THE GOLDEN MEAN

Nick Cordero delivers Aristotle’s dry pronouncements and terse comments with the dissatisfaction of a man who counts himself as “garbage,” a man with “a freakish brain,” which causes him to analyze everything and feel little. When Philip of Macedon hires Aristotle to tutor his 13-year-old son, Alexander, “a violent and snotty boy,” Aristotle trains the boy in science, medicine, philosophy, rhetoric, and literature. Cordero’s narration makes clear that both man and boy suffer from depression, and, while he cannot heal himself, Aristotle suggests that young Alexander embrace The Golden Mean: the middle-ground; the path between emotional extremes. This notion the boy dismisses as Aristotle’s penchant for “mediocrity.” Cordero’s performance adds the much-needed spark to Annabel Lyon’s ambitious novel. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2011]