Reviews

Turner's straightforward yet surprisingly charming delivery makes this a must-hear. Famous for his triumphs (defending the America's Cup; creating CNN; marrying Jane Fonda; buying the Atlanta Braves; starting the Goodwill Games; donating $1 billion to the U.N.), it's the telling in his own voice of his life's tragedies (his father's suicide; the protracted, painful death of his beloved only sibling; the failure of three marriages; his ouster from CNN) that is not only riveting, but proves that it's possible to feel sorry for the country's largest landowner. "Ted Stories"-short entries contributed by friends and foes alike and read ably by Nick Sullivan, Richmond Hoxie, Sherman Howard and Maggie-Meg Reed - vary from the comedic (an up-tempo rendition of a Brown classmate's piece, "We Didn't Know Shit") to being so beautifully written and recited as to bring tears (Fonda's two essays). There's also an audiobook bonus: a conversation between Wolf Blitzer and his former CNN boss. A Grand Central hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 10). (Oct.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.