New Reviews: Contemporary Culture

Golden Voice narrator Cassandra Campbell explores Mattel's dark side in this unauthorized history that exposes spying, copyright infringement, and the true origins of Barbie. Hitt's investigative reporting asserts that Barbie's creator, Ruth Handler, was often ruthless. Handler claimed that the inspiration for Barbie came from her daughter, but Barbie was a near-identical copy... Read More

Tim Lounibos narrates this thoughtful exploration of immigration policy. Drawing on the author's decades of experience in immigration law, this audiobook's topics range broadly across the many historical and current causes of both voluntary and forced migration. The work also examines how physical and metaphorical borders create groups of insiders and outsiders who are striving... Read More

Epidemiologist Rivers offers a compelling reminder of how important it is to study epidemics and other threats to public health. Though government funding is minimal and rises and falls with politics, the work of public health scientists, practitioners, and policymakers has repeatedly saved millions of people from diseases and other threats to health. The author's... Read More

Famed street photographer Brandon Stanton, creator of the photoblog and book "Humans of New York," narrates the beginning of this audiobook. The prologue starts and ends with the story of an infant left on a New York City street who is rescued by an EMT. Stanton also covers his 15 years in the "most diverse place" on earth. Then the voices of the other narrators take over. The... Read More

Mark Linn-Baker narrates this well-researched audiobook for anyone who wants a glimpse behind the curtain of the NFL. It primarily focuses on Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the power troika that has helped guide and develop the league through good times and bad. Linn-Baker narrates clearly, with... Read More

Cookbook author and Vogue contributor Adler narrates with controlled emotion in a lovely voice, with just the right tone and tempo. These meditations on life and food, spanning a calendar year, began as a project to write her way out of depression. Adler's style is intimate yet informed. She includes quotes from poets (Louise Glück, May Swenson, and Mary Oliver among them) and... Read More

Science writer Shea explores the complexities and interconnectedness of Arctic ecosystems and cultures with a calm, respectful narration. His keen examination of Arctic climate change includes impacts to narwhals, caribou populations, and wolf packs, as well as the Indigenous residents of Alaska, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories, whose own cultural traditions and lives on... Read More

Author Rix is clearly fascinated with trees. She surveys them, going back millions of years, and describes their current importance as a moderating force on climate change. Rix's English voice is lovely, and her performance is both precise and full of enthusiasm. She travels the world to oak trees in Iraq, cloud forests in the Canary Islands, and eucalypts in Australia. Rix is... Read More

Narrating his own work, journalist Silverman charts the rightward political shift on the internet. Silverman is not a professional narrator, and his delivery is unpolished but clear as he delves into what he describes as a radicalized Elon Musk and his cohort in Silicon Valley. He also discusses the influence of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and the Gulf Arab states'... Read More

In her latest audiobook, Wilson explores everyday kitchen objects and how they become an extension of ourselves. Wilson's marriage unexpectedly ends around the same time that her mother is diagnosed with dementia. Wilson finds that she can't bear to be around her husband's left-behind belongings because they are so thoroughly a part of his identity. She then introduces... Read More

Though author Mari Andrew doesn't have professional-level narration skills, she's an appealing messenger for this lesson on what we can learn from the way animals live. Her gentle enunciation and slow pacing reflect her earnest intentions, and her sincerity and deep respect for humanity will draw listeners in and make them curious about the possibilities she offers. She says... Read More

David Sadzin accomplishes something notable with his narration: He conveys the intricate details with clarity and precision. Acclaimed novelist Wideman's essays, book reviews, and cultural critiques are collected here. Passages about his experiences as a Black child learning the unwritten rules of white culture share space with reviews and critiques of writing and cultural and... Read More

Marking the 100th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's birth, author and narrator Chris Matthews makes the case for ways that RFK's ideals are relevant to today's sociopolitical climate. Matthews touches on broad topics like peace, law enforcement, and courage, and Matthews's readings of Kennedy's actual speeches are included. Well known for his expertise on the Kennedy family,... Read More

Author Vieta chronicles her efforts to return stolen antiquities to Italy. Lisa Flanagan helps create an atmosphere worthy of a mystery novel with a narration that carries the story along nicely for listeners, adding to the drama by varying her tone and conveying surprise, outrage, or suspense. The author is a journalist, and her writing style adapts well to audio. She uses... Read More

Al Kessel delivers an efficient narration of Todd James Pierce's deep dive into the music of 1964's highest grossing movie, "Mary Poppins," featuring Julie Andrews as the musical English nanny and Dick Van Dyke as the charming chimney sweep. Pierce profiles the two obscure songwriters, brothers Richard and Robert Sherman, who wrote nearly all the music and lyrics at Walt's... Read More

In this sweeping overview of recent research, an environmental neuroscientist explains how humans are wired to benefit from exposure to nature--or even to artificial elements that resemble it. Beyond boosting mood and happiness, spending peaceful moments outdoors, studies show, enhances physical health, emotional resilience, mental performance, and the quality of our attention.... Read More

Scott Dikkers, former editor and owner of "The Onion," narrates his history of the beloved humor magazine. Fans will enjoy the classic headlines and backstory. With its anecdotes of childhood secrets (the time he crawled to school); family mental illness; employment experiences, including the jobs he didn't get; complex medical conditions; and the years spent away from the... Read More

Jennifer Jill Araya's bright tone and dynamic pacing pair well with Vincent's accessible prose to engage listeners. The audiobook is not quite as dramatic as its title implies, serving instead as an introduction to the art form that highlights occasional industry controversies. However, Vincent does make a strong case for opera as a living genre, arguing that newcomers should... Read More

The subtitle of this short, inspiring listen could be: "Pep talks from your favorite writers." Maggie Smith and Saeed Jones have put together a vibrant collection of short essays and poems about how to keep going in times that feel impossible. Many of the writers read their own contributions. Highlights include beautiful poems read with raw emotion by Tiana Clark, Victoria... Read More

Kevin R. Free portrays the dean of Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism in a fine style as he delivers selections from Cobb's reporting, commentaries, and observations. Free's pace and tone give the man his due. As Cobb astutely navigates the period from 2012 to 2024, he explores the wider meaning of the killings of unarmed Black men and bears witness. Looking farther... Read More

This history of special prosecutors--think Ken Starr, Robert Mueller, Jack Smith--is full of insider information and legal strategies that will fascinate ordinary news watchers, as well as ardent followers of Washington politics. The author, a CNN legal commentator and former U.S. attorney, uses interviews and his own impressive analytical skills to detail the histories of... Read More

Ranjit Madgavkar narrates these essays on how forces beyond their control--for example, war, imperialism, language, climate change--influence people's lives. His strong but clear Indian accent never lets listeners forget that author Ghosh is a native of West Bengal, a fact that explains Ghosh's strong interest in colonialism, anti-colonialism, and the history of South Asia. The... Read More