Audiobooks Like Just Kids

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Patti Smith reads her own memoir with a poet's ear for rhythm and silence — there's a particular quality to self-narrated books when the author has a voice trained by decades of performance, and hers carries the 1970s downtown Manhattan atmosphere as something remembered rather than reconstructed. She returns for two other titles in the recommendations, and the list holds to similar runtimes with high ratings throughout, all occupying that territory where the listening experience and the life being described feel like they belong to the same sensibility.

10 audiobooks for fans of Just Kids

  1. 1
    M Train cover

    M Train

    by Patti Smith

    Narrated by Patti Smith

    ★ 4.13 ABR Score (53.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.02 Goodreads (51.9K) ★ 4.51 Audible (1.2K)
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    Patti Smith guides you through her morning rituals and worldwide wanderings with the same hypnotic voice that made her a rock legend and literary icon.

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  2. 2
    Devotion cover

    Devotion

    Why I Write • Book 1

    by Patti Smith

    Narrated by Patti Smith

    ★ 3.95 ABR Score (16.7K ratings)
    ★ 3.85 Goodreads (16.6K) ★ 4.52 Audible (136)
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    Patti Smith herself reads this intimate meditation on creativity, sharing her artistic process and unexpected inspirations in her distinctive voice.

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  3. 3
    Finding Me cover

    Finding Me

    by Viola Davis

    Narrated by Viola Davis

    ★ 4.93 ABR Score (228.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.53 Goodreads (184.9K) ★ 4.94 Audible (44.0K)
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    Viola Davis narrates her own journey from poverty in Rhode Island to Oscar-winning actress with raw honesty and power. Hearing her voice tell stories of trauma, resilience, and artistic discovery creates an intimate connection.

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  4. 4
    Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within cover

    Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within

    by David Goggins

    Narrated by David Goggins, Adam Skolnick, Jacqueline Gardner

    ★ 4.78 ABR Score (80.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.39 Goodreads (48.0K) ★ 4.9 Audible (32.2K)
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    Goggins continues his brutal honesty about mental toughness, sharing strategies from his 'Mental Lab' for pushing past perceived limitations and comfortable mediocrity.

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  5. 5
    God's Smuggler cover

    God's Smuggler

    by Unknown Author

    Narrated by Simon Vance

    ★ 4.65 ABR Score (50.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (47.8K) ★ 4.9 Audible (2.6K)
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    Simon Vance's measured, trustworthy delivery transforms this true account of Bible smuggling into a page-turner that feels both intimate and urgent. A modern classic that still grips because the stakes, and the faith, feel devastatingly real.

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  6. 6
    I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings cover

    I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

    Maya Angelou's Autobiography • Book 1

    by Maya Angelou

    Narrated by Maya Angelou

    ★ 4.61 ABR Score (596.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (586.4K) ★ 4.74 Audible (9.9K)
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    Maya Angelou chronicles her childhood in 1930s Arkansas, from racist violence to finding her voice through literature and poetry. Hearing Angelou read her own words creates an intimacy that print cannot match.

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  7. 7
    The Glass Castle cover

    The Glass Castle

    by Jeannette Walls

    Narrated by Jeannette Walls

    ★ 4.53 ABR Score (1.4M ratings)
    ★ 4.33 Goodreads (1.4M) ★ 4.58 Audible (18.5K)
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    Walls' childhood with brilliant but destructive alcoholic parents comes to vivid life through her own narration of this harrowing yet loving memoir.

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  8. 8
    Born a Crime cover

    Born a Crime

    by Trevor Noah

    Narrated by Chumel Torres

    ★ 4.49 ABR Score (817.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.49 Goodreads (817.0K) ★ 4.86 Audible (169)
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    Noah recounts growing up mixed-race in apartheid South Africa, when his very existence was illegal. Chumel Torres' Spanish narration brings warmth and humor to these powerful stories of family and survival.

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  9. 9
    The Sound of Gravel cover

    The Sound of Gravel

    by Ruth Wariner

    Narrated by Ruth Wariner

    ★ 4.45 ABR Score (73.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (68.6K) ★ 4.65 Audible (5.0K)
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    Wariner's own narration of her polygamist childhood in rural Mexico carries the weight of lived experience, making every revelation hit with devastating authenticity.

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  10. 10
    Stripped Down cover

    Stripped Down

    by Bunnie Xo

    Narrated by Bunnie Xo

    ★ 4.74 ABR Score (12.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.59 Goodreads (7.6K) ★ 4.92 Audible (4.6K)
    More about this pick

    From Vegas trailer parks to Nashville mansions, Bunnie Xo narrates her own brutal journey with unflinching honesty and surprising humor about addiction and redemption.

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How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →