RISING TIDE

This very opinionated account of the devastating Mississippi River flood of 1927 and its causes is the sort of book that benefits from plates and footnotes. The former would help the reader understand the crucial engineering issues; the latter would help one assess the accuracy of the author's assertions and value judgements. We get neither in the audio version. Instead we have the voice of award-winning George Grizzard. His sharp, distinctive voice has gotten sandy with age. His mind, however, remains as sharp as ever. He performs not only with comprehension, but with a controlled sense of drama and not a little of the author's outrage at political shenanigans. So, although he can't do much for the book's credibility, he certainly makes it a good listen. Y.R. © AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 00]