AUDIO

Uncommon Type: Some Stories

by Tom Hanks
8 CDs. 11:30 hrs. Books on Tape. Oct. 2017. ISBN 9781101923634. $54. digital download. F
COPY ISBN
In his debut collection, Hank's stories range in length from under ten minutes to an hour-plus. The actor, who narrates, displays a range of vocal textures that convey mood and tone. One story describes a time traveler from the near future who has fallen in love with a woman he met at the 1939 World's Fair and his reckless choice to stay in the past. Another is a satirical look at near-stardom. Yet another lightly raps the knuckles of certain trendy self-help concepts. And another is a poignant look at war on a Christmas Eve in the 1950s. All have a typewriter folded neatly into the plot, almost as an additional character. Blind listeners may find that the last story is dramatized in a manner that suggests an audio-described production.
VERDICT Recommended for short story fans and Hanks devotees. ["Hanks's stories evoke dreams and flights of imagination that everyone has experienced, making the what ifs' of life tangible": LJ 10/15/17 review of the Knopf hc.]
Reviewed by David Faucheux, Lafayette, LA , Dec 01, 2017
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