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- Title: We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True
- Author: Gabrielle Union
- Narrator: Gabrielle Union
- Length: 07:49:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 17/10/2017
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Genre: Biography & Memoir, Arts & Entertainment, Memoir, Women
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
The road has a way of teaching you things – about yourself, about the world, about the voices that linger long after the miles have passed. It was somewhere between the dusty stretches of the Atacama Desert and the vibrant streets of Oaxaca that I first learned the power of a story told aloud, a voice weaving life into words. So when I slipped on my headphones and pressed play on “We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True” by Gabrielle Union, narrated by the author herself, I wasn’t just listening to an audiobook – I was stepping into a journey, raw and real, guided by a voice that felt like an old friend spilling truths over a glass of wine.
Gabrielle Union’s memoir isn’t your typical Hollywood tell-all. It’s a collection of essays – sharp, funny, and unflinchingly honest – that unfold like a late-night conversation with someone who’s lived a life both extraordinary and relatable. The audiobook experience, clocking in at just over seven hours, is a masterclass in intimacy. Union’s narration brings every word to life, her voice carrying the weight of her experiences as a Black woman, an actress, a survivor, and a seeker of truth. You can almost taste the Nebraska summers she describes, hear the laughter of her cousins, feel the sting of self-doubt as she navigates beauty standards and the cutthroat world of Hollywood.
It reminds me of a time when I was driving through Chile, the surreal expanse of the Atacama stretching out like a dreamscape, listening to “One Hundred Years of Solitude”. The narrator’s voice wrapped around García Márquez’s words, pulling me into a world where the impossible felt real. Union does something similar here – she takes stories that could’ve stayed on the page and makes them breathe. There’s a moment early on where she talks about growing up in a mostly white California suburb, then spending summers with her Black family in Nebraska. The shift in her tone, the way she leans into the warmth of those memories, hit me hard. It took me back to evenings in Oaxaca, sitting with a grandmother who’d spin tales of her youth. Her pauses, her cadence – it was storytelling as an art form, and Union’s got that same gift.
The book digs into heavy stuff – race, gender, sexual violence, the pressure of fame – with a fearlessness that’s both inspiring and gut-wrenching. Her essay about surviving sexual assault is a standout, not just for its vulnerability but for how she uses humor and wisdom to reclaim her narrative. As a travel writer, I’ve seen how people use stories to process pain, and Union’s approach feels like a campfire confession: brutal, beautiful, and unapologetic. She doesn’t shy away from the messy bits – competition between women, the absurdity of beauty ideals, the ache of her parents’ divorce – and that’s where the audiobook shines. Her voice cracks just enough to let you in, then lifts with a laugh that says she’s still standing.
The audio quality is crisp, and Union’s performance is flawless. She’s not just reading – she’s reliving. You can hear the smirk when she recounts a teenage crush, the edge when she calls out Hollywood’s double standards. At 44 when she wrote this, she brings a seasoned perspective, but her delivery keeps it fresh, like she’s discovering these truths alongside you. The pacing is spot-on – never rushed, giving each story room to settle. It’s the kind of listening experience that makes you want to pull over, close your eyes, and just soak it in.
That said, it’s not perfect. Some essays feel like they end too soon, leaving you hungry for more – like a meal that’s delicious but doesn’t quite fill you up. And while Union’s voice is a strength, there are moments where a touch more restraint might’ve let the words carry their own weight. But these are small quibbles in a work that’s so deeply personal. Compared to other memoirs like Amy Poehler’s “Yes Please” or Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist”, Union’s stands out for its blend of humor and heartbreak, delivered with a narrator who’s lived every syllable.
This audiobook is for anyone who’s ever felt caught between worlds – geographic, cultural, or emotional. It’s for women navigating identity, for storytellers who know the power of a shared laugh or a held silence. If you’re new to audiobooks, this is a hell of a place to start – the free audiobook option floating around makes it even sweeter. Union’s voice will stick with you, like the echo of a tale told under the stars.
Reflecting on it now, I think about how travel and stories both strip you down to what matters. Listening to Union, I felt that same pull – toward connection, toward truth. It’s not just an audiobook experience; it’s a reminder of why we tell our stories in the first place.
Until the next tale, keep wandering and listening,
Marcus Rivera
