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
While Tapper is a hortatory narrator of his own work, his audiobook deserves to be heard.
Tapper’s hopeful tone separates this audiobook from gloomier environmental writing. According to Tapper, forests can be managed, species can be saved, and we can embrace the wonders that remain. While recognizing the loss of species and habitats and threats to the environment due to climate change and other factors, he points out how resilient trees and animals are. And he knows what he’s talking about. A longtime professional forester, Tapper is also a dedicated birder who restored 175 desolate acres in Vermont. He dubbed it Bear Island, and it’s now a thriving forest with an emerging orchard.
While Tapper is a hortatory narrator of his own work, his audiobook deserves to be heard.Pub Date: yesterday
Duration: 8 hrs, 22 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668660348
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
Like the experience of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Lee’s sensitive performance is tranquil and inspiring.
Ela Lee’s smooth narration and soothing tones are perfectly suited to this collection of contemplative essays. Kōda explains that her close relationship with trees was sparked by her father. Trees were his passion, and he gave each of his children a tree to nurture. As Kōda visits forests around Japan, various trees spark memories. Even when these memories are painful, a sense of healing and growth pervades. Lee’s deliberate pace allows room for quiet reflection throughout this lyrical journey into the significance trees hold for Kōda and the ways that they mirror her world and the rhythms of human life.
Like the experience of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Lee’s sensitive performance is tranquil and inspiring.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Duration: 4 hrs, 19 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063443433
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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