By The Facing Project—
NEW YORK, NY—Library Journal, the network industry leader for libraries worldwide, has released its “best of” list for audiobooks published in 2023, and Muncie author J.R. Jamison’s memoir Hillbilly Queer was among the titles.
Out of nearly 100,000 audiobooks published last year, Library Journal only selected 10 works of fiction and 10 works of nonfiction to receive this distinction. Others on the list include actor Steve Martin’s memoir So Many Steves: Afternoons with Steve Martin and the 2023 National Book Award longlisted title King: A Life by journalist Jonathan Eig.
Jamison’s memoir explored identity and family during a road trip to rural Missouri with his blue-collar father as Trumpism swept the heartland. Traveling through sun-beaten rural landscapes, the two met people along the way who challenged their concepts of right and wrong, and together they uncovered truths about their family’s past that revealed more than political differences—they discovered a lesson on the human condition that landed them on the international pages of The Guardian.
Hillbilly Queer was narrated by Jamison, who hosts The Facing Project Radio Show on Indiana Public Radio and the broader NPR network. The radio show is a spin-off of The Facing Project, a nonprofit in 20 states and over 100 communities that creates a more understanding and empathetic world through stories that inspire action, which he co-founded in 2012 in Muncie.
The full list of Library Journal’s “Best Audiobooks of 2023” can be found on their website (https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/The-Best-Audiobooks-of-2023).
