Ten days after Pearl Harbor, residents of North Platte, Nebraska, heard that men would be coming through town on their way to war and gathered at the train station with Christmas presents and gifts of food. This started a tradition that would last as long as the war--the North Platte Canteen. The canteen was staffed by women and children from North Platte and nearby communities who met troop trains from 5 in the morning until 12 at night. In ONCE UPON A TOWN, Bob Greene interviews residents of North Platte and the soldiers they met and tries to understand how a small town could sustain such a major effort. Gradually, the author builds a three-dimensional and moving picture of what the canteen meant to soldiers and the people who ran it. With a voice reminiscent of a WWII newsreel, Fritz Weaver marches through the story with a steady pace. The story has enough human interest to survive the treatment.
Pub Date: May 28, 2002
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Harper 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: N/A
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: N/A
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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