News Pop Culture and Entertainment 7 Audiobooks to Make Summer Traffic More Tolerable By Claire Stern Claire Stern Claire Stern is the Deputy Editor of ELLE.com. Previously, she served as Editor at Bergdorf Goodman and was the Associate Editor at InStyle. Her interests include fashion, food, travel, music, Peloton, and The Hills—not necessarily in that order. InStyle's editorial guidelines Updated on June 20, 2017 Pin Share Tweet Email Photo: Courtesy (4) Summer bequeaths us many things: sunshine, rosé, backyard BBQs. But in order to truly enjoy everything the season has to offer, we're often forced to take an hours-long car ride—and endure the mind-numbing traffic that comes with it. To help ease the pain of spending hours stuck in the backseat—or prevent inevitable fights between passengers—nothing beats an audiobook. From Gabourey Sidibe's candid memoir to Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel, here are the best titles to take on the road. 01 of 07 THE HANDMAID'S TALE BY MARGARET ATWOOD Courtesy Buy Now Margaret Atwood's oddly prescient dystopian novel—and gripping Hulu adaptation—about a group of subservient women living in a totalitarian theocracy is best told by Claire Danes. 02 of 07 EXIT WEST BY MOHSIN HAMID Courtesy Buy Now In this compelling, fanciful story narrated by the British Pakistani novelist himself, a young couple named Saeed and Nadia plot their escape from an unnamed country on the brink of civil war through literal and metaphorical doors. 03 of 07 THIS IS JUST MY FACE: TRY NOT TO STARE BY GABOUREY SIDIBE Courtesy Buy Now The Oscar-nominated actress and star of Fox's Empire gets candid about growing up with a polygamous father, her first job as a sex phone operator, and struggling with body image issues. 04 of 07 THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD BY COLSON WHITEHEAD Courtesy Buy Now Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a runaway slave escaping to freedom during the Civil War is made livelier with distinct voices to match each character she encounters along the way. 05 of 07 HILLBILLY ELEGY BY J.D. VANCE Courtesy Buy Now J.D. Vance's memoir about growing up in a poor Rust Belt town in Ohio offers invaluable cultural commentary about the white working class and key insight into Trump's election. 06 of 07 COMMONWEALTH BY ANN PATCHETT Courtesy Buy Now Ann Patchett's latest novel about two families brought together by an unexpected kiss at a christening party, performed by Hope Davis, spans 50 years and covers multiple divorces and remarriages. 07 of 07 LINCOLN IN THE BARDO BY GEORGE SAUNDERS Courtesy Buy Now Lena Dunham, Julianne Moore, and David Sedaris are three of 166 narrators who lend their voices to this epic audiobook, which reimagines Abraham Lincoln's relationship with his son, Willie. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit