
Brother & Sister
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
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

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 Keaton
-
By:
-
Diane Keaton
About this listen
From the beloved film star and best-selling author of Then Again - a heartfelt memoir about Diane Keaton's relationship with her younger brother, and a poignant exploration of the divergent paths siblings' lives can take.
When they were children in the suburbs of Los Angeles in the 1950s, Diane Keaton and her younger brother, Randy, were best friends and companions: They shared stories at night in their bunk beds; they swam, laughed, dressed up for Halloween. Their mother captured their American-dream childhoods in her diaries, and on camera. But as they grew up, Randy became troubled, then reclusive. By the time he reached adulthood, he was divorced, an alcoholic, a man who couldn't hold on to full-time work - his life a world away from his sister's, and from the rest of their family.
Now, Diane is delving into the nuances of their shared, and separate, pasts to confront the difficult question of why and how Randy ended up living his life on "the other side of normal". In beautiful and fearless prose that's intertwined with journal entries, letters, and poetry - many of them Randy's own writing and art - this insightful memoir contemplates the inner workings of a family, the ties that hold it together, and the special bond between siblings even when they are pulled far apart. Here is a story about love and responsibility: about how, when we choose to reach out to the people we feel closest to - in moments of difficulty and loss - surprising things can happen. A story with universal echoes, Brother & Sister speaks across generations to families whose lives have been touched by the fragility and "otherness" of loved ones - and to brothers and sisters everywhere.
©2020 Diane Keaton (P)2020 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
My Name Is Barbra
- By: Barbra Streisand
- Narrated by: Barbra Streisand
- Length: 48 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career.
-
-
BARBRA IS LIKE BUTTAH!
- By JoeGato57 on 11-08-23
By: Barbra Streisand
-
Stories to Tell
- A Memoir
- By: Richard Marx
- Narrated by: Richard Marx
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Marx is one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters in the history of popular music. His self-titled 1987 album went triple platinum and made him the first male solo artist (and second solo artist overall after Whitney Houston) to have four singles from their debut crack the top three on the Billboard Hot 100. His follow-up, 1989’s Repeat Offender, was an even bigger smash, going quadruple platinum and landing two singles at number one.
-
-
Wow - Totally unexpected
- By Athena C. Galie on 07-07-21
By: Richard Marx
-
American Daughter
- A Memoir
- By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, Elissa Wald
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marno
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sharp and surprising true story of a woman who finally sets out to understand her past, and the mother she had one day hoped to forget. Full of unexpected twists and unbelievable revelations, American Daughter is an immersive memoir that will have you on the edge of your seat to the very last minute.
-
-
Amazing memoir
- By talltower4 on 09-02-21
By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, and others
-
Bookends
- A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature
- By: Zibby Owens
- Narrated by: Zibby Owens
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Zibby Owens has become a well-known personality in the publishing world. Her infectious energy, tasteful authenticity, and smart, steadfast support of authors started in childhood, a precedent set by the profound effect books and libraries had on her own family. But after losing her closest friend on 9/11 and later becoming utterly stressed out and overwhelmed by motherhood, Zibby was forgetting what made her her. She turned to books and writing for help.
-
-
It’s all about me!
- By deborah milito on 07-10-22
By: Zibby Owens
-
Going There
- By: Katie Couric
- Narrated by: Katie Couric
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than forty years, Katie Couric has been an iconic presence in the media world. In her brutally honest, hilarious, heartbreaking memoir, she reveals what was going on behind the scenes of her sometimes tumultuous personal and professional life—a story she’s never shared, until now.
-
-
Walk Down Memory Lane 4 Me
- By Sedona Woman on 10-27-21
By: Katie Couric
-
The Islander
- My Life in Music and Beyond
- By: Chris Blackwell
- Narrated by: Bill Nighy
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since its founding in 1959, Island Records has been home to legendary artists representing wildly divergent musical styles, yet who share the same maverick, outsider spirit of its founder, Chris Blackwell. Time and again, Blackwell and his Island cohorts identified and nurtured musicians overlooked by other labels, including Bob Marley, U2, Cat Stevens, Grace Jones, Roxy Music, Traffic, Nick Drake, Tom Waits, Robert Palmer, Free, the B-52’s, John Martyn, and Jimmy Cliff.
-
-
A Record Label Boss in Flip Flops Tells His Story
- By Ann Arbor on 12-15-22
By: Chris Blackwell
-
My Name Is Barbra
- By: Barbra Streisand
- Narrated by: Barbra Streisand
- Length: 48 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture. In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career.
-
-
BARBRA IS LIKE BUTTAH!
- By JoeGato57 on 11-08-23
By: Barbra Streisand
-
Stories to Tell
- A Memoir
- By: Richard Marx
- Narrated by: Richard Marx
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Marx is one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters in the history of popular music. His self-titled 1987 album went triple platinum and made him the first male solo artist (and second solo artist overall after Whitney Houston) to have four singles from their debut crack the top three on the Billboard Hot 100. His follow-up, 1989’s Repeat Offender, was an even bigger smash, going quadruple platinum and landing two singles at number one.
-
-
Wow - Totally unexpected
- By Athena C. Galie on 07-07-21
By: Richard Marx
-
American Daughter
- A Memoir
- By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, Elissa Wald
- Narrated by: Mozhan Marno
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The sharp and surprising true story of a woman who finally sets out to understand her past, and the mother she had one day hoped to forget. Full of unexpected twists and unbelievable revelations, American Daughter is an immersive memoir that will have you on the edge of your seat to the very last minute.
-
-
Amazing memoir
- By talltower4 on 09-02-21
By: Stephanie Thornton Plymale, and others
-
Bookends
- A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature
- By: Zibby Owens
- Narrated by: Zibby Owens
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Zibby Owens has become a well-known personality in the publishing world. Her infectious energy, tasteful authenticity, and smart, steadfast support of authors started in childhood, a precedent set by the profound effect books and libraries had on her own family. But after losing her closest friend on 9/11 and later becoming utterly stressed out and overwhelmed by motherhood, Zibby was forgetting what made her her. She turned to books and writing for help.
-
-
It’s all about me!
- By deborah milito on 07-10-22
By: Zibby Owens
-
Going There
- By: Katie Couric
- Narrated by: Katie Couric
- Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than forty years, Katie Couric has been an iconic presence in the media world. In her brutally honest, hilarious, heartbreaking memoir, she reveals what was going on behind the scenes of her sometimes tumultuous personal and professional life—a story she’s never shared, until now.
-
-
Walk Down Memory Lane 4 Me
- By Sedona Woman on 10-27-21
By: Katie Couric
-
The Islander
- My Life in Music and Beyond
- By: Chris Blackwell
- Narrated by: Bill Nighy
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since its founding in 1959, Island Records has been home to legendary artists representing wildly divergent musical styles, yet who share the same maverick, outsider spirit of its founder, Chris Blackwell. Time and again, Blackwell and his Island cohorts identified and nurtured musicians overlooked by other labels, including Bob Marley, U2, Cat Stevens, Grace Jones, Roxy Music, Traffic, Nick Drake, Tom Waits, Robert Palmer, Free, the B-52’s, John Martyn, and Jimmy Cliff.
-
-
A Record Label Boss in Flip Flops Tells His Story
- By Ann Arbor on 12-15-22
By: Chris Blackwell
-
No One Crosses the Wolf
- A Memoir
- By: Lisa Nikolidakis
- Narrated by: Lisa Nikolidakis
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Growing up, Lisa Nikolidakis tried to make sense of her childhood, which was scarred by abuse, violence, and psychological terrors so extreme that her relationship with her father was cleaved beyond repair. Having finally been able to leave that relationship behind, surviving meant forgetting. For years, “I’m fine” was a lie Nikolidakis repeated. Then, on her twenty-seventh birthday, Nikolidakis’s father murdered his girlfriend and her daughter, and turned the gun on himself.
-
-
Sadly, not a unique story
- By Penny Lane on 09-25-22
By: Lisa Nikolidakis
-
The Beauty of Living Twice
- By: Sharon Stone
- Narrated by: Sharon Stone
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sharon Stone, one of the most renowned actresses in the world, suffered a massive stroke that cost her not only her health, but her career, family, fortune, and global fame. In The Beauty of Living Twice, Stone chronicles her efforts to rebuild her life and writes about her slow road back to wholeness and health. In a business that doesn’t accept failure, in a world where too many voices are silenced, Stone found the power to return, the courage to speak up, and the will to make a difference in the lives of men, women, and children around the globe.
-
-
Change after a close encounter with Death
- By Maktoum Saeed Al-Maktoum on 04-04-21
By: Sharon Stone
-
What My Bones Know
- A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
- By: Stephanie Foo
- Narrated by: Stephanie Foo
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD—a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years.
-
-
Complex PTSD from a patient's point of view!
- By Howard_a on 05-24-22
By: Stephanie Foo
-
Fly Girl
- A Memoir
- By: Ann Hood
- Narrated by: Ann Hood
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1978, in the tailwind of the golden age of air travel, flight attendants were the epitome of glamor and sophistication. Fresh out of college and hungry to experience the world―and maybe, one day, write about it―Ann Hood joined their ranks. After a grueling job search, Hood survived TWA’s rigorous Breech Training Academy and learned to evacuate seven kinds of aircraft, deliver a baby, mix proper cocktails, administer oxygen, and stay calm no matter what the situation.
-
-
We’ll written, not what I expected
- By Jonathan on 07-07-22
By: Ann Hood
-
There Was a Little Girl
- The Real Story of My Mother and Me
- By: Brooke Shields
- Narrated by: Brooke Shields
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brooke Shields never had what anyone would consider an ordinary life. She was raised by her Newark-tough single mom, Teri, a woman who loved the world of show business and was often a media sensation all by herself. Brooke's iconic modeling career began by chance when she was only 11 months old, and Teri's skills as both Brooke's mother and her manager were formidable. But in private she was troubled and drank heavily.
-
-
Interesting, but sounds a little entitled at times
- By Karen on 12-09-14
By: Brooke Shields
-
Smacked
- A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction, and Tragedy
- By: Eilene Zimmerman
- Narrated by: Eilene Zimmerman
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Something was wrong with Peter. Eilene Zimmerman noticed that her ex-husband looked thin, seemed distracted, and was frequently absent from activities with their children. Yet in many ways, Peter seemed to have it all. So begins Smacked, a brilliant and moving memoir of Eilene’s shocking discovery, one that sets her on a journey to find out how a man she knew for nearly 30 years became a drug addict, hiding it so well that neither she nor anyone else in his life suspected what was happening.
-
-
Fantastic and captivating.
- By Julie Vandenheuvel on 03-12-20
By: Eilene Zimmerman
-
Nowhere Girl
- A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood
- By: Cheryl Diamond
- Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By the time she was in her teens, Diamond had lived dozens of lives and lies, but as she grew older, love and trust turned to fear and violence, and her family—the only people she had in the world—began to unravel. She started to realize that her life itself might be a big con, and the people she loved, the most dangerous of all. With no way out and her identity burned so often that she had no proof she even existed, all that was left was a girl from nowhere.
-
-
As Diamond said in an interview, “It is a horrific story at times, but also absolutely magical.”
- By Teela Klekotka on 02-11-23
By: Cheryl Diamond
-
Last Call
- A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York
- By: Elon Green
- Narrated by: David Pittu
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Townhouse Bar, midtown, July 1992: The piano player seems to know every song ever written, the crowd belts out the lyrics to their favorites, and a man standing nearby is drinking a Scotch and water. The man strikes the piano player as forgettable. He looks bland and inconspicuous. Not at all what you think a serial killer looks like. But that’s what he is, and tonight, he has his sights set on a gray haired man. He will not be his first victim.
-
-
shockingly sad but so informative
- By Kelly on 08-30-21
By: Elon Green
-
The Best of Me
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than 25 years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space, virtually creating his own genre. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and moving about our daily existence. And it is almost impossible to listen without laughing.
-
-
Almost No New Material
- By Lizardectomy on 11-05-20
By: David Sedaris
-
The Dutch House
- A Novel
- By: Ann Patchett
- Narrated by: Tom Hanks
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother.
-
-
Not my favorite Patchett
- By Regina on 12-07-19
By: Ann Patchett
-
Between Two Kingdoms
- A Memoir of a Life Interrupted
- By: Suleika Jaouad
- Narrated by: Suleika Jaouad
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer after graduating from college, Suleika Jaouad was preparing, as they say in commencement speeches, to enter “the real world”. She had fallen in love and moved to Paris to pursue her dream of becoming a war correspondent. The real world she found, however, would take her into a very different kind of conflict zone. It started with an itch - first on her feet, then up her legs, like a thousand invisible mosquito bites. Then a trip to the doctor and, a few weeks shy of her 23rd birthday, a diagnosis: leukemia, with a 35 percent chance of survival.
-
-
This was painful.
- By Meredith Nutrition on 07-31-22
By: Suleika Jaouad
-
A Woman in Time
- A Novel
- By: Bobi Conn
- Narrated by: Shannon McManus
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The McKenzie women, empowered with a formidable history rooted in the foothills of Appalachia, have passed down their folk-healing wisdom through generations. Rosalee, the last living headstrong daughter in Granny McKenzie’s line, soaked up everything she could about the secrets of the forest before a series of tragedies left her alone, without the protection of the women who came before her.
-
-
BORING
- By Jack Kelley on 02-21-23
By: Bobi Conn
Critic reviews
"[A] brave memoir ... Keaton takes a long, hard look at her relationship with her younger brother, Randy, whose descent into mental illness parallels her climb to the stratosphere of stardom.” (Elisabeth Egan, The New York Times Book Review)
"Immersive and haunting...Keaton eloquently and unflinchingly examines her younger brother’s life, drawing from excerpts of his poetry and her mother's journals and letters.... A cohesive, honest look at an entire family impacted by a troubled individual, as well as how Keaton maintained a bond with her sibling despite tremendous challenges. A must for Keaton’s fans and for those seeking to comprehend the nuances of sibling and family relationships." (Library Journal)
"A resonant family memoir - a slim but weighty book. Keaton focuses on her complex relationship with her younger brother, whose escalating instability - vividly described - affected Keaton, her parents, and her two sisters. The author, who became the "family documentarian" after her mother's death, utilizes family letters and journals to enhance the narrative.... Keaton talks about the complexities of loving a brother she never quite knew; of watching him become consumed by alcohol and then 'falling into the process of dying'; and of wishing she had done more to help him.... A haunting meditation on mortality, sibling love, mental illness, and regret." (Publishers Weekly)
What listeners say about Brother & Sister
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Harold Buchholz
- 02-17-20
So helpful for me
My “Randy” is 6 years older than me, and I don’t have any other siblings. I don’t know what to do about his future, but it was therapeutic for me to listen to Diane’s story. So much was so familiar, and I am grateful to her for having written it. I wish I could have been a better sister too, but it gets so hard when my “Randy” sabotages whatever help I offer him. I think we’re approaching the “let it go” years as well. Thank you, Diane for making me feel a little less lonely.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TJ
- 03-30-20
A different kind of love story.
Keaton gets to know herself and her brother through a non judgemental memoir. it's a beautiful mess. of family relationships examined with empathy and kindness.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 05-02-23
besitifully unsettling saga
poignant tragic story of a complicated soul whose beautiful verse was never manifested off paper
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- elizabeth colvin
- 05-06-24
The complexity of the bond between sister and brother.
I loved listening to Dianne’s voice. Her laugh is a delight. Anyone who has or had a brother will enjoy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jeanie
- 09-30-24
Mental Illness
Love Diane. Sad family story, as her brother would never live up to what his family expected of him. Mother and sisters loved him, but mental illness can be a slippery slope for people to adjust to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Damarys Reyes Geronimo
- 01-06-22
Excellently written
Really enjoyed hearing about her family even though it was sad. Wish we knew why certain people are the way they are
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- heidi ault
- 02-16-22
Loved it!!
I cant find words to share how her families story resonates with my own.
I loved the poetry. So vivid and sometimes so sad. Beautiful story!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pat Hawthorne
- 04-07-21
Compelling Family Portrait
I enjoyed listening to this title. I love it when the author is the narrator, and in this case, it really made the story feel real. Diane Keaton tells an interesting and compelling story of her family with the focus on her brother. This helps one to really understand the true impact of mental illness on a family. I appreciated her honesty and willingness to share this personal story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TLF
- 08-11-24
The complications of understanding our siblings
When I saw this book and read the synopsis, it called my name. I’m sister to two brothers. Both are troubled. Both have come and gone and come and gone. They didn’t choose traditional paths, never owned a home, don’t hold down jobs, never married or had a significant relationship and have serious substance abuse issues. Then there’s me, retired from a successful career, never cared for those “substances”, bought my first home by myself, and found a profound love later in life.
Ms. Keaton’s book is enlightening. It helped me know that there are many just like me and my brothers. It helped me realize we all choose our paths and the only thing I can do is find some empathy.
Years ago, I prayed a prayer that my brothers would find help for their addictions and we could be a family once again. It came true briefly during the funeral of our dad. But it didn’t last and, at the time, I was frustrated and disappointed. Then I was angry. Now I just miss my brothers. Thank you Ms. Keaton for helping keep see that I needed some work too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Deborah S.
- 07-26-24
A familiar trip through time
A lovely book wrought with familiar boomer childhood stories that awakened memories, fears, regrets & longings of sometimes jagged vulnerabilities.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!