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The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,695 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A blisteringly funny, heart-scorching tale of remarkable kids shattered by tragedy and finally brought back together by love."—People Somehow, between their father’s mysterious death, their glamorous soap-opera-star mother’s cancer diagnosis, and a phalanx of lawyers intent on bankruptcy proceedings, the four Welch siblings managed to handle each new heartbreaking misfortune together. All that changed with the death of their mother. While nineteen-year-old Amanda was legally on her own, the three younger siblings–Liz, sixteen; Dan, fourteen; and Diana, eight–were each dispatched to a different set of family friends. Quick-witted and sharp-tongued, Amanda headed for college in New York City and immersed herself in an ’80s world of alternative music and drugs. Liz, living with the couple for whom she babysat, followed in Amanda’s footsteps until high school graduation when she took a job in Norway as a nanny. Mischievous, rebellious Dan, bounced from guardian to boarding school and back again, getting deeper into trouble and drugs. And Diana, the red-haired baby of the family, was given a new life and identity and told to forget her past. But Diana’s siblings refused to forget her--or let her go. Told in the alternating voices of the four siblings, their poignant, harrowing story of unbreakable bonds unfolds with ferocious emotion. Despite the Welch children’s wrenching loss and subsequent separation, they retained the resilience and humor that both their mother and father endowed them with--growing up as lost souls, taking disastrous turns along the way, but eventually coming out right side up. The kids are not only all right; they’re back together.
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"I really liked this book. I read it very quickly because I couldn't wait to read the next short chapter. I left this book at my sisters before finishing and as soon as I got home, i went to the book store to finish it. I had to read the last chapters. this is not the same book as the movie by the same name."
— Nancy (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Well-crafted and beautifully written, not to mention tremendously engrossing and moving. I couldn’t put it down and came to love and respect every member of this singular family.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“A blisteringly funny, heart-scorching tale of remarkable kids shattered by tragedy and finally brought back together by love.”
— People -
“After the suspicious demise of dad and loss of mom to cancer, the orphaned Welch children were split up; now grown, and in rocking chorus, Diana, Liz, Amanda, and Dan Welch explain how in the world The Kids Are All Right.”
— Vanity Fair -
“A brutally honest book that captures the journey of four people too young to face the challenged they nevertheless had to face.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“This frank, wry, aching memoir…will leave readers musing over memory’s slippery nature; the imperfect, enduring bonds of family; and the human heart’s remarkable resilience.”
— Booklist -
“The Welch family’s multivocal story is impossible to put down. I read The Kids Are All Right with awe at the resilience and hope a family can manage in the aftermath of unthinkable loss. The intelligence and strength of the Welch kids confirmed my belief that anything is possible when brothers and sisters come out of tragedy together.”
— Danielle Trussoni, author of Falling Through the Earth -
“Told with humor, compassion, and humility, and teeming with priceless 80s references, this story of parentless children learning to parent each other grabbed hold of my heart (and attention) and refused to let go. Don’t start reading The Kids Are All Right, as I did, at 10 p.m., or you’ll lose a night of sleep.”
— Heidi Julavits, author of The Uses of Enchantment -
“The Kids Are All Right—ingenious, heartfelt, prismatic—is funny and painful in its chronicling of how the chaos of ‘normal’ childhood can transform into something frighteningly free-form. Here, despite the milieu of privilege (and sometimes because of it), there is hardly the thinnest of buffers as reality at large begins its assault. Each member of this wry, self-deprecating gang recounts his or her story of survival in a way that bumps up against, amplifies, harmonizes with, and even contradicts the others’. Theirs is the fierce and complex love of siblings, and their clear-eyed choral storytelling is a revelation.”
— Daphne Beal, author of In the Land of No Right Angles
Awards
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Winner of the 2010 YALSA Alex Award
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A 2009 Salon Magazine Best Book of the Year
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Winner of Alex Award - YALSA, 2010
The Kids Are All Right Listener Reviews
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" a damn fine memoir. damn fine, i tell ya. "
— Jodi, 2/11/2014 -
" I liked this one a lot, but I wasn't crazy about how they handled the rotating narration. A bit confusing. "
— Amanda, 2/11/2014 -
" Interesting memoir, worth the read. Good storytelling. "
— Michael, 2/6/2014 -
" I liked the family in this book and their strength as they lived through some tragic times. I also liked the 80's references. "
— Jennifer, 2/6/2014 -
" Please, read this book. It's an autobiography written from 4 different points of view and the storytelling is amazing, as is the story. "
— Amy, 12/31/2013 -
" Loved it! And love Grubby Girl! "
— Hannah, 12/24/2013 -
" This book has nothing to do with the movie by the same name. It reminded me a lot of Jeanette Walls, The Glass Castle. I loved that each chapter was told from the perspective of one of the four siblings. What a great family...I truly enjoyed this book tremendously. "
— Heather, 12/21/2013 -
" I liked this memoir almost as much as The Glass House. It is written by all 4 of the kids who went to live with different families after both parents died. Seeing the difference in perspective and interpretation of the same events by 4 different people was very intriguing. Fascinating lives lead. "
— Danaca, 12/15/2013 -
" An honest, heartbreaking, compelling book that I hated to finish. "
— Debra, 11/28/2013 -
" Recommended. Easy to read. Interesting look at a family struggling to stay together despite barriers. Life age and stage influences perceptions of significant events. An interesting activity within my own family would be to identify an event and ask everyone to write what they remember about it. "
— Cindy, 11/24/2013 -
" I kept waiting for them to be "all right," but their story never seemed to get to that positive place that I thought they deserved. I guess nonfiction can be that way. "
— cassie, 11/24/2013 -
" How four children survived losing both parents while young is amazing. And they turned out alright. They got together and shared their lives in this book. "
— Anne, 11/21/2013 -
" Mary McCarthy meets V.C. Andrews. "
— Anne, 11/9/2013 -
" The book kept my attention while the parents were still alive, although the writing style of half the kids bothered me. The remaining third of the book was tiresome. "
— Jessi, 9/13/2013 -
" It was OK for awhile, then just became tedious... "
— Carol, 7/11/2013 -
" That I have to be so thankful for the life I have led to this point. "
— Nancy, 12/3/2012 -
" Funny, sad, honest, and sometimes perplexing, this book follows the Welch children as they navigate the very difficult waters of losing one and then another parent. Engaging, but not for the faint of heart. "
— Colleen, 12/25/2011 -
" Engaging read about 4 siblings whose father, then mother dies, leaving them destitute and split up into different homes until they reunite as adults, each having lived through a lot. I recommend it! "
— Tamar, 12/9/2011 -
" I did like this book. The story of these kids is pretty amazing. "
— Jennifer, 12/7/2011 -
" This was an OK memoir. Its was an interesting perspective to get from all of the Welch kids. Very sad. "
— ✌Kara, 9/9/2011 -
" It's a true story about four siblings who face separation from each other after both of their parents die. "
— Jill, 5/9/2011 -
" This book has nothing to do with the movie by the same name. It reminded me a lot of Jeanette Walls, The Glass Castle. I loved that each chapter was told from the perspective of one of the four siblings. What a great family...I truly enjoyed this book tremendously. "
— Heather, 4/7/2011 -
" Wow. What a great story of resilience. These kids lost both of their parents when they were still kids and this book tells that story and how the each managed the loss and resulting separation from each other. Well written. Highly recommended. "
— Laurie, 3/22/2011 -
" This book was not at all what I expected. That being said, it was overall an interesting look into the window of a family that was orphaned but still determined to stay together. No real surprises or plot twists, this book is straight memoir and ended as one would have hoped. "
— Stefanie, 3/6/2011 -
" I did like this book. The story of these kids is pretty amazing. "
— Jennifer, 2/21/2011 -
" Loved it. Four perspectives of four siblings during a horrible time. And their reconsicle and recovery. Perfect read. "
— Erica, 2/6/2011 -
" Extremely easy reading; dad dies in car accident, mom dies of cancer; 4 kids separated & all living at different places, all feeling lost. "
— Lola, 2/3/2011 -
" Really liked this book, but am bummed to find out that it is not the plot the movie is based on. The guy at Half Priced Books didn't know what he was talking about! "
— Tiffany, 1/25/2011
About the Authors
Liz Welch is an award-winning journalist and contributing writer at Inc. magazine. Her work has been published in the New York Times Magazine, Marie Claire, Real Simple, Glamour, and Redbook. She lives in New York City. Diana Welch is a writer and musician living in Austin, Texas. Amanda Welch makes a living gardening and making soaps and bath products marketed as Grubby Girl. She lives in central Virginia with her husband. Dan Welch works as a location manager and scout for film and television. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Liz Welch is an award-winning journalist and memoirist whose critically acclaimed first book, The Kids Are All Right, coauthored with her sister Diana Welch, won an ALA Alex Award.
About the Narrators
Allyson Ryan is an Earphones Award–winning voice actress who can be heard in commercials, promos, animation, and audiobooks. She has extensive experience on stage and television. In New York, she acted in and directed more than thirty plays. Her television credits include roles on Eleventh Hour, Law & Order, and One Life to Live. She has also appeared as “Mom” in several television commercials. Advertising Age nominated her for a Bobby Award in the best actress category for her work as the Duracell mom.
Kathe Mazur has narrated many audiobooks, winning the prestigious Audie Award for best narration in 2014, being named a finalist for the Audie Award in 2013 and 2015, and winning several AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actress, she can be seen as DDA Hobbs on The Closer and in the upcoming Major Crimes. She has worked extensively in film, theater, and television, including appearances on Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, House, Brothers and Sisters, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, ER, Monk, and many others.
Kirby Heyborne is a musician, actor, and professional narrator. Noted for his work in teen and juvenile audio, he has garnered over twenty Earphones Awards. His audiobook credits include Jesse Kellerman’s The Genius, Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother, and George R. R. Martin’s Selections from Dreamsongs.
Rebecca Lowman is an actress and audiobook narrator who has won numerous Earphones Awards. She has starred in numerous television shows, including Law & Order, Big Love, NCIS, and Grey’s Anatomy, among many others. She earned her MFA from Columbia University.