must read

if you have already read this book, read it again. If you have'nt, read it twice. This is one of the most captivating books I have ever listened to.The strugles of all the characters this book have touched me deeply.

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23 people found this helpful

enlighten your mind

it's amazing what black people overcome. To find forgiveness to keep their mind from becoming a slave to hate.

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1 person found this helpful

BREATHTAKING

Breathtaking in all means ! in addition to the content, the theme, the description and the style of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the narrator provided interest and eagerness to listen and know more about the coming events. Thank you Jim Roberts.

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Uncle Tom

My daughter was assigned this book for English and I thought ho-hum another boring book. On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Stowe wrote an excellent account of life during the time of slavery and I was very aborbed by her account. I was emothionally drawn into her story and characters and highly recommend this book for a good listen. It is not just a story for an English class.

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21 people found this helpful

Historically Relevant; Average literature.

It's important to have read this book because it is one of the few novels that truly has affected the world we live in. Stowe's polemic against slavery worked. It helped move a nation in the right direction vis a vis civil and human rights. The tale itself is at turns interesting and flat. Stowe's own characterizations of "the negro" drift into sterotypes so oftern that you occasionally wonder if she's truly an abolitionist. Most bothersome are the continual and repeated evangelical passages. Stowe was writing from a decidedly religious viewpoint and the book is filled with liturgical reference and prayers. It's a bit boring to wade through some of that nowadays, especially if you don't believe what she did (and she frames Christianity as being THE answer to life's woes). However, it can be understood that Stowe was writing for her Christian brethren -- they were the ones she was hoping to motivate, and she did. For that, the book is a success. This is a series of sketches tied together by the author's enthusiasm.

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5 people found this helpful

Now I know why this book made history

There is a reason this book made history, it's captivating and touching. Those who enjoy Christian inspirational reading will also find this book very fulfilling. However, the choice of narrator is completely wrong for this story- he's a mix of a 1950's newscaster and William Shatner. Someone like Morgan Freeman would have been much better suited. Regardless, this book is a must read/listen.

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NancyD

The story is very interesting and I'm very glad that I "read" this book. It made such a huge impact on slavery shortly after it was published that it is really a must read. It's important to read a little bit about the author, however, so you understand where she was coming from at the time of the writing. The narrator for the audiobook, however, was not good. The voice was stilted and unimaginable. It was all I could do to take my head phones off and pick up my paper copy.

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3 people found this helpful

A true classic, as relevant as ever

I purchased this book because I thought it was one I "ought" to read, rather than because I was dying to read it. I wound up thinking it was the best book I had read in perhaps ten years. If you missed this one in school (and you probably did if you're under 50), don't deny yourself the pleasure any longer.

Most people have heard how important this book was in galvanizing northern opinion against slavery and southern opinion against the north. Knowing only that, one might think that the book is no longer relevant. Nothing could be further from the truth. Stowe's insights into the way slavery corrupted the character of both master and slave -- and did it in countless souls for hundreds of years -- gives the modern listener an interesting perspective on race relations today. Somehow, the racial struggles of the 1950s and 1960s took on new meaning for me.

But the real surprise for me is how intrinsically Christian this book is. The religious imagery is absolutely beautiful, and the book squarely poses the issue of how faithfully the Christian churches of the 19th century interpreted their Master's teaching where slavery was concerned. Even more urgently for most of us, the book poses sharply a question that most of us must ask ourselves from time to time: If I know what I'm doing is wrong, why can't I stop?

This book is much too Christian to be read in public schools any more, and that's a shame. But read it yourself, and then read it with your kids. I know I will.

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61 people found this helpful

Great book and good reading but....

In my opinion this is a great book and the reader does a very good job but... not everyone agrees with me..so a word to the wise - Listen to the sample. ( Just click on play button below the book cover. ) The sample reading for this book is five minutes long but...the first minute of the sample is read by an unidentified female reading Hariett Beecher Stowe's introduction to the book. The actual narration of the book by Jim Roberts starts right after that and goes for four minutes. If you are thinking of getting this book, I recommend you take the few minutes needed to listen to the sample. If that's not enough to make up your mind, click on the readers name for other samples of his reading. It always amazes me that people will download a book and then take more time than it would have to listen to the sample to write a review about how they hated the narration. It's especially important to do this in books like this ( and there are quite a few ) where reviewers seem to love it or hate it.
I happen to love the book and thought the reader was very good but....you may not...
So avoid buyer's regret by listening to the sample. Then decide with your own ears and not because of what other think.

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22 people found this helpful

I recommend the abridged version

This is a classic and a must read! I'm so glad that I read this book. The themes of this book center around what it was like to live as a slave, what it was like to be hunted, to be sold, to have your children ripped from you, to be abused, etc. It also shows the mind of the plantation owners, what they believed about slavery and how they used it to justify their actions. It is a heart-wrenching story. There are many different characters throughout the story. Sometimes, the book drags in places. I recommend the abridged version.

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2 people found this helpful