HIDDEN AMERICA From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work

Part oral history and part anthropological exploration of regular people, Laskas's words work well in audio. By interviewing a representative person in a number of specialized jobs such as mining, air traffic control, and even professional cheerleading, Laska taps into the American identity, revealing a great deal of insight about how everyday Americans help keep the machine that is this country running. Jamie Heinlein does well as the narrator, executing a personable delivery that makes the narration feel like it's coming from Laskas herself. Heinlein manages to build tension well, even in the smaller moments of the book, through word emphasis and a tempered delivery. However, at times, that emphasis comes across as overenunciated, which sounds slightly condescending. L.E. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2013]