Narrator Byron Wagner's unrelenting tone is unnerving as he opens Al Roker's account of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. Immediately, listeners find themselves in the mind of a man who's struggling not to drown. As it turns out, he's a weatherman who failed to predict the catastrophic event that may kill him. Wagner's voice relaxes as Roker then goes back to the days leading up to the hurricane, capturing the everyday rhythms of Galveston life, even as he introduces ominous signs. When the storm hits, Wagner gut-wrenchingly describes the experiences of being in a house that is collapsing and not knowing whether loved ones are still alive. Listeners will be fascinated, even as they shudder at the grim reality of a death toll that topped 10,000.
Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2015
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780062395634
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ranjit Madgavkar narrates these essays on how forces beyond their control--for example, war, imperialism, language, climate change--influence people's lives. His strong but clear Indian accent never lets listeners forget that author Ghosh is a native of West Bengal, a fact that explains Ghosh's strong interest in colonialism, anti-colonialism, and the history of South Asia. The opening essays about the participation of Indian soldiers in the disastrous British Mesopotamian campaign of WWI are particularly fascinating. Madgavkar approximates different accents in the quotations from authors of other nationalities, making clear where they begin and end. Even without knowledge of South Asia, listeners will comprehend these essays because Madgavkar gets across the emotions.
Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2026
Duration: 19 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228648760
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Science writer Shea explores the complexities and interconnectedness of Arctic ecosystems and cultures with a calm, respectful narration. His keen examination of Arctic climate change includes impacts to narwhals, caribou populations, and wolf packs, as well as the Indigenous residents of Alaska, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories, whose own cultural traditions and lives on the land have been disrupted. The author's conversations with hunters during his travels throughout these regions further illuminate the deep cost of changes to their homes. Shea guides listeners from the "lost Norse colony" of Grøenland to modern-day tensions along European borders, showing how myriad factors have always played into humanity's complex relationship with Arctic regions. Shea's grounded, gently paced observations are laced with poetic descriptions that invite quiet, engaged reflection.
Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063138605
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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