WOODROW WILSON

This short book, part of the Penguin Lives series, is an informative primer on Wilson's life from his Princeton days through his presidency. Narrator J. Paul Boehmer has a good voice, strong and resonant, but his effort here is uneven. When he focuses on the text and reads in his natural voice, Boehmer does very well. It's when he tries to be as passionate an orator as Wilson that he gets himself into trouble. Boehmer affects an accent that is neither Wilson nor himself, and it comes off sounding inauthentic. He needs to let Wilson's words speak for themselves and let the listener glean their meaning. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]