Viewfinder
A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen
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Narrated by:
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Jon M. Chu
About this listen
From visionary director Jon M. Chu comes a powerful, inspiring memoir of belonging, creativity, and learning to see who you really are.
“A must-read for aspiring artists and dreamers of all kinds.”—Ava DuVernay
Long before he directed Wicked, In The Heights, or the groundbreaking film Crazy Rich Asians, Jon M. Chu was a movie-obsessed first-generation Chinese American, helping at his parents’ Chinese restaurant in Silicon Valley and forever facing the cultural identity crisis endemic to children of immigrants. Growing up on the cutting edge of twenty-first-century technology gave Chu the tools he needed to make his mark at USC film school, and to be discovered by Steven Spielberg, but he soon found himself struggling to understand who he was. In this book, for the first time, Chu turns the lens on his own life and work, telling the universal story of questioning what it means when your dreams collide with your circumstances, and showing how it’s possible to succeed even when the world changes beyond all recognition.
With striking candor and unrivaled insights, Chu offers a firsthand account of the collision of Silicon Valley and Hollywood—what it’s been like to watch his old world shatter and reshape his new one. Ultimately, Viewfinder is about reckoning with your own story, becoming your most creative self, and finding a path all your own.
©2024 Jon M. Chu (P)2024 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“With Viewfinder, Jon Chu has written a profoundly inspiring book that reminds the reader of the power of dreams and the importance of remaining determined and focused even when—especially when—faced with adversity. A story of identity, creativity and the spirit of an artist, this vicarious journey is moving, funny, heart-wrenching, and relatable to anyone trying to carve out their place in this world.”—J.J. Abrams
“On any given day of filming, Jon Chu finds what’s magic about the day and finds a way to capture it. He takes big swings and dreams big dreams but never loses sight of the beating heart at the center of the story he’s telling. I wish this book had been around when I was younger. I’m so grateful it’s here now.”—Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Heartfelt, candid and wise beyond words, this deeply insightful and wonderfully inspirational memoir by a true storyteller is an absolute must-read.”—Michelle Yeoh
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Story
A daughter of Korean immigrants, Hyeseung Song spends her earliest years in the cane fields of Texas where her loyalties are divided between a restless father in search of Big Money, and a beautiful yet domineering mother whose resentments about her own life compromises her relationship with her daughter. With her parents at constant odds, Song learns more words in Korean for hatred than for love. When the family’s fake Gucci business lands them in bankruptcy, Song moves to a new elementary school. On her first day, a girl asks the teacher: “Can she speak English?”
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Great memoir.
- By Alexander W Connor on 11-03-24
By: Hyeseung Song
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Reap the Whirlwind
- Violence, Race, Justice, and the Story of Sagon Penn
- By: Peter Houlahan
- Narrated by: Joshua Saxon
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
March 31, 1985. Two white patrol officers in search of a gang member followed a pickup truck carrying seven young Black men up a dirt driveway in the Encanto neighborhood of San Diego. Minutes later, gunshots rang out, and the truck's driver, Sagon Penn, fled the scene in an officer's patrol car. Penn was an idealist who believed in the power of Buddhist chants to bring about the oneness of humanity. The two police officers were rising stars in one of the most progressive police departments in the country, yet one that had suffered more officers killed in the line of duty than any other.
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Outstanding
- By DJ McCarty on 09-11-24
By: Peter Houlahan
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The Lucky Ones
- A Memoir
- By: Zara Chowdhary
- Narrated by: Zara Chowdhary
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In 2002, Zara Chowdhary is sixteen years old and living with her family in Ahmedabad, one of India’s fastest-growing cities, when a gruesome train fire claims the lives of sixty Hindu right-wing volunteers and upends the life of five million Muslims. Instead of taking her school exams that week, Zara is put under a three-month siege, with her family and thousands of others fearing for their lives as Hindu neighbors, friends, and members of civil society transform overnight into bloodthirsty mobs, hunting and massacring their fellow citizens.
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Life under Modi
- By C. C. Kissinger on 08-09-24
By: Zara Chowdhary
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Feh
- A Memoir
- By: Shalom Auslander
- Narrated by: Shalom Auslander
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Shalom Auslander was raised like a veal in a dysfunctional family in the Orthodox community of Monsey, New York: the son of an alcoholic father; a guilt-wielding mother; and an overbearing God. Now, as he reaches middle age, Auslander begins to suspect that what plagues him is something worse, something he can't so easily escape: a story. The story. One implanted in him at an early age, a story that told him he is fallen, broken, shameful, disgusting, a story we have all been told for thousands of years, and continue to be told by the religious and secular alike, a story called "Feh."
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Good, really good
- By SCorrie on 07-25-24
By: Shalom Auslander
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Guilty Creatures
- Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida
- By: Mikita Brottman
- Narrated by: Leon Nixon
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Mike and Denise Williams had a tight knit, seemingly unbreakable bond with childhood friends, Brian and Kathy Winchester. The two couples were devout, hardworking Baptists who lived perfect, quintessentially Southern lives. Their friendship seemed ironclad. That is, until December 16, 2000, when Denise’s husband Mike disappeared while duck hunting on Lake Seminole. After no body was found, everyone assumed that Mike had drowned in a tragic accident, his body eaten by alligators. But things took an unexpected turn when Brian Winchester divorced his wife and married Denise.
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Mostly Filler
- By Bootless on 08-15-24
By: Mikita Brottman
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The Genius of Judy
- How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us
- By: Rachelle Bergstein
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In The Genius of Judy, her remarkable story is revealed as never before, beginning with her as a mother of two searching for purpose outside of her home in 1960s suburban New Jersey. The books she wrote starred regular children with genuine thoughts and problems. But behind those deceptively simple tales, Blume explored the pillars of the growing women’s rights movement, in which girls and women were entitled to careers, bodily autonomy, fulfilling relationships, and even sexual pleasure.
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A Total Delight
- By Kristen Hanna on 10-03-24
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Docile
- Memoirs of a Not-So-Perfect Asian Girl
- By: Hyeseung Song
- Narrated by: Hyeseung Song
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
A daughter of Korean immigrants, Hyeseung Song spends her earliest years in the cane fields of Texas where her loyalties are divided between a restless father in search of Big Money, and a beautiful yet domineering mother whose resentments about her own life compromises her relationship with her daughter. With her parents at constant odds, Song learns more words in Korean for hatred than for love. When the family’s fake Gucci business lands them in bankruptcy, Song moves to a new elementary school. On her first day, a girl asks the teacher: “Can she speak English?”
-
-
Great memoir.
- By Alexander W Connor on 11-03-24
By: Hyeseung Song
-
Reap the Whirlwind
- Violence, Race, Justice, and the Story of Sagon Penn
- By: Peter Houlahan
- Narrated by: Joshua Saxon
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
March 31, 1985. Two white patrol officers in search of a gang member followed a pickup truck carrying seven young Black men up a dirt driveway in the Encanto neighborhood of San Diego. Minutes later, gunshots rang out, and the truck's driver, Sagon Penn, fled the scene in an officer's patrol car. Penn was an idealist who believed in the power of Buddhist chants to bring about the oneness of humanity. The two police officers were rising stars in one of the most progressive police departments in the country, yet one that had suffered more officers killed in the line of duty than any other.
-
-
Outstanding
- By DJ McCarty on 09-11-24
By: Peter Houlahan
-
The Lucky Ones
- A Memoir
- By: Zara Chowdhary
- Narrated by: Zara Chowdhary
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2002, Zara Chowdhary is sixteen years old and living with her family in Ahmedabad, one of India’s fastest-growing cities, when a gruesome train fire claims the lives of sixty Hindu right-wing volunteers and upends the life of five million Muslims. Instead of taking her school exams that week, Zara is put under a three-month siege, with her family and thousands of others fearing for their lives as Hindu neighbors, friends, and members of civil society transform overnight into bloodthirsty mobs, hunting and massacring their fellow citizens.
-
-
Life under Modi
- By C. C. Kissinger on 08-09-24
By: Zara Chowdhary
-
Feh
- A Memoir
- By: Shalom Auslander
- Narrated by: Shalom Auslander
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shalom Auslander was raised like a veal in a dysfunctional family in the Orthodox community of Monsey, New York: the son of an alcoholic father; a guilt-wielding mother; and an overbearing God. Now, as he reaches middle age, Auslander begins to suspect that what plagues him is something worse, something he can't so easily escape: a story. The story. One implanted in him at an early age, a story that told him he is fallen, broken, shameful, disgusting, a story we have all been told for thousands of years, and continue to be told by the religious and secular alike, a story called "Feh."
-
-
Good, really good
- By SCorrie on 07-25-24
By: Shalom Auslander
-
Guilty Creatures
- Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida
- By: Mikita Brottman
- Narrated by: Leon Nixon
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mike and Denise Williams had a tight knit, seemingly unbreakable bond with childhood friends, Brian and Kathy Winchester. The two couples were devout, hardworking Baptists who lived perfect, quintessentially Southern lives. Their friendship seemed ironclad. That is, until December 16, 2000, when Denise’s husband Mike disappeared while duck hunting on Lake Seminole. After no body was found, everyone assumed that Mike had drowned in a tragic accident, his body eaten by alligators. But things took an unexpected turn when Brian Winchester divorced his wife and married Denise.
-
-
Mostly Filler
- By Bootless on 08-15-24
By: Mikita Brottman
-
The Genius of Judy
- How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us
- By: Rachelle Bergstein
- Narrated by: Mia Barron
- Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Genius of Judy, her remarkable story is revealed as never before, beginning with her as a mother of two searching for purpose outside of her home in 1960s suburban New Jersey. The books she wrote starred regular children with genuine thoughts and problems. But behind those deceptively simple tales, Blume explored the pillars of the growing women’s rights movement, in which girls and women were entitled to careers, bodily autonomy, fulfilling relationships, and even sexual pleasure.
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A Total Delight
- By Kristen Hanna on 10-03-24
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I'll Be in My Trailer
- The Creative Wars Between Directors and Actors
- By: John Badham, Craig Modderno
- Narrated by: John Badham
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
What do you do when actors won't do what you tell them to? Remembering his own awkwardness and terror as a beginning director working with actors who always had their own ideas, director John Badham has a bookload of knowledge to pass along in this inspired and insightful must-listen for cinema fans as well as actors and directors at all levels of their craft.
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Excellent, wow
- By Mark on 06-06-23
By: John Badham, and others
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Naked Fighting
- Mastering Your Self-Defense Skills in the Buff
- By: Kristin Williams
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Welcome my fellow unclothed friends. Now, I know what you’re thinking—naked fighting? Really? Yes, really! Trust me, it's not just about getting into hilarious, awkward situations (although there’s plenty of that). It’s about embracing your natural self and learning some valuable self-defense skills while you’re at it. First, let me give you a bit of background on why I’m so passionate about this. I’ve been a proud nudist for years. There’s something incredibly freeing about shedding your clothes and just being yourself, unencumbered by society’s constraints. But, just ...
By: Kristin Williams
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Decade of Disunion
- How Massachusetts and South Carolina Led the Way to Civil War, 1849-1861
- By: Robert W. Merry
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 16 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Mexican War brought vast new territories to the United States, which precipitated a growing crisis over slavery. The new territories seemed unsuitable for the type of agriculture that depended on slave labor, but they lay south of the line where slavery was permitted by the 1820 Missouri Compromise. The subject of expanding slavery to the new territories became a flash point between North and South.
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Very good overview of the period
- By Mike From Mesa on 09-24-24
By: Robert W. Merry
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No Road Home
- A Novel
- By: John Fram
- Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Travis Tonn, Jade Wheeler
- Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
For years, single father Toby Tucker has done his best to keep his sensitive young son, Luca, safe from the bigotry of the world. But when Toby marries Alyssa Wright—the granddaughter of a famed televangelist known for his grandiose, Old Testament preaching—he can’t imagine the world of religion, wealth, and hate that he and Luca are about to enter. A trip to the Wright family’s compound in sun-scorched Texas soon turns hellish when Toby realizes that Alyssa and the rest of her brood might have some very strange plans for Toby and his son.
By: John Fram
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I'll Have What He's Having
- By: Adib Khorram
- Narrated by: Shezi Sardar, Brent Billings
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
When it comes to love, substitute teacher Farzan Alavi is a disaster. Newly heartbroken—again—he’s drowning his sorrows at Kansas City’s newest wine bar. Only instead of being crowded between strangers, he’s escorted to a VIP table for one. There, the hot sommelier does more than treat him to the meal of his life. The way he flirts with Farzan ignites instant sparks.
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Absolutely fabulous!
- By Angela I on 09-11-24
By: Adib Khorram
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Seeing Through
- A Chronicle of Sex, Drugs, and Opera
- By: Ricky Ian Gordon
- Narrated by: Ricky Ian Gordon
- Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At eight years old, Ricky Ian Gordon pulled The Victor Book of Opera off his piano teacher’s bookshelf, and his world shifted on its axis. Though scandal, sadness, and confusion would shake that world over the next few decades, its polestar remained constant. Music has been the guiding force of Gordon’s life; through it, he has been able not only to survive great sorrow but also to capture the depths of his emotion in song. It is this strength, this technical and visceral genius, that has made him one of our generation’s greatest composers.
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Wow.
- By John G. on 11-03-24
By: Ricky Ian Gordon
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Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions
- My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood
- By: Ed Zwick
- Narrated by: Ed Zwick
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Though there are many factors behind such success, including luck and the contributions of his creative partner Marshall Herskovitz, he’s known to have a special talent for bringing out the best in the people he’s worked with, notably the actors. In those intense collaborations, he seeks to discover the small pieces of connective tissue, vulnerability, and fellowship that can help an actor realize their character in full.
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Authentic, Sobering & Full of Grace
- By David_Leah Wiley on 02-17-24
By: Ed Zwick
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Women in the Valley of the Kings
- The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age
- By: Kathleen Sheppard
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The history of Egyptology is often told as yet one more grand narrative of powerful men striving to seize the day and the precious artifacts for their competing homelands. But that is only half of the story. During the Golden Age of Exploration, there were women working and exploring before Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tut. Before men even conceived of claiming the story for themselves, women were working in Egypt to lay the groundwork for all future exploration.
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Terrible Narrator Disappointing Book
- By Roxanna on 11-06-24
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How to Run Wars
- A Confidential Playbook for the National Security Elite
- By: Abigail R. Hall, Christopher J. Coyne
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Merciless in their penetrating analysis, Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail Hall have written the satirical portrait of America’s contemporary military-industrial complex. Drawing inspiration from the 1936 classic How to Run a War, by Bruce W. Knight, this book is a must-listen for anyone who would know the truth about America’s endless wars and the people who run them....
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great tongue and cheek book
- By John on 07-26-24
By: Abigail R. Hall, and others
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I Will Ruin You
- The Twisted Truth Behind the Kit Martin Murder Trial
- By: Emilio Corsetti III
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
I Will Ruin You: The Twisted Truth Behind the Kit Martin Murder Trial delves into the complex circumstances behind Martin's story. It looks beyond the sensational headlines and legal turmoil into the heart of this controversial case.
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I am so angry!
- By Colleen T. Mizeres on 09-17-24
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Into the Darkness
- A Journey of Love, War, and Emotional Freedom
- By: Dave Fielding
- Narrated by: Dave Fielding
- Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Dave Fielding’s no-holds-barred memoir is not just a tale of covert operations and daring takedowns of the planet's most notorious terrorists in the hostile terrains of Iraq and Syria. It's a raw, unflinching look at the man behind the mission, whose personal life crumbled even as he fought against the darkness both without and within. Fielding's story is a harrowing journey through the underbelly of mental anguish, where the specter of suicide loomed large, and the battle was not just in surviving the external threats but confronting the demons that whispered from the shadows of his mind.
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Middle school Drama memoir… not a fan
- By Anonymous User on 10-30-24
By: Dave Fielding
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Takedown
- Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking
- By: Laila Mickelwait
- Narrated by: Laila Mickelwait
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Pornhub was the 10th most visited site on the Internet, often praised as a progressive champion of women. Then one day, an activist discovered a secret they had been keeping from the world for over a decade: it was infested with child sexual abuse and rape videos. Now for the first time, anti-trafficking expert and mother of two Laila Mickelwait tells the story of her battle against Pornhub’s billionaire executives and the credit card companies who helped them monetize the abuse of countless victims—some as young as three years old.
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Eye-opening
- By Lexi on 09-02-24
By: Laila Mickelwait
What listeners say about Viewfinder
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Abg
- 08-23-24
The real story of a storyteller
Better than I could have hoped. It takes you from Jon’s start to the present time. I’m excited to read the sequel.
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1 person found this helpful
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- jennifer j patel
- 10-17-24
“Navigating Two Worlds: A Reflective Journey Through Viewfinder”
Viewfinder by John M. Chu deeply resonated with me. As a filmmaker, husband, father, and Chinese American, Chu captures the complexities of growing up between two worlds—immigrant life at home and “American” culture outside. Though he grew up in the Bay Area and I in a small Arizona town, the shared struggle to balance these identities feels familiar.
Chu’s journey of self-acceptance, especially in a world where few looked like him, is powerful. He also reflects on how his relentless drive for success ultimately left him unfulfilled, showing the double-edged sword of ambition.
For Gen X readers, this book offers a nostalgic look back at simpler times while prompting reflection on where we’re headed. Highly recommend!
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- seligmanor
- 09-13-24
Life lessons for Jon, life lessons for us all.
Entertaining engaging
from beginning to end. Perseverance, resilience, unending examination of self others and world —. Love it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 08-14-24
Relatable, Emotional, and Inspiring!
I've never written a book review before, but I wanted to do so for this book. I knew I had to listen to it when I heard you mention it during an interview you did on NPR! As an African and struggling businesswoman, your parents' chapter in your book gave me hope in my entrepreneurial journey. Your parents' chapter and your hero, Steve Jobs, sections kept me emotional, and I sometimes found tears coming down my eyes. Your book means so much on many levels and it leaves me feeling very grateful and inspired for what is to come in my life as a business owner. Thank you for your storytelling. I wholeheartedly relate to your book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Gosei
- 09-17-24
Excellent story and incredible quality
A must read/listen or any emerging filmmaker. What a story. breaking in with Spielberg at 22yo
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1 person found this helpful
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- Marla Garren
- 07-29-24
I could identify with his family background since I also grew up with my parents owning a Chinese-American restaurant.
Loved his chapter in regards to how his parents met and how they decided to work together to manage the restaurant to become a successful one.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Andrew Arguijo
- 08-24-24
Awesome, authentic story telling
Jon M Chu gives a beautiful account of his family, his career, self acceptance and clarity. Loved this book.
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- John
- 10-26-24
Great account of the director’s journey
Also for those of us who grew up around the same time, great memories and real accounts of the tech & film events that shaped us. Expertly read by the author.
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