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5 Memoirs By Women That Are Even Better When You Listen To Them

5 Memoirs By Women That Are Even Better When You Listen To Them
Paid for by Audible
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This content was paid for by an advertiser. It was produced by our commercial team and did not involve HuffPost editorial staff.

What could be better than bringing your favorite stories — or the ones you don’t even know yet — to life through audiobooks? Listening to a narrator perform a story takes the words off the page in a way that reading a book just can’t do. This is especially the case when the writer reads their own work, making it as if a friend is sharing an intimate tale only with you.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, we teamed up with Audible to share some of the best memoirs by females that are narrated by the authors themselves. From Roxane Gay’s raw storytelling in Hunger, to Maya Angelou’s emotive prose in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, these books are even better when you listen to them.

Hunger
In her debut memoir, Hunger, Roxane Gay bravely opens herself to the world. In this audiobook, the best-selling author revisits a traumatic childhood experience and explores the ways in which it changed her life forever. This early trauma led to psychological and emotional struggles, and in turn, eating as a way to cope. Gay candidly shares the difficult experience of moving through the world as an overweight woman in a fat-phobic society. The raw and unapologetic honesty that has garnered Gay a devoted following is prevalent throughout this story, and the recounting of it through her own voice, makes her story and the lessons she’s learned even more impactful.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Much like Hunger, Maya Angelou’s debut memoir, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, touches on childhood trauma and identity. In this beautifully performed autobiography, Angelou recounts her life growing up in Arkansas in the 1930s — making it one of the most honest depictions of life for a black woman growing up in the South. Angelou reveals how a childhood sexual assault led her to five years of silence. Fortunately, Angelou eventually discovered the true power of her voice and the impact it could have on the world. Even after her death in 2014, that power is brought to life through her performance of this best-selling audiobook.
In the Country We Love
Diane Guerrero, an actress on hit shows like “Orange Is The New Black” and “Jane The Virgin,” is also an outspoken advocate for immigration reform. In her first audiobook, In the Country We Love, she shares her personal experience of being separated from her parents, a reality many children of immigrants in the United States are facing today. When Guerrero was just 14 years old, her parents were arrested and deported from the U.S. to Colombia, while she was left to fend for herself. While the story was difficult for Guerrero to share, she hopes her personal experience will shed light on what is happening to families around the country. Through her emotional narration of her story, she empowers others to speak out.
In Pieces
While you may think you know Sally Field from her decades-long acting career, her memoir, In Pieces, reveals a side of the actress you’ve never seen before. Field opens up about the years of abuse she faced as a teen and how that affected her relationships with high-profile partners like Burt Reynolds and intimate figures like her mother. While it took Field years to finally reveal what was happening behind the scenes, the result is a courageous and heartfelt memoir. The performance of Field’s audiobook presents the beloved actor’s talent in a new light.
Funny in Farsi
Author Firoozeh Dumas originally shared her story of growing up Iranian in America in a series of essays written for her children. The collection was later turned into her first book and audiobook, Funny in Farsi, a warm and lighthearted story about her childhood as an immigrant in California. We see how Dumas explored what it meant to be an American through anecdotes about her younger self and her loveable family members. Dumas’ lively retelling of her story will resonate with anyone who feels like an outsider.

Words by Erica Euse; Illustrations by Rainie Kaplan

From Audible:

Throughout Women’s History Month, Audible will be celebrating women and the power of their voices. With audiobooks, you can bring books to life wherever you are, whether you’re listening during your commute or your workout. Audible’s selection of audiobooks includes extraordinary stories written by authors who will inspire you all year round. You can check out the full Audible library by signing up for a 30-day trial — which includes your first audiobook for free — here.

This article was paid for by Audible and co-created by RYOT Studio. HuffPost editorial staff did not participate in the creation of this content.

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