Behind the Mic: On Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran, Read by the Author

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens.

Phuc Tran’s story is an American immigration story and so much more. AudioFile’s Emily Connelly and host Jo Reed discuss Tran’s memoir about growing up as a Vietnamese refugee in small-town Pennsylvania and the unusual way he discovered he could fit in. Tran’s narration is crisp and engaging as he highlights both the humor in his story and the intensity of the difficulties he faced. Two very different forms of media shaped who he became—literature and punk rock. Each chapter is told in conversation with a classic work of literature as Tran traces his path from nerdy child to punk-rock misfit to college-bound scholar. His is a story about trying to find meaning in life and a sense of belonging, told beautifully.

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Support for Behind the Mic comes from Blackstone Publishing, publisher of the audiobook of Richard Adams’ classic tale Watership Down. This May Blackstone is celebrating the centenary of the author’s birth. This is a great moment to reflect on the novel and experience it all over again, as well as introduce it to a new generation of listeners. Read by the actor Peter Capaldi, Watership Down is an exciting adventure story and an engaging allegory about freedom, ethics, and human nature. A stirring epic of courage and survival against the odds, the beloved classic continues to be discovered by readers of all ages. Watership Down from Blackstone Publishing is available wherever you get your audiobooks, including Downpour.com.