Author and environmentalist Bill McKibben explains the advantages of solar power and wind generators while refuting the fossil fuel industry's arguments against them. Narrator Patrick Lawlor performs this encouraging exposé with vocal skill and intelligence that makes every facet of this exceptional writing shine. His maturity as a narrator allows him to apply his impressive phrasing tools to every nuance of meaning and passion in McKibben's authoritative writing. Exposing the lies perpetrated by the fossil fuel industry and the politicians they control, McKibben offers hope that the decreasing cost of solar energy will create the political will to face the facts and remove obstacles to using this and other clean energy sources. McKibben delivers a fact-filled overview of climate change and its remedies.
Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781696620758
Publisher: HighBridge 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
A beautiful performance of a fascinating and moving story.
Narrator Sean Pratt is masterful in expressing the bravery, selflessness, and deep sense of humanity that underlie and accompany this tragic true story. Kolker relates the history of a family blasted by a rare form of inherited dementia called frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Five of nine siblings, along with their mother, have the genetic mutation that strikes while they are only in their 40s and slowly changes their personalities. It’s a cruel fate, but Pratt’s narration brings empathy, suspense, and even hope. As the next generation faces the same challenges in their own future, listeners will hope that scientific research, pharmaceutical development, and genetic modification may provide some relief from FTD and other forms of dementia.
A beautiful performance of a fascinating and moving story.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 57 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217406425
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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