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NPR Driveway Moments
NPR Favorite Driveway Moments: Radio Stories That Won't Let You Go
Hosts and listeners select their favorite stories from the National Public Radio archives, celebrating life, love, hope--and cookies.Every NPR listener has had at least one "driveway moment" and probably more. You're so captivated by a story on All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Morning Edition, News & Notes, or another NPR program that you stay in the car to hear it through--even if you've arrived at your own driveway. This eclectic collection gathers all-time favorites, including some suggested by listeners themselves.These literate, intelligent, profoundly touching stories are worth hearing over and over again, and now you don't have to stay in your car.
2 pages, Audio CD
First published September 25, 2007
74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 8, 2025
Did I cry? Yes, yes I did.
December 8, 2021
Nope didn't like this at all. For me driveway moments include the WHOLE story, don't tell me about an underprivledged young womans tribulations without telling me what happens to her (did she overcome them?). I was kind of expecting more of a Paul Harvey and now you know the rest of the story vibe. This had a jarring mix of beaver stories and a story about an earthquake that kills a woman's in-laws and her 2 year old son who begged her not to leave him! Hard pass for me
September 24, 2016
NPR compendium of stories
May 2, 2023
Another book my son and I listened too at night - definitely easy to listen too as it is NPR and very engaging. Perhaps the reason I didn't give it higher marks is that the second to last story is heart wrenching and I wanted to know why you would put it there, this story about parents who lose their 2 year old in an earthquake in China. My son almost made me shut the whole thing down because of this one story - so excruciatingly sad. Instead we liked the beaver story, the prison cat story and of course Cookie Monster!
I didn't realize that NPR had more specific books to tailor what we listen to, I just picked this up from the digital library. Next time I'm going to go with the dogs or cat tails or the funny stories. No more sad stuff for us. But overall good audio book for any occasion, commuting, road trip, soccer runs. It's NPR - of course it is going to be great!
I didn't realize that NPR had more specific books to tailor what we listen to, I just picked this up from the digital library. Next time I'm going to go with the dogs or cat tails or the funny stories. No more sad stuff for us. But overall good audio book for any occasion, commuting, road trip, soccer runs. It's NPR - of course it is going to be great!
December 20, 2019
This is an audio CD collection of stories originally broadcast on NPR. Out of two CDs, I liked the following stories: the man who had been in the KKK who converted to Judaism, the prisoners who bonded over a stray cat, the people being bombed in Sarajevo who also put energy into caring for a pet, the Deputy Marshalls who helped enforce the desegregation laws in the civil rights movement in the 1960's, and the Chinese family members killed in the collapse of an apartment building in an earthquake. That last one is the only one I would really classify as a "driveway moment" where I literally didn't want to leave until I had heard the end of the story.
Most of the stories seemed silly and forgettable but I suppose they appealed to enough people to include them in this collection.
Most of the stories seemed silly and forgettable but I suppose they appealed to enough people to include them in this collection.
December 28, 2022
*** Possible Spoilers ***
This is an audio book because it's a collection of NPR stories from the radio. I like audio books because I can listen while doing other things like making dinner and washing the dishes. They claim this is a collection of their best stories but while I found them okay, they didn't strike me as being particularly special. Basically this is just a variation on a podcast.
This is an audio book because it's a collection of NPR stories from the radio. I like audio books because I can listen while doing other things like making dinner and washing the dishes. They claim this is a collection of their best stories but while I found them okay, they didn't strike me as being particularly special. Basically this is just a variation on a podcast.
October 7, 2025
One moment, in particular, was more than pleasantly entertaining.
Michel Martin recounted (and shared portions of) her interviews with U.S. marshalls who helped to integrate Southern elementary schools and "Ole Miss," the University of Mississippi.
Michel is always a wonderful interviewer, and was my favorite of hers I've ever heard. The finesse, the insightful questions, it was absolutely magnificent.
Michel Martin recounted (and shared portions of) her interviews with U.S. marshalls who helped to integrate Southern elementary schools and "Ole Miss," the University of Mississippi.
Michel is always a wonderful interviewer, and was my favorite of hers I've ever heard. The finesse, the insightful questions, it was absolutely magnificent.
July 11, 2019
A delightful audio collection of those wonderful NPR stories that keep you sitting in your car in the driveway to hear the end. They are laugh out loud funny, devastatingly sad and amazing examples of the human spirit, gathered from All Things Considered, Story Corps, Weekend Edition, This American Life and other programming. As always, NPR delivers shining examples of storytelling.
October 24, 2017
A nice blend of stories ranging from sweet to heartbreaking to gut busting.
February 2, 2018
I loved this. And I wish I had NPR available to listen to daily. Very engaging.
August 6, 2020
Some funny, some heartbreaking.
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September 27, 2021Just love the way NPR does it’s job
December 16, 2021
Excellent. Only drawback was one of the stories made me cry at work. Very powerful.
September 9, 2024
I would say some didn’t really matter to me. But there were two-the pets and the earthquake ones that made me tear up.
November 5, 2024
Like a 4.5, many laughs, many tears jam packed into 2 hours of audio
December 27, 2024
A wonderful book of short stories that make you smile, cry and laugh out loud.
February 4, 2014
I'm not an NPR listener but something about this title caught my eye. I downloaded it at the end of the year when I was trying to squeeze in one last nonfiction book to complete a reading challenge. Only about two hours long, I knew I could listen to it in just a couple of days on my commute.
The first part was unimpressive. At this point I've forgotten what most of those stories were. I do remember one about a young lady aging out of foster care that made me feel sad for her and others like her. Otherwise, its a pretty big blank.
And then I got to the second part. Here were the stories that wouldn't let me go.
A young man getting off the farm and into college with not much more than his determination and "Ten dollars and a dream."
A small town basketball team making it to the state playoffs, taking the hometown pride with them.
An elderly woman telling a story about her misfortune with a...unique... bra when she was younger had me laughing out loud!
Following a couple after that big earthquake in China flattened their apartment building with their young son and a set of their parents inside.
My favorite was probably the one about the US Marshals who kept their charges safe during school integrations in the Civil Rights era.
Most of these had me near tears for different reasons. And I'm seriously not a crier.
I don't know if the stories really were that uneven or if it just took me half the book to settle into what NPR is about. But once I got into it, I loved it. I felt like I experienced a huge range of human emotion in a short time span. I was saddened, I was angry, I was proud, you name it, I probably felt it.
I do highly recommend this. It would be a good read on a day when you're just feeling down and ready to give up on humanity. This is more what we're about than anything you'll see on the news.
The first part was unimpressive. At this point I've forgotten what most of those stories were. I do remember one about a young lady aging out of foster care that made me feel sad for her and others like her. Otherwise, its a pretty big blank.
And then I got to the second part. Here were the stories that wouldn't let me go.
A young man getting off the farm and into college with not much more than his determination and "Ten dollars and a dream."
A small town basketball team making it to the state playoffs, taking the hometown pride with them.
An elderly woman telling a story about her misfortune with a...unique... bra when she was younger had me laughing out loud!
Following a couple after that big earthquake in China flattened their apartment building with their young son and a set of their parents inside.
My favorite was probably the one about the US Marshals who kept their charges safe during school integrations in the Civil Rights era.
Most of these had me near tears for different reasons. And I'm seriously not a crier.
I don't know if the stories really were that uneven or if it just took me half the book to settle into what NPR is about. But once I got into it, I loved it. I felt like I experienced a huge range of human emotion in a short time span. I was saddened, I was angry, I was proud, you name it, I probably felt it.
I do highly recommend this. It would be a good read on a day when you're just feeling down and ready to give up on humanity. This is more what we're about than anything you'll see on the news.
April 3, 2015
Published in 2012 by HighBridge Audio
Multicast performance
Duration: 2 hours, 16 minutes
This collection was inspired by listeners who wrote NPR and commented on why these stories from their vast treasure trove of stories have stuck with them for so long. Some are funny, some are sad and some are thought-provoking. They are also a mixed bag. Some are great, some are so-so and some had me wondering why they were included at all.
Pretty typical of the collection is a skit called "Complexities of Modern Love in the Digital Age". It features the two voice actors that you most typically hear when you call a big corporation for customer service and they lead you through the phone tree. In this case, they have the two voices talk to one another and date. The idea is sort of cute but the actual skit was not as funny as the idea of the skit.
A Kathy Griffin interview. Eh.
The Cookie Monster interview was fun.
I loved the story about a...
To read more click here: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2015/...
Read all of my reviews of audiobooks by NPR here: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/searc...
Multicast performance
Duration: 2 hours, 16 minutes
This collection was inspired by listeners who wrote NPR and commented on why these stories from their vast treasure trove of stories have stuck with them for so long. Some are funny, some are sad and some are thought-provoking. They are also a mixed bag. Some are great, some are so-so and some had me wondering why they were included at all.
Pretty typical of the collection is a skit called "Complexities of Modern Love in the Digital Age". It features the two voice actors that you most typically hear when you call a big corporation for customer service and they lead you through the phone tree. In this case, they have the two voices talk to one another and date. The idea is sort of cute but the actual skit was not as funny as the idea of the skit.
A Kathy Griffin interview. Eh.
The Cookie Monster interview was fun.
I loved the story about a...
To read more click here: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2015/...
Read all of my reviews of audiobooks by NPR here: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/searc...
October 9, 2015
These stories weren't entirely even, but I'm giving this collection my top score nonetheless because it had me crying both from sadness and from laughter, depending on the story. The U.S. Marshalls who protected schoolchildren during desegregation knocked my socks off. These are the type of selfless heroes we are looking for today, and they were not, I am sure, fully appreciated in their time. Listening to the couple in China trying to find their parents and child after an earthquake just about killed me. And the beaver story--let's just say I'm glad I didn't crash the car. A quick listen, but worth it.
May 11, 2010
This collection has some real gems, but not all share the same quality. Highlights include interviews with U.S. Marshals who protected students during integration and a heart-rending report from the aftermath of the Szechwan earthquake. Frankly, the stories would have had more impact without the protracted introductions, but the best will resonate nonetheless.
April 17, 2015
an engaging collection of some of NPR correspondents' favorite stories, spanning the 1970s to yesterday-ish. wonderful listening, especially for commutes. the three- to ten-minute spans for each story are particularly conducive to stopping and starting the narration without losing the collection's thread.
August 4, 2013
A few of the best stories of NPR; a prisoner pets a cat for the first time in 20 years; people who walk their dogs during the civil war in Kosovo - and other true stories that need to be listened to.
Loved it!
Loved it!
June 12, 2010
Not every one of these was a gem, but most were interesting and one had me in tears as it transported me to the heart tearing grief that existed for one family's loss.
September 14, 2010
This recording was a reminder that individual perspectives of a great story can vary widely. I liked some of them.
November 6, 2010
Love the radio spots! Loved the book!
December 7, 2010
I'm only 3 stories in and I love it!
June 30, 2011
Cute and quick. Great for when I'm between audiobooks.
May 4, 2013
Better than the other "Driveway Moments" I've listened to, but still hit and miss. I liked the announcers talking about why they liked these stories. The rescue story was quite sad.
January 31, 2014
A very sweet set of stories. Watch out listening to this in the car; there may be some tears.
Does this even count as a book?
Does this even count as a book?
March 8, 2016
I thought NPR would have better picks for their "favorites". Although I loved the story of the pets in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews