I can empathize with her pain from my own personal experience. I can feel her pain and joy in her voice.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
This does not need to be a movie.Not everything does.
Any additional comments?
Really admire Diane - a self made and educated woman. Brutally honest and love her NPR show - she keeps the commentators on track. Would rather listen to Diane and her views than the commentators for the most part. They are too much into praising each other which gets old - very clubby that strikes listeners like me as disingenuous.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cyndi
- 08-03-16
Long, rambling, disjointed narrative
I want to state up front that I am a Diane Rehm fan, so I am not happy to write such a negative review. Do I blame Diane for this rambling, disjointed book? No. I blame her editor. This person should have pointed out how the chapters could have been better organized and the multiple times when she is merely repeating ideas that did not need to be reiterated more than two times. This person has clearly failed her and the book.
The story begins, quite predictably, with the decline and demise of Diane's beloved husband John. From there, the story takes many jumps around in Diane's life, weakening the message(s) that she hopes to convey. First and foremost, Diane tells many stories about her relationship with John, freely admitting that he was a emotionally abusive husband (shutting her out many times emotionally, leaving her to feel as if there were something wrong with her). However, she continues to dote on him to the point where, as a reader, I wonder if she is suffering a very mild version of Stockholm Syndrome. Second, Diane jumps backwards often to discuss her own life and her choice to pursue a career in radio. While I find this interesting, she has written other accounts, so I feel as though these were not really relevant to the focus of this book -- On My Own (implying life after John). Third, she addresses how much she desires to advocate for Euthanasia or Assisted Dying. While I find this topic fascinating, her continual circling back to it and repetition about things she has already covered gets old. I respect her decision and hope that she does continue to advocate for such an important issue, I don't feel that she really achieved her goal of convincing others to investigate and possibly decide the same on their own. Lastly, the book continues on and on and on. Just as I would feel that she had finally reached the end, there would be another chapter. The book is just too long because it seems that she cannot bear to end it. Sadly, by the time she does finally say goodbye, I was more than happy to let her go.
The one bright aspect of the book is Diane's choice to narrate it. Her voice sharply divides people -- they either love it or hate it. She is right when she talks about how her voice is not one designed for radio. But I admire her for refusing to let it deter her career choice. I also admire her choice to narrate her own book, even though, at times, it seems to fail her (I'm sure the continual reading took its toll on her voice and probably took place over several settings -- perhaps before and after voice treatments?). No one else could read her book, and I am glad she made such a choice.
If you love Diane, then I am sure you will listen to this book no matter what my review says. My goal is more to prepare you for what you will hear rather than disparage Diane and her story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful