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Audiobooks Narrated by Anthony Heald
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In this short-story by the masterful Tobias Wolff, a teenage boy learns the joys—and struggles—of adult life.
Eager for independence and adult-like freedom, a teenage boy takes a summer job baling hay on a rural farm. Savoring the farm wife’s attention and the extra change in his pocket, the boy feels like a grown man. The fellow hands give him a sense of camaraderie—Clemson, a fastidious boy who attends the same high school; Eduardo, a talkative Mexican seasonal worker; and Miguel, a quiet man and Eduardo’s brother.
One night, after working the fields from dawn until dusk, Clemson and the boy drop the two brothers off at the decrepit hotel they live at during the summers. Eduardo invites the men in for a drink and they all accept. But the room is filthy and reeking of mildew, and as angry words lead to dangerous actions, the boy must face the reality of his situation.
When Gold’s daughter is viciously attacked by a neighbor’s dog and barely escapes with her life, Gold’s world is torn open. Haunted by the incident and unable to convince local authorities to take action, he agrees to a friend’s offer of retaliation. When he feels compelled to return the favor, one bad turn leads to another—and this time, Gold finds the repercussions much worse than he ever could have anticipated.
Gilbert saw Mary Ann first, but the second time he sees her she is dancing with his best friend, Rafe. The three of them begin hanging out all the time, driving around in the car Rafe got as a present for getting into Yale. But when Rafe goes out of town, Gilbert and Mary Ann keep the tradition going, seeing movies and going on drives … in Rafe’s car no less. Gilbert thinks he and Mary Ann are perfect together, even the way they fit next to one another when they dance, but falling in love with your best friend’s girlfriend is a sure way to break someone’s heart.
Miller is unlucky. That’s why he’s in a foxhole with the rest of Bravo Company. That’s why his dad is gone and his mother remarried. That’s why his teeth are falling out. Then, when the first sergeant tells Miller his mother has passed away, Miller thinks he’s finally gotten lucky. Surely it’s another Miller’s mother, and now he can get away from the battalion for a couple days thanks to the Army’s error. But Miller knows the future rarely has happiness in store.
April’s father, a psychology professor, has had a breakdown and has landed in the Alta Vista State Hospital. Her stepmother, Claire, is just waiting for him to get out so she can leave on a trip to Italy—a trip April is worried Claire won’t come back from. She needs Claire, at least until she finishes high school. She needs her not just as a companion but as a worldly woman who can tell April about men and their desires … men far different from her boyfriend, Stuart.
In this short-story from Our Story Begins, three friends confront their relationships to one another as they work on plans to build their very own airplane.
Clark’s parents are rich, supplying the boys with all they need to follow their pursuits, making films and building catapults. Meanwhile, Freddy’s family is dealing with the loss of his older brother, and Freddy’s friends are having a hard time knowing how to act around him anymore. The boys all have their troubles, but maybe their airplane can help them escape.
Mr. Givens’ obituary is nothing remarkable, hardly something to remember at all. He led a quiet life, served in the Army, was married to the same woman for forty-two years, and worked at the same job practically his whole life. He wasn’t a baseball player or a movie star, he was the furthest thing from a celebrity. In fact, the only thing noteworthy about his obituary is what happens after it runs in the newspaper, when he shows up in the office of the Metro editor wondering who decided to pronounce him dead.
Ann’s friends envy her. None of their husbands even lift a finger to help with the household chores. Ann’s husband is different, though. Then a simple hypothetical conversation while they wash and dry the dishes causes Ann to see her husband in a different light—and causes him to rethink the way two people can know one another.
Mark’s parents have never done a thing for him. When he got out of the army and married Krystal, they were against it, just as they are against his moving to Los Angeles. But Mark has a dream, a dream of being an entertainer, of having a show in Las Vegas. So he packs Krystal and their son, Hans, into their car and starts driving from Arizona to California, determined to show his parents how wrong they are to doubt him. But when the car breaks down at a small gas station in the desert, Mark and Krystal are forced to face realities about their future and their marriage.
Two drugged-out couples contemplate life and morality in "Leviathan," a classic short-story by the masterful Tobias Wolff.
For Helen’s thirtieth birthday party, her husband decides to throw her a small party. Armed with booze and three grams of cocaine, the four partyers—Helen, her husband, and another couple—spend the night and the next morning in a drug-induced stupor. As their talk turns to past misdeeds and shameful acts, the couples begin to wonder if it’s not the bad decisions in life bring happiness and meaning.
A classic tale of brotherly love and rivalry from short-story master Tobias Wolff
Pete has always been successful. Happily married with two daughters, he lives a comfortable life in Santa Cruz. Pete is a practical, hardworking man and he enjoys life’s monetary pleasures.
His younger brother, Donald, is a gaunt, troubled man. Unmarried and without children, Donald earns what little money he has by occasionally painting houses. He’s a religious man, unlike Pete, and has spent several years as a member of various Christian groups.
When Pete receives a call from Donald, telling him that that his most recent religious commune has failed, Pete decides to pick him up— a trip that will test the limits of the brothers’ relationship.
A powerful tale of life after war by short-story master Tobias Wolff
Hooper, a Vietnam veteran, finds himself at an army base in Washington State. His days are uneventful, filled with mundane duties, empty conversations, and the occasional jaunt with a married woman.
A phone call in the middle of the night breaks Hooper’s predictable routine. One of the guards at the communications center is threatening to kill himself—and says he’ll shoot the other guard if he interferes. Hooper goes to talk to the distressed soldier, a cook nicknamed “Porkchop” who’s disappointed by his life as an army man. As their talk reveals the struggle to readjust to life after combat, the situation turns deadly, and the men must face the consequences of their actions.
