BLACKBOARD A Personal History of the Classroom

Buzbee’s memoir boasts a lot of personal history and a bounty of history on American education. Combining a memoir with something more formal always runs the risk of sounding uneven—alternating between informal and pedantic—but Buzbee, thankfully, avoids this pitfall. This balance is reflected in Mike Chamberlain’s performance, an offering of personable tone and nuanced diction. This last is especially important to listeners who may not have the same passion for educational history and philosophy that Buzbee brings to the table. As any experienced educator (like Buzbee) knows, presentation is just as important as content, and Chamberlain’s narration is consistently enjoyable, giving voice to the humor and wisdom of the text. N.J.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2015]