Asking an armed escort to point his AK-47 away from everyone isn't a laughing matter, but Dan Woren narrates with a wry humor that often makes this true story amusing and unnerving at the same time. Dehgan went to Afghanistan to develop the country's first national park. During his stay he initiated the Snow Leopard Project to raise awareness of the illicit fur trade. Woren skillfully injects Dehgan's emotions into a clear, informative reading. Listeners will be amused by a teddy bear survey to test procedures for studying wildlife and concerned about the well-being of an official when Dehgan learns of his injury from a land mine. Most listeners wouldn't want to wear parkas in the office, as Dehgan must during an Afghan winter, but Dehgan makes the experience fascinating, and Woren brings listeners along.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
Duration: 11 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549199851
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
GENERAL HISTORY | NATURE | WORLD | MILITARY | HISTORY
Haskell’s insights and sensibility are perfectly conveyed by Campbell’s acute narration.
Narrator Cassandra Campbell assumes the voice of biologist Haskell, author of The Song of Trees (2017), for an illuminating first-person tour of one of nature’s most common sights: flowers. Campbell provides momentum to a narrative that, though richly informative, could easily have become rambling and slack. “We live on a floral planet,” Haskell says, and he goes on to explain how that fact is key to our existence. Flowering plants first appeared 200 million years ago, and they enabled humans to evolve—and to survive. The narrative is loosely organized into eight illustrative categories, covering magnolias, orchids, grasses, roses, teas, and more.
Haskell’s insights and sensibility are perfectly conveyed by Campbell’s acute narration.Pub Date: March 24, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 5 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217281794
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: yesterday
An authentic performance that matches the author’s heartfelt journey.
During the several summers she works as a fire ranger in northern Alberta, Canada, Moyles maintains a delicate equilibrium with the black bears that live in the area surrounding the fire tower she’s assigned to. She’s also dealing with a complicated relationship with her brother, Brendan. The close bond the siblings had as children is undermined in adulthood by profound political differences and substance use disorders. Moyles’ Canadian accent and natural-sounding timing convey her deep-seated sense of decency and honesty. When Brendan dies, the sudden loss feels shocking, and her grief is undeniable. Moyles makes detailed and sometimes charmingly anthropomorphic observations of the bears. She sets up a camera at their favorite scratching post, names the bears based on their markings, and dubs herself an auntie to the bear cubs.
An authentic performance that matches the author’s heartfelt journey.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798318542367
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: yesterday
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