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The Human Body: A Novel Audiobook
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From the author of Heaven and Earth, a searing novel of the journey from youth into manhood A heartrending, at times darkly comic but ultimately redemptive novel, Paolo Giordano’s The Human Body is an exploration of brotherhood and family, of modern war and the wars we wage within ourselves. It is a novel that reminds us of what it means to be human. A platoon of young men and a single woman leave Italy for one of the most dangerous places on earth. At their forward operating base in Afghanistan—an exposed sandpit scorched by inescapable sunlight and mortar fire—this band of inexperienced soldiers navigates the irreversible journey from youth to adulthood. But when a much-debated mission goes devastatingly awry, their lives are changed in an instant. And on their return home, they will confront the most difficult challenge of all: to create a life worth living.
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“The boredom, horror, and hope of war come together beautifully in Edoardo Ballerini’s performance. Not one moment of the suffering of Italian soldiers sent to Afghanistan or their families is lost to Ballerini. Their emotional distress is as poignant as the moments of dark comedy…In other hands, these shifts from tragedy to humor (dark though it is) might be confusing or even lost on listeners, but Ballerini is able to relate a strange idea hinted at throughout the story: Tragedy and levity are sometimes the same thing. This novel is by no means a comedy, but Ballerini is justified in acknowledging the farcical moments that appear throughout the story.”
— AudioFile
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“Full of sensitivity and intelligence. The Human Body is a brilliant addition to the literature of our modern wars.”
— Kevin Powers, New York Times bestselling author -
“Giordano has magnificently captured the surreal existence of the modern soldier….with an authenticity and appreciation of the absurd that very few novelists writing about men stumbling about the business of war have achieved.”
— Scott Anderson, New York Times bestselling author -
“A stunning exploration of war. Giordano makes the tedium of combat fascinating with his well-drawn characters…The fact that the mission runs off the rails is almost secondary to the beauty, texture, and acuity with which Giordano captures the day-to-day routines of the soldiers and their efforts to make sense of both their lives in Italy and their military assignment.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Despite the tragic events, this is a very entertaining novel, with the characters’ innate and passionate sense of the absurdity of their situation, and of life itself, evident in every scene. The fast-paced, present-tense narrative seems to have been translated accurately to capture the nuances of emotion and drama conveyed by the highly intelligent and perceptive Giordano.”
— Library Journal (starred review) -
“The Human Body is a memorable entry in the literature of the Afghan war, the characters crisply drawn and the writing full of telling details.”
— Booklist -
“Giordano’s unorthodox Afghanistan war novel is short on action but rich in psychological insight…As the title suggests, the book is less about military heroism than the devastating human impact of combat. Well observed and compassionate, this is a memorable look at imperfect people in extreme circumstances.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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About Paolo Giordano
Paolo Giordano is the author of the critically acclaimed The Human Body and the international bestseller The Solitude of Prime Numbers, which has been translated into more than forty languages. He is the youngest winner ever of Italy’s prestigious literary award the Premio Strega. Giordano has a PhD in particle physics and is now a full-time writer. He lives in Italy.
About Edoardo Ballerini
Edoardo Ballerini, an American actor, director, film producer, and multiaward–winning narrator. He has won several Audie Awards for best narration, including for 2019’s Best Male Narrator of the Year. He was named by Booklist as winner of their 2023 Voice of Choice Award, and was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, from classics to modern masters, from bestsellers to the inspirational, from Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners to spine-tingling series, and much more. In television and film, he is best known for his roles in A Murder at the End of the World, The Sopranos, 24, I Shot Andy Warhol, Dinner Rush, and Romeo Must Die. He is also trained in theater and continues to do much work on stage.