Maria Pendolino performs this short collection of essays featuring Dr. Ashley Shew's concept of "technoableism," a type of ableist belief that technology can, and should, "cure" disabled people. Shew uses her experience as a chronically ill, hard-of-hearing cancer survivor and amputee to illustrate how technology helps assist her in her everyday life. But, at the same time,... Read More
Rosemary Benson's clear, melodic narration aids the listener in following the myriad threads that Emily Monosson weaves in this fascinating audiobook on fungi. Some fungi are good. But there is also a parade of horribles--such as the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, which is decimating bat populations; rusts that have already pushed some chestnut trees into extinction;... Read More
Pete Cross presents this deeply reported and thoroughly researched audiobook with the seriousness it merits. His well-paced narration captures the author's passion for migrants and thorough critique of the governments, corporations, and media that demonize them. He maintains a journalistic tone as the text traverses the globe, sharing the stories of those who have experienced... Read More
Mark Kurlansky brings an authoritative narration to his latest food history endeavor. In the first part, Kurlansky explores the history and science of the onion, delivering his insights with the matter-of-fact demeanor of a seasoned professor. In the second part, Kurlansky reveals his passion for historical recipes, which is evident in his brighter narration. The recipes are... Read More
Malcolm Hillgartner epitomizes a fine nonfiction narrator. He lets these often disturbing stories of road ecology (annals of roadkills) reveal themselves in an understated way. A master of pace and cadence, his tone works with the dramatic statistics provided: About one million wild animals perish daily from cars, 40 million miles of roads ring the planet, and the fires in... Read More
Rattlesnakes are just one of the creatures science writer-turned-academic Robles ponders as she blends her own perspectives and historical writings into this audiobook of essays on the human study of various species, such as coral and sharks. Narrator Daniela Acitelli brings a sense of wonder to a Native American story about the rattlesnake world. Her pace increases with... Read More
Astronomer and physicist Marcelo Gleiser's manifesto calls for more awareness, gratitude, and kindness toward our planet. Focusing on biocentrism, he reminds listeners of the sacred relationship between humanity and our world, and argues that a call to action is crucial for their continued existence. Timothy Andrés Pabon's soft-spoken and lyrical narration supports the author's... Read More
Tania De Rozario performs her essay collection, which revolves around her experience growing up as a fat mixed-race queer girl in Singapore. When she was a child, school administrators required her to eat smaller meals and exercise more. After her mother learned of De Rozario's sexuality, she called church leaders to exorcise her. De Rozario narrates each of her essays with... Read More
After listening to this probing audiobook, listeners will never look at a dust bunny the same way again. Narrator Naomi Frederick's spot-on performance makes listening to the environmental history of our planet's dust absolutely engaging. The author, a geographer, writer, and researcher, creatively combines travel writing with history and science to argue that environmental... Read More
Four men, four environmental philosophies, three wilderness settings. From these various and, at times, competing perspectives, author John McPhee weaves a deep debate over how to best protect the future of the planet and humanity. Grover Gardner's clear, conversational narration makes these sometimes complex discussions easy for listeners to follow. There's no false drama, but... Read More
Sarah Lohman is a surprisingly effective narrator of her thoughtful audiobook. She narrates with a pointed reportorial style and measured cadence that suit this text on vanishing foods. She does Native accents impressively in sections on the Navajo (Diné) and Choctaw people. And she's an active participant in the journey to test and taste foods identified by the Ark of Taste,... Read More
Journalist Bianca Bosker narrates her witty audiobook about the art world with pizzazz. She has a pleasing sound, paces the sometimes frantic-sounding proceedings well, and comes across as an authentic seeker. Performing in a comic style, she enhances the audiobook's ironic undertone, which suggests that many in the art world see journalists as "the enemy." In this work she... Read More
Tavia Gilbert, who has narrated works by this author twice before, clearly gets her informed and impassioned voice and neatly emulates her literary style. Gilbert's even tone captures the seriousness of this ambitious endeavor. Kakutani offers listeners a version of cultural history that entwines two phenomena--radical disruptions in media and the arts and the rise of the... Read More
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are celebrated in this moving, inspirational audiobook. Karen Chilton, Adam Lazarre-White, and original contributors, including author Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, narrate passages about what brought individual students to HBCUs and how their lives were changed. The result is a seamless listening experience. Contributors... Read More
Jeffrey Toobin gives a thorough, detailed, yet quickly moving account of Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh's life, beliefs, actions, and death--and how his credo lives on in current right-wing extremism. Like his text, Toobin's narration is brisk, clear, and free of adornment. His guy-next-door manner keeps the material approachable and the focus on the story. No emotional... Read More
This timely audiobook on migration translates extremely well to audio due to its straightforward organization and clear summaries of statistical material. Matthew Spencer's measured pacing and professorial tone are well suited to represent the author, a Dutch sociologist who is director of Oxford University's International Migration Institute. The audiobook begins with precise... Read More
Manjula Martin delivers this audiobook as if reading to a friend. While she's not blessed with a sonorous voice, her delivery is both passionate and authentic. She captures the complications of living in proximity to wildfires in Sonoma County, California, which was devastated by conflagrations in 2020. The audiobook presents three interlocking stories: The first is about a... Read More
Adam Goodheart shares his experiences visiting "the most isolated people in the world" on North Sentinel, in the Andaman Islands in India's Bay of Bengal. In this audiobook he shares accounts of their history. Will Tulin calmly narrates Goodheart's first visit, leaving room for amazement at flying fish and dolphins. Tulin reflects Goodheart's lament over the plastic trash that... Read More
Cynthia Farrell brings an excellent ear for language to her narration of this wide-ranging and absorbing audiobook. Her Spanish is flawless, and her sense of story adds impact. Author Marie Arana shows how members of our fastest growing minority have added to our literature, theater, music, politics, and sports. Based on thorough research, including hundreds of interviews, the... Read More
The cofounder of ROLLING STONE magazine, Jann Wenner, has released these original recordings of his interviews with superstar artists Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Jerry Garcia, and Pete Townsend. The audiobook is a mixed bag, hampered at times by decades-old recordings. The interviews range from amazing statements by John Lennon to indecipherable... Read More
If you're looking to get more out of the simple things in life, this audiobook is for you. A transplanted Londoner, Niki Brantmark has thoroughly embraced the Swedish custom of njuta, finding satisfaction in the smallest pleasures: a beautiful sunrise or sunset, a sweet treat, a walk in the woods. Karen Cass keeps to a brisk pace and an appropriately upbeat tone as she itemizes... Read More
The gun control debate in America has both emotional and legal dimensions, and this audiobook focuses on the latter. It's a brief audiobook that would have felt longer without the energetic narration of Dan Bittner, who prevents it from bogging down. Not that the writing is turgid--on the contrary, it's as lucid and conversational as one can expect from a dissection of the... Read More
Peabody Award-winning journalist Michele Norris and a full cast deliver a must-listen performance of Norris's riveting examination of race in America. Based on 12 years of submissions to Norris's Race Card Project--six words about race from over half-a-million people--the audiobook shifts between Norris's clear, warm, thoughtful commentary and participants' contributions, all... Read More
Rebecca Lowman's warm, easygoing performance creates a relaxed space for listeners to engage with this expansive cultural and scientific exploration of Earth's and humanity's relationship with the moon across time. The interconnectedness between each section is enhanced as Lowman clearly voices the science behind our world and its living organisms, and the mythos inspired by... Read More
It's not just you. Social media is built around a model that encourages conflict and rewards users with more of the same. It's refreshing that Justin Price's performance is so warm and, in a welcome contrast to the subject matter, thoughtful and evenly paced. Listeners are provided a clear, concise history of the Internet and social media. Why do people gravitate so quickly to... Read More
Cultural historian Kliph Nesteroff narrates his affected and opinionated treatise on the evolution of American cultural trends, especially how immediately succeeding generations find newer forms of entertainment to be outrageously without merit. It all adds up to a dry narrative. While maintaining an appropriate pace, Nesteroff's delivery is breathy and includes... Read More
Jon Vertullo narrates this ecological warning with an even tone and a deliberate pace. His thoughtful delivery allows the detailed and meticulous reporting to speak for itself, that is, without excessive drama. His task is made easier by author Miller's crisply written journalistic reports from three sites: northeast Japan, where in 2011 seawalls were no match for a massive... Read More
Grover Gardner imbues this exploration of a charming section of rural New Jersey, first published in 1968, with a knowledgeable and authoritative tone. The celebrated and groundbreaking NEW YORKER reporter John McPhee runs into several colorful characters, now long gone, during his visit. This look back at a simpler, more rural time both entertains and informs. Gardner's even... Read More
For any nature lover, this audiobook is nearly irresistible. Bjorgaas, a biologist, takes a close look at the ways insects, birds, mammals, trees, and plants adapt to life in the more densely populated human environs. The anecdotes are vividly written and fascinating, albeit somewhat awkwardly organized. Mary Helen Gallucci is an earnest narrator who does a fine job with pace,... Read More
Avery Kidd Waddell delivers a commanding narration. He confidently conveys the scope of this new edition of one of the most influential audiobooks on the history of race, which dismantles the myth of a post-racial society. Kendi's work investigates the histories of six historical figures, including Thomas Jefferson, W.E.B Du Bois, and Angela Davis. Their actions, writings, and... Read More
Eli Grober narrates his collection of dystopian satires with deadpan self-assurance. It's the ideal voice for the 100 essays--none longer than eight minutes--with titles such as "'I'm Only Joking,' I Say As I Kill You" and "How I Saved Enough To Buy a House With My Parents' Money." One of Grober's more sincere readings can be heard in "The Telescope We Sent to Deep Space Wants... Read More
Dr. Joy Buolamwini carefully narrates this hybrid memoir detailing her groundbreaking research on AI software discrimination. Labeling the phenomenon she uncovered as "the coded gaze," she explains how predominantly white male computer programmers have subconsciously established bias in algorithmic decision making. As an activist, Buolamwini warns that some systems claim they... Read More
Bird lovers should flock to this fascinating audiobook. David Allen Sibley's field guides for bird identification are the worthy successors to Roger Tory Peterson's classic guides and are indispensable for birders. Here, Sibley has thoughtfully adapted his beautifully illustrated print version of WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A BIRD. Sibley's son, Evan Sibley, narrates with aplomb,... Read More
Jennifer Jewell does a fine job narrating her own work, a fascinating and sometimes frightening examination of the complex world of seeds. It is personal, political, and technical as it dives into the work of seeds, the threats they face, and the politics and economics that surround them. Jewell hosts a National Public Radio program and podcast, so she is no stranger to the art... Read More
Narrator Harry Lloyd's affable narration echoes physicist Carlo Rovelli's casual writing style. Their conversational approach to the concept of white holes allows a variety of listeners to engage with complex physics regardless of how much knowledge they start with. Simply put, white holes cannot be entered but allow information to escape; they are the opposite of black holes,... Read More
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