The well-known Emmy-winning journalist Anderson Cooper, who is the great-great-great-grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, offers a workmanlike narration of his well-researched history of the Vanderbilt family. Written with historian Katherine Howe, the story details family excesses over the years that all but entirely depleted their fortune. Cooper exhibits a pastiche, both in his words and performance, of family adoration and respect, along with significant contempt for the vast sums of money squandered on mansions, estates, and various other exhibitions of conspicuous consumption. Greater emotional range in the narration would have benefitted the effort as a whole. Significant time is also spent on similar behavior on the part of Anderson's mother, Gloria Vanderbilt. An accompanying pdf shows the family tree, along with a detailed bibliography.
Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062964656
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This poignant audio memoir recounts the tragedy of the past three generations of the New Jersey Seabrooks, WASP agriculture kings brought low by family feuds, self-dealing, and racism. Golden Voice Dion Graham gives a bravura performance of the fraught relationships between three generations of fathers and sons: CF, who was dubbed the "Henry Ford of Agriculture"; his son, high-living Jack; and Jack's son, John, the author. Graham's delivery shapes this American tragedy as he narrates in a thoughtful style with an intimate tone and phrasing that reflects the author's eloquent prose. Overall, his delivery elevates the story of rags to staggering riches. Author John Seabrook's own struggles with alcohol and his candor in recounting his family's secrets provide a powerful backstory.
Pub Date: June 24, 2025
Duration: 10 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781696695169
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrated by the versatile Will Damron, this informative audiobook explores Sam Altman's key role in developing artificial intelligence and co-founding OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT. Like many tech visionaries, Altman was a precocious student who left college (Stanford) to create his first start-up, a location-based mobile app called Loopt. Narrator Damron keeps the energy going through the early years, ensuring that listeners are fully engaged as they learn how Altman's fascination with neural networks paved the way for his work on AI. Damron also helps the listener navigate the politics that came after the successful introduction of ChatGPT. This audiobook is both a biography of a visionary and an overview of what may be the most critical chapter in technology's evolution.
Pub Date: May 20, 2025
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798368953786
Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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