Thankfully, narrator Alex Hyde-White adopts the tone of a storyteller in delivering this complex work. The author explores human innovation through the lens of evolutionary science, introducing the concept of a "fitness landscape" and "landscape thinking" to explain efficient and likely pathways of creativity and adaptation. His ideas are contrasted with dominant Darwinian assumptions. Hyde-White takes his time with the wide-ranging examples, allowing listeners to visualize the intricate theories and outcomes being described. His deep voice is clear and confident as he modulates his tone while describing scientific and mathematical concepts ranging from molecular biology to genetic drift and algorithms. An unconventional look at problem-solving for listeners interested in expanding their thinking on the science of creativity.
Pub Date: June 11, 2019
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549175985
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dr. Plotkin is an ethnobotanist who recounts his experiences searching for new medications in the Amazon rain forest. He makes an impassioned plea for the world to stop destroying this irreplaceable resource. Since the author reads his own work, we can rely on the pronunciation of some unusual botanical terms; however, his voice (presumably not trained for performance) lacks the enthusiasm and fascination the words suggest. Furthermore, with no chapter references and few pauses between sections, transitions, such as the change of location from Ecuador to Massachusetts, are awkward.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.
Pollan is a favorite with listeners, and rightly so. He may not possess a silken or practiced voice, and he’d be nobody’s first choice to narrate Proust, but few author-narrators are as engaging or as effectively bonded to their narrative. Pollan here explores one of the most fundamental of questions: What is consciousness? This leads him to other questions. Where exactly is consciousness located? What other species possess it? Pollan takes his listener on a journey through theories and research sites, each rendered with his signature economy and precision. Some sections may require relistening, but the difficulties lie in the subject matter, not the prose. That couldn’t be clearer or more illuminating.
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217282159
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026
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