THE DEADLINE Essays

Jill Lepore, NEW YORKER staff writer and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, is a captivating essayist and a terrific performer of her own writing. Her pace is upbeat without being too fast; her articulation is clear; and her voice, midrange with the occasional high note, blooms with enthusiasm. That enthusiasm, combined with humor and smarts-- she's a Harvard University history professor--makes for enticing listening. Whether she's exploring women's career options via the lives of her own mother and Ben Franklin's sister, reconsidering Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN as a slave narrative, pondering Eugene Debs and American socialism, reveling in motherhood, or riffing on her love of bicycling--Lepore is erudite, funny, and thought-provoking. May she keep thinking, writing, and performing for many more years. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2023]