FLEECED

Fact: This book makes some excellent and vital points about what the authors view as the nation’s many problems. Fact: This book is also full of hyperbole, half-truths, and political agenda-setting. Fact: This kind of bam-bam-bam basso profundo voice-of-doom writing can be tiring for listeners. But don't blame narrator Johnny Heller. He does a yeoman's job of rendering this political diatribe palatable for listeners. It would have been easy to go over the top, matching the writing style, but Heller dials back his delivery. Still, he can't overcome the relentless negativity that permeates the writing. The tone isn't relieved until the final chapters, when the authors shift from problems to solutions. However, many listeners will have bailed out before this point. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2008]