Narrator Jason Culp relies on careful modulation to convey this nuanced, comprehensive examination of a dangerous time in twentieth-century history—the period of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Culp delivers the words of famous leaders such as Stalin, Kennedy, and Reagan with slight accents or impressions. To varying degrees, both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. employed propaganda, and he delivers the most blatant examples with suitable hints of sarcasm. As for everyday communists (both American and Russian), whom Lenin dubbed "useful idiots," Culp successfully infuses them with humanity, underscoring that they genuinely believed, albeit often mistakenly, that the end justifies the means. The author notes that “history is not destiny”; however, ignorance of the former may negatively affect the latter.
(Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 30, 2021
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593216743
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A powerful and empowering listening experience.
Narrator Lee Osorio grounds this sobering history of the 1980s–1990s American HIV/AIDs epidemic, with additional emotionally attuned performances from Alejandro Antonio Ruiz, Avi Roque, Tyla Collier, and others, giving voice to profound memories, joyful and heartbreaking poetry, and other primary source material. The casual cruelty audible in selected recordings, like one from a 1982 White House briefing, emphasize how government indifference and public antipathy contributed to delays in support for medical treatment. Thrumming at the heart of this production are the visceral experiences of people who live and lived with HIV and AIDS, including hard-hit LGBTQ+ communities and communities of Black and Indigenous people and other people of color, and the family, friends, and lovers who advocated for access to health care alongside them.
A powerful and empowering listening experience. (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 21, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 35 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217172122
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
Compelling, emotional, and well researched, this audiobook brings to life the stories of four young people from abolitionist families. Using primary sources to highlight the tumult of the time period leading up to and during the Civil War, the coming-of-age story focuses on Lewis Douglass, son of Frederick Douglass; George Garrison, son of William Lloyd Garrison; Lucy McKim, daughter of Miller McKim; and Charlotte Forten, granddaughter of James Forten. A talented team of narrators-- including the author--do an excellent job of communicating the fear, sadness, determination, and hope of those who were entrenched in the fight against slavery. Listeners will be inspired by this story of family, activism, and legacy.
(Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217074419
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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