Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • My Unexpected Life

  • An International Memoir of Two Pandemics, HIV, and COVID-19
  • By: Martina Clark
  • Narrated by: Martina Clark
  • Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
My Unexpected Life cover art

My Unexpected Life

By: Martina Clark
Narrated by: Martina Clark
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Committed cover art
Evergreens cover art
Future Proof cover art
Independence Day cover art
Not in the Script cover art
The Returnees cover art
Enough cover art
Ladyparts cover art
The Beauty of Dusk cover art
Little Matches cover art
I Came Upon a Lighthouse cover art
Holding on by Letting Go cover art
A Light That Never Goes Out cover art
I Don't Want to Talk About Home cover art
Love from the Pink Palace cover art
Becoming Us cover art

Summary

At age 28, the doctors told Martina Clark she had HIV and five years to live. With a sense of nothing to lose, she dove into activism. Then, she fell into an international career, starting as the first openly HIV-positive person to work for UNAIDS in 1996.

A mix of personal memoir, travel, humor and an up-close look at the squishy underbelly of the United Nations, My Unexpected Life follows her personal journey—emotional and physical—interwoven with her professional path. From diagnosis to starting treatment, surviving an abusive marriage and fostering a teenage daughter, Martina’s memoir adds an insider’s view to the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly as pertains to women.

Throughout, she draws parallels to other pandemics--–including her own long-haul bout with COVID–reflecting on her experiences as she journeys through life with an incurable illness, a well-stamped passport, and a stubborn determination that keeps her alive to bear witness to the human condition.

©2021 Martina Clark (P)2022 Martina Clark

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Transform your day

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Listen everywhere

Listen everywhere

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Carry your entire Library

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Listen and learn

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Reach your reading goals

Reach your reading goals

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Find your niche

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for £0.00 £7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

What listeners say about My Unexpected Life

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.