Former NPR reporter Anne Garrels, who has worked in Russia on and off for decades, delivers a terrific narration of her own fascinating look at the current state of the former Soviet Union. That state is complex and often not good. Yet with her sense of storytelling narrative and eye for detail, Garrels makes the occasionally awful tale a compelling listen. She focuses on the city of Chelyabinsk, a longtime military-industrial center a thousand miles east of Moscow, which has undergone enormous changes—good and bad—since the economic collapse of the 1990s and the rise of Putin. Garrels’s low, husky voice is pleasant, and she reads clearly and expressively at just the right pace. Whatever news she’s delivering, it’s mesmerizing.
Pub Date: 2016
Duration: 8 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781681680699
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Buckley offers a reasonable proposal for a national service program without jail or criminal penalties. Narrator Lawrence reads with a slow and careful announcer's voice; one wishes Buckley were reading this one himself. Books on Tape does its usual quality job with formatting, packaging and tape-turning instructions. The reader repeats the last sentence at such times, so you're sure you haven't missed anything. Popular nonfiction collections will appreciate Gratitude, and the topic is likely to prove timely in the years ahead.
Pub Date:
Duration: 5 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Kozol’s shocking exposé of inequities in the funding of our public schools contrasts white suburban schools with those serving black and Hispanic populations. Interviews with students, teachers, and school administrators add eloquent testimony to Kozol’s disturbing presentation of facts. Narration by Jack Winston is clear and brisk, but the pace is unrelenting, with little pause for transition between scenes or chapters. Winston’s cool, detached voice contrasts with Kozol’s impasssioned and outraged message. The sheer repetition and magnitude of Kozol’s damning evidence is numbing; the narration gives no relief. Powerful medicine, most easily taken in small doses. Music signalling tape changes is jarringly inappropriate.
Pub Date:
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
