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Inside Voice
A humorous, insightful, and personal deep dive into our most outward-facing, least-appreciated trait: our voice.
Raise your hand if you cringe at the sound of your own voice, worry that you actually do sound like your mother, or have spent a sleepless night wondering if your inner and outer voices are in sync.
Now, hands down, headphones on. Lake Bell is going to tell you why you’re not alone and why your voice matters in the most deeply personal ways.
Inside Voice unpacks the writer-director-producer-actor’s obsession with voice and all its permutations. It takes us on a journey to discover how this vital piece of our identity serves as an x-ray of our personal histories. Bell explored the power of voice in her critically-acclaimed and award-winning film, In a World, which she wrote, directed, and starred in. With this audiobook, she dives back into the rabbit hole to deliver a fun, whip-smart exploration of the psychology, social science, cultural constructs, and mechanics of our voices.
When you hear the iconic voices of Drew Barrymore, Susie Essman, Tracey Ullman, Jeff Goldblum, or Pam Grier (all contributors to the book), you know right away who they are. Interviews with these legends as well as poets, doctors, linguists, voice coaches and conversations with pedestrians on the street get to the heart of why the way we sound matters so much. Voice can be why you laugh at a certain joke or decide to trust someone or even fall in love.
Uniquely suited to audio, Inside Voice is symphonic; complete with interactive games and exercises, and an original score by Chris Bear (Grizzly Bear). You might want to buckle up. This listen is a ride.
Raise your hand if you cringe at the sound of your own voice, worry that you actually do sound like your mother, or have spent a sleepless night wondering if your inner and outer voices are in sync.
Now, hands down, headphones on. Lake Bell is going to tell you why you’re not alone and why your voice matters in the most deeply personal ways.
Inside Voice unpacks the writer-director-producer-actor’s obsession with voice and all its permutations. It takes us on a journey to discover how this vital piece of our identity serves as an x-ray of our personal histories. Bell explored the power of voice in her critically-acclaimed and award-winning film, In a World, which she wrote, directed, and starred in. With this audiobook, she dives back into the rabbit hole to deliver a fun, whip-smart exploration of the psychology, social science, cultural constructs, and mechanics of our voices.
When you hear the iconic voices of Drew Barrymore, Susie Essman, Tracey Ullman, Jeff Goldblum, or Pam Grier (all contributors to the book), you know right away who they are. Interviews with these legends as well as poets, doctors, linguists, voice coaches and conversations with pedestrians on the street get to the heart of why the way we sound matters so much. Voice can be why you laugh at a certain joke or decide to trust someone or even fall in love.
Uniquely suited to audio, Inside Voice is symphonic; complete with interactive games and exercises, and an original score by Chris Bear (Grizzly Bear). You might want to buckle up. This listen is a ride.
14 pages, Audiobook
Published November 1, 2022
25 people are currently reading
779 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
December 5, 2022
“Why do so many of us loathe the sound of our own voices?” Lake Bell asks that question at the start of her clever new audiobook, “Inside Voice.”
Most actors are attentive to how they sound; Bell is obsessed. Partly, that’s a reflection of her success doing voice-overs on “BoJack Horseman,” “Harley Quinn” and other shows, but her interest runs deeper. For years she’s been collecting dialects “out in their natural habitat.” She once got expelled from the Bulgarian embassy for trying to make a secret recording.
Bell understands that how we sound is a complicated production involving accent, enunciation, pitch and more. “Our voice is our most outward facing trait,” she says. “It’s the muscle we unconsciously flex every hour of the day. It can cloak our truths, put off airs, provide a calling card or a ticket to a coveted community. But ultimately, the voice is imbued with cues and characteristics that we cannot hide.”
Using her own experience as a guide and her own sonorous voice as an example, Bell explores the physical, psychological and social elements that shape how we sound. Taking full advantage of the audiobook format, “Inside Voice” includes interviews with linguists, dialect coaches (remember “Fargo”?), writers and other famous actors whose voices you’ll recognize, such as Drew Barrymore, Tracey Ullman and Jeff Goldblum.
Bell is particularly illuminating about the way sexist attitudes affect how women speak, how they’re heard and how they’re judged. She does a deep dive on the creepy “sexy baby” voice that’s become so popular. And she examines how politicians’ voices affect our responses to them.
Who do we think sounds trustworthy, intelligent, sophisticated? Why is Morgan Freeman the voice of God instead of Oprah?
One particularly moving chapter with Pam Grier explores the devastating effects of sexual abuse on a young girl’s voice. There’s a fascinating interview with Samantha Leigh Allen about the voice implications of being transgender. And there’s lots of comedy along the way, too, with impressionists and cartoon voice actors.
I wondered, at first, if “Inside Voice” would feel relevant only to actors, podcasters and other professional talkers. But Bell’s scope is so eclectic and her approach so engaging that this tour of voiceland will catch the ear of anyone who’s interested in the way we etch meaning on the wind.
This review first appeared in The Washington Post's free weekly Book Club newsletter, which you can read here.
Most actors are attentive to how they sound; Bell is obsessed. Partly, that’s a reflection of her success doing voice-overs on “BoJack Horseman,” “Harley Quinn” and other shows, but her interest runs deeper. For years she’s been collecting dialects “out in their natural habitat.” She once got expelled from the Bulgarian embassy for trying to make a secret recording.
Bell understands that how we sound is a complicated production involving accent, enunciation, pitch and more. “Our voice is our most outward facing trait,” she says. “It’s the muscle we unconsciously flex every hour of the day. It can cloak our truths, put off airs, provide a calling card or a ticket to a coveted community. But ultimately, the voice is imbued with cues and characteristics that we cannot hide.”
Using her own experience as a guide and her own sonorous voice as an example, Bell explores the physical, psychological and social elements that shape how we sound. Taking full advantage of the audiobook format, “Inside Voice” includes interviews with linguists, dialect coaches (remember “Fargo”?), writers and other famous actors whose voices you’ll recognize, such as Drew Barrymore, Tracey Ullman and Jeff Goldblum.
Bell is particularly illuminating about the way sexist attitudes affect how women speak, how they’re heard and how they’re judged. She does a deep dive on the creepy “sexy baby” voice that’s become so popular. And she examines how politicians’ voices affect our responses to them.
Who do we think sounds trustworthy, intelligent, sophisticated? Why is Morgan Freeman the voice of God instead of Oprah?
One particularly moving chapter with Pam Grier explores the devastating effects of sexual abuse on a young girl’s voice. There’s a fascinating interview with Samantha Leigh Allen about the voice implications of being transgender. And there’s lots of comedy along the way, too, with impressionists and cartoon voice actors.
I wondered, at first, if “Inside Voice” would feel relevant only to actors, podcasters and other professional talkers. But Bell’s scope is so eclectic and her approach so engaging that this tour of voiceland will catch the ear of anyone who’s interested in the way we etch meaning on the wind.
This review first appeared in The Washington Post's free weekly Book Club newsletter, which you can read here.
November 27, 2022
This *book* should have been a podcast. It *reads* like a podcast and is episodic/thematic like a podcast. To encapsulate the main idea: Each individual has a unique voice worthy of respect, a voice the world needs to hear. To support this thesis the author explains various aspects of vocal training and interviews individuals with unique perspectives, such as linguists, and famous voices, such as Drew Barrymore. It’s an informative, fun exploration of topics, most important among these: language profiling and linguistic hierarchies. One section bothered me: an interview w/ a poet who characterized his speech therapy for a lisp as *violence.* He has a point about the marginalizing of voices among the LGBTQI+ community, but the idea training a child to control their tongue muscle and lips to control a lisp is violence is absurd.
February 16, 2025
This is an interesting audio exploration of the human voice through the lens of a professional voice actor and her lifelong obsession with speech and its idiosyncrasies. Through original interviews and archival clips, Lake Bell shares different perspectives on voices and how they are formed, altered and perceived. Voice acting is a profession that’s bearing more scrutiny for using racial, economic, gendered and sexual stereotypes for profit. Lake Bell does address these issues, but it doesn’t go as far on this line of questioning as I would have liked to see, or I should say, hear. Overall, this was a wide ranging and engaging audiobook.
October 12, 2023
“Voice is both story and back story. Voice is the entry point for narrative.”
4.5 - listened to this on Audible (I think that’s the only format for this one) and it was really interesting! It felt like I was listening to a podcast as she had many different guests throughout and I really enjoyed learning about the nuances of voice. Definitely worth the listen, Lake Bell is really great at what she does!
4.5 - listened to this on Audible (I think that’s the only format for this one) and it was really interesting! It felt like I was listening to a podcast as she had many different guests throughout and I really enjoyed learning about the nuances of voice. Definitely worth the listen, Lake Bell is really great at what she does!
November 27, 2023
Great audiobook, thought provoking, entertaining, and poignant. Lake Bell has a wonderful voice, a great book for driving!
May 8, 2023
This book was an interesting exploration of how the way we speak impacts our lives and relationships. I am a Speech/Language Pathologist and I expected it to be more about the actual voice and what can go wrong, etc. It was actually more focused on the way our environment and life experiences shape the way we speak. This book is available via audio format only. It is narrated by the author, Lake Bell who is quite entertaining and a good interviewer. She interviews many interesting people for the book and I enjoyed it. I would recommend this book!
December 1, 2022
4.5. This is only on audio, which makes sense. Inside Voice feels more like a great podcast; it may not be for every taste but I really loved it. The author covers subjects such as: what voices are trusted, what voices sound powerful, what stereotypes do we attach to different voices..: etc. It is literally about what sounds come out of our mouths and was so interesting to me!
November 14, 2022
I couldn’t devour this audiobook quickly enough, and now that I’ve finished, I wish I could savor it a little longer. I felt SEEN by @lakebell in the way she described her obsession with the human voice. If you’re a linguist, language nerd, or lover of the human voice, do yourself a favor and download this book. I’ve read a lot of wonderful books this year, audiobooks included, but this one is by far, my favorite. I guess you could say it’s… authoritative marzipan.
June 20, 2024
As a child I had a weird obsession with Lake Bell, certainly because she played a cool marine biologist on the 2005 TV show Surface (sadly canceled after one season on a cliffhanger). I was very intrigued when this came across my audiobook suggestions on Spotify. This "book" is more of a podcast made up of interviews. It was also fun to hear Lake Bell talk a bit about her early life and how she learned how to study accents and get into voice acting. I enjoyed almost all of the interviews/discussions about topics like voice acting, dialects, accents, code switching, and vocal mechanics. I'm not sure why Malcolm Gladwell was invited to talk about trends in young women's voices, so that was a very odd part, but everyone else seemed very qualified and passionate about the topic they were speaking on. I also enjoyed how much the Minnesotan accent came up (thanks Fargo)!
May 8, 2025
Audiobook (do they make a print book of this? I can't imagine it). Really thoughtful, very comprehensive (especially for the length), surprisingly raw and vulnerable... This audiobook is more than it seems.
I paused halfway through and found myself wondering about one of the topic angles, wishing it had addressed specific controversial side of accents and racism, and when I resumed, found that exact issue to be the subject of the next chapter. Amazing.
Worth a listen, and best enjoyed in as few sittings as possible.
I paused halfway through and found myself wondering about one of the topic angles, wishing it had addressed specific controversial side of accents and racism, and when I resumed, found that exact issue to be the subject of the next chapter. Amazing.
Worth a listen, and best enjoyed in as few sittings as possible.
March 30, 2023
The second chapter, which talks about sexual assault was difficult to listen to. The rest of the audiobook was amazing. Since I work with language most of the academic information was known to me, but I loved listening to the various conversations. I did learn some new tidbits which was quite exciting. The guest speakers were all spectacular. I’m left with lots of thoughts to mull over. This audiobook made me look forward to my commute!
December 16, 2022
It felt like a really long podcast but that’s not a bad thing. There’s no way this would’ve worked as anything other than an audiobook honestly. But it was a fascinating “read” and has me rethinking everything about the way I use or don’t use my voice as a tool.
November 14, 2022
It’s really hard to describe this book and I didn’t even expect to like it, but Lake Bell does a great job catching my attention and keeping it. Bell has one question.
How does your use of language make your life better or worse?
What she does is actually make you think about how language and dialects can be used to discriminate.
Very interesting look at language with great poise and humor. I highly recommend the audiobook because you really need to hear the voices and examples. Lake Bell has created a very interesting book. I’m used to thinking of her as an actor, but now I see her as a linguist
How does your use of language make your life better or worse?
What she does is actually make you think about how language and dialects can be used to discriminate.
Very interesting look at language with great poise and humor. I highly recommend the audiobook because you really need to hear the voices and examples. Lake Bell has created a very interesting book. I’m used to thinking of her as an actor, but now I see her as a linguist
Read
January 12, 2023Essentially a podcast about voice. Some of the interviews were thought provoking. Others not so much. Found myself thinking about my voice in new ways. Overall it's worth a listen.
December 5, 2022
CW: There is graphic discussion of CSA. She said a warning beforehand but I still wasn't prepared.
This was a podcast, and a very slick one at that. There are some very interesting things in there, but I could have done without the "person on the street" commentary. It was infotainment: interviews with celebrities (and Malcolm Gladwell?!), and ENT to the stars, a Hollywood dialect coach, et al. Sorry to be harsh, but it wasn't what I was expecting and I would have DNF'd if it didn't count towards my goodreads challenge. haha.
This was a podcast, and a very slick one at that. There are some very interesting things in there, but I could have done without the "person on the street" commentary. It was infotainment: interviews with celebrities (and Malcolm Gladwell?!), and ENT to the stars, a Hollywood dialect coach, et al. Sorry to be harsh, but it wasn't what I was expecting and I would have DNF'd if it didn't count towards my goodreads challenge. haha.
November 8, 2022
Voice acting is beginning to become a lost art as more and more roles are being given to big Hollywood names instead of professional voice artists. This was an awesome exploration into the science and art of the voice. Love these Pushkin audiobooks.
February 9, 2023
This book was an enjoyable look at voices...how they are perceived based on mainly sex and dialect, but also other factors. The author narrated it and she did a great job. She interviewed many guests, including Malcolm Gladwell.
June 14, 2025
This is definitely more a podcast than it is an audiobook— but I enjoyed it! I found a lot of the analysis to be kind of predictable, but the guests she invited (especially John Baugh and Pam Grier) were really brilliant and I was moved by what they had to say. It was also cool to hear from iconic voices like Drew Barrymore and Susie Essman from Curb. I was genuinely surprised by how much our voices are a result of our experiences and deepest desires.
Free with Spotify premium if you want to listen 🧚♀️
Free with Spotify premium if you want to listen 🧚♀️
December 1, 2022
I listened to this as an Audiobook and I don't know how it could be read or if it is even available as a book. Ms. Bell discusses her own personal fascination with voice, how it shapes are personalities and how it shapes how other people see us. Ms. Bell refers a lot to the movie she wrote and starred in called In a World (I highly recommend the movie) and I did not realize how much of that movie was autobiographical.
I am a big fan of Ms. Bell's movie career and she comes shining through in this book. She also interviews many famous people and not-so-famous people about voice and how it helps construct our social realities. Ms. Bell does it with humor, sensitivity and passion. The book is even more interesting because of how Ms. Bell weaves her own biography into the work.
I do have one criticism. Ms. Bell contends that our voice both helps construct our own identity and expresses to the world a lot about who we are. I don't disagree. However, Ms. Bell also suggest that we should not make judgments about people based on the social cues they send with their voice. While the spirit is noble, I just don't think its human. We make all kinds of judgments about people based on many social cues: some fair, some unjust and some downright evil. Nevertheless, we cannot stop making these judgments as long as culture and society have meaning. Particularly contradictory, Ms. Bell notes how voice can be a conscious affectation to convey social meaning, but simultaneously should not be used by the listener to make judgments. Seems paradoxical to me.
I am a big fan of Ms. Bell's movie career and she comes shining through in this book. She also interviews many famous people and not-so-famous people about voice and how it helps construct our social realities. Ms. Bell does it with humor, sensitivity and passion. The book is even more interesting because of how Ms. Bell weaves her own biography into the work.
I do have one criticism. Ms. Bell contends that our voice both helps construct our own identity and expresses to the world a lot about who we are. I don't disagree. However, Ms. Bell also suggest that we should not make judgments about people based on the social cues they send with their voice. While the spirit is noble, I just don't think its human. We make all kinds of judgments about people based on many social cues: some fair, some unjust and some downright evil. Nevertheless, we cannot stop making these judgments as long as culture and society have meaning. Particularly contradictory, Ms. Bell notes how voice can be a conscious affectation to convey social meaning, but simultaneously should not be used by the listener to make judgments. Seems paradoxical to me.
April 22, 2025
This is such an incredible and fascinating look into our voices, including not only Lake Bell's own studies but interviews with actors and actresses, an E.N.T. (ears, nose, and throat) specialist, a linguist coach, and more. She explores English as well as other languages as she explores how our voices and the way we speak affects so many aspects of our lives and perception of the each other.
I have to admit, I am already a huge Lake Bell fan. If you have not already seen "In A World..." then please go watch it. It is possibly one of my favourite movies of all time.
In this book, Lake considers so many aspects of the voice, from considering the way society views male and female voices differently, how accented English can affect ones perception of the speaker, what makes amazing orators truly incredible, how accents affect other languages like Spanish, and her own journey of gathering and consuming accents.
It is fascinating that this is in audiobook format only. And it makes sense. Lake utilizes the format beautifully and weaves her own commentary alongside incredible interviews with a wide variety of professionals.
While I may not agree with everyone she interviews, I appreciate the breadth of data she collects in her journey to discover how we sound and how we perceive our own sound.
I would probably rate this 4.75
I have to admit, I am already a huge Lake Bell fan. If you have not already seen "In A World..." then please go watch it. It is possibly one of my favourite movies of all time.
In this book, Lake considers so many aspects of the voice, from considering the way society views male and female voices differently, how accented English can affect ones perception of the speaker, what makes amazing orators truly incredible, how accents affect other languages like Spanish, and her own journey of gathering and consuming accents.
It is fascinating that this is in audiobook format only. And it makes sense. Lake utilizes the format beautifully and weaves her own commentary alongside incredible interviews with a wide variety of professionals.
While I may not agree with everyone she interviews, I appreciate the breadth of data she collects in her journey to discover how we sound and how we perceive our own sound.
I would probably rate this 4.75
January 12, 2023
Interesting book, and I did love some of the appearances in this, but I felt like the thesis/premise of it was just a little too unchallenging. I liked hearing about the different ways people exercise and craft their voices, and biases based on voices was definitely an interesting idea to explore, but at the end all I felt like I learned was “vocal biases exist and your voice is shaped by a lot of social factors”, which seems a little obvious. Had this book gotten more into theories of vocalization and how we can stop creating vocal biases within ourselves and how the future might look, that would have been more compelling to me. Like a whole chapter was just on “would you trust this sweet little girl’s voice over a rich southern gentleman’s voice”? Obviously yes. It’s a fun topic to explore… but what of it? Where are you getting at with this? I’m being critical, but that’s partially because this book has gotten such high reviews, and I feel like it’s not totally deserved. You can’t just shove celebrity voices over a mediocre premise and expect me to love it. Again though, I didn’t hate it, it was actually enjoyable to listen to; I just don’t think I gained much insight from listening to it.
March 26, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. In it, author Lake Bell explores why we hate the sound of our own voices, the way our voices affect perceptions of us, and her own journey to becoming a "star" voice actor. After reading this, I'm more tuned in to the way people talk and the conclusions I draw from the way they talk. I've always been fascinated with accents and impressions, and I confess that as a kid I practiced doing accents and imitating singers and actors. So, this book is about a topic I was already interested in, and I think Bell struck a great balance between playfulness and thoughtfulness. For instance, she played a game with a group of people, asking them to rate how trustworthy various people were, based only on their voices. It was enlightening to hear the responses and the reasons people gave. I was touched by a story told by someone who had forsaken their original accent for the sake of being taken more seriously--the psychological impact of it, and her regrets about it. And Bell's breakdown of the mechanics of "sexy baby voice" was informative, along with the discussion of why it's become popular. The book was both informative and fun, full of interviews with voice coaches, people famous for their voices, and other experts. I recommend it!
January 6, 2023
Several reviews mention that this book “should have been a podcast”. I’m glad it wasn’t, because I never would have stumbled upon it if it had been. (Shout out to Ron Charles, whose Book Chat e-newsletter is where I stumbled.)
This was a fun exploration of dialects, accents, impressions, and pretty much anything else you could name connected with one’s voice. Did I agree with everything said in it? No. Was it entertaining and worthwhile nonetheless? Yes.
I particularly enjoyed the discussion on animation voice-overs, and the mentions of Mel Blanc, June Foray, and Rob Paulsen. Any audiobook that lets me hear the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian, and Foghorn Leghorn has earned 4 stars right there. Throw in a chat with Tracy Ullman, and I’m a completely satisfied customer.
This was a fun exploration of dialects, accents, impressions, and pretty much anything else you could name connected with one’s voice. Did I agree with everything said in it? No. Was it entertaining and worthwhile nonetheless? Yes.
I particularly enjoyed the discussion on animation voice-overs, and the mentions of Mel Blanc, June Foray, and Rob Paulsen. Any audiobook that lets me hear the voices of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian, and Foghorn Leghorn has earned 4 stars right there. Throw in a chat with Tracy Ullman, and I’m a completely satisfied customer.
March 6, 2023
I loved listening to this audiobook and was excited to think about voices differently than I ever have. I was getting ready to recommend it to others who I think might enjoy it. Towards the end of the book, a poem was recited with heavy use of the /s/ phoneme and I thought, this is going to be a story about how much speech therapy helped this man learn to produce /s/ and that he was grateful for his speech-language pathologist. Unfortunately, the author of the poem said the exact opposite. He was a gay man who felt that his identity was stolen from him by his SLP who corrected his lisp and took away part of his gay identity. By the way, he still sounded gay! I was so angry by this part of the book and almost didn't finish it. If it wasn't for that ridiculous opinion, which Lake Bell seemed to agree with, I would have added a star.
April 18, 2025
If you’ve ever wondered what your voice says about you—this audiobook is for you. Inside Voice is a fascinating deep dive into how our voices are shaped by everything from trauma and injury to age, socioeconomic background, and country of origin.
Lake Bell explores how we subconsciously (or deliberately) change our tone, pitch, or cadence depending on who we’re speaking to, and how much our voices are tied to identity, power, and perception.
She brings in personal anecdotes, interviews, and research, making this especially compelling in audio format—where you can hear the nuance of what she’s talking about.
Thought-provoking, informative, and surprisingly emotional, this is a great listen for anyone interested in communication, self-expression, and the invisible layers behind the way we speak.
Lake Bell explores how we subconsciously (or deliberately) change our tone, pitch, or cadence depending on who we’re speaking to, and how much our voices are tied to identity, power, and perception.
She brings in personal anecdotes, interviews, and research, making this especially compelling in audio format—where you can hear the nuance of what she’s talking about.
Thought-provoking, informative, and surprisingly emotional, this is a great listen for anyone interested in communication, self-expression, and the invisible layers behind the way we speak.
February 21, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this and may just turn around and listen to it again! Many years ago I studied linguistics in college but haven't revisited the topic much in the years since.
This was a wonderful and accessible way to revisit some of those academic concepts from my student days. Plus Lake has included a more modern take on some of the areas of sociolinguistics that weren't discussed much 20 years ago, particularly the chapters on speech in the LGBTQ community.
All the guest contributors were a wonderful addition, and I love that it was a mix of academics, voice coaches, and performers.
In addition to excellent content, it was a delight to *listen* to. Lake Bell's voice is so warm and soothing, I could just listen to her all day.
This was a wonderful and accessible way to revisit some of those academic concepts from my student days. Plus Lake has included a more modern take on some of the areas of sociolinguistics that weren't discussed much 20 years ago, particularly the chapters on speech in the LGBTQ community.
All the guest contributors were a wonderful addition, and I love that it was a mix of academics, voice coaches, and performers.
In addition to excellent content, it was a delight to *listen* to. Lake Bell's voice is so warm and soothing, I could just listen to her all day.
October 30, 2024
LOVED this audiobook, in which Lake Bell does a deep dive on the voice – how much is biology, how much is affectation, cultural connotations, languages, accents, tone, pitch, vocal fry, trauma, feminism, sexuality, so many lenses with which to analyze people’s voices, and our own. It’s only available in audio format because it is a tapestry of voices, with interviews with voice experts (an otolaryngologist to the stars and a professor of Spanish linguistics), voice actors, and celebrities including Drew Barrymore, Jeff Goldblum, Pam Grier, and Malcolm Gladwell. It was a fascinating and entertaining listen from start to finish, and it gave me much to ponder about my own voice and why I prefer certain voices over others. Highly recommend.
March 10, 2025
This audiobook felt more like a podcast, and it was a whole master class! I couldn’t stop gushing about it to friends while I was listening to it. I was pleasantly surprised by the countless interviews with ppl on the street, family, academics, and famous actors/voice actors.
In the most creative and effective way possible, Lake Bell covers everything from the way pitch can inspire confidence to how enunciating the letter “s” seems pretentious to some Spanish speakers. At first I thought this book might be a bit generic, but oml—not at all! I adored it!! Some of my favorite interviews/segments were about: code switching, aave’s origin, the valley girl accent, voices in politics, and trans and gay people’s relationship with voice.
In the most creative and effective way possible, Lake Bell covers everything from the way pitch can inspire confidence to how enunciating the letter “s” seems pretentious to some Spanish speakers. At first I thought this book might be a bit generic, but oml—not at all! I adored it!! Some of my favorite interviews/segments were about: code switching, aave’s origin, the valley girl accent, voices in politics, and trans and gay people’s relationship with voice.
December 5, 2022
Super fun and interesting journey through the human voice. It covers a touch of physiology, a bit of personal history, and plenty of cultural context.
I found the larger cultural stuff most interesting. Especially the Tracey Ullman section, so good!
I suspect that folks who are into this might also dig How You Say It (which has the benefit of not being audio -only, where Inside Voice really wouldn't work as text). How You Say It has a great dive into the idea of "accent attitudes" which I think ties nicely into some of the themes in this book.
I found the larger cultural stuff most interesting. Especially the Tracey Ullman section, so good!
I suspect that folks who are into this might also dig How You Say It (which has the benefit of not being audio -only, where Inside Voice really wouldn't work as text). How You Say It has a great dive into the idea of "accent attitudes" which I think ties nicely into some of the themes in this book.
March 24, 2023
Closer to a 4.5 for me, really enjoyed this book, and the fact that it's literally made for audio made listening to it even more enjoyable. Got me thinking about how people use their voices and how voice is an area where power dynamics exist in ways I hadn't considered. My only small complaint was I was expecting and wanted a little more discussion and examples about how people use their voice in everyday situations, like breaking down conversations etc. But on the other hand there were plenty of fascinating topics that I hadn't expected, like immigrant accents, "sounding black" or "sounding gay".
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