Woodward's book about the recent debt ceiling negotiations gives a detailed inside view that humanizes the process while showing it breaking down. Boyd Gaines effortlessly commands the basics of a good reading with a pace that feels just right, intonations that match and develop meanings, and effective use of expression and emotion. Beyond that, he narrates with energy, sympathy, and understanding. He gives each player his own voice, approximating the famous ones, which at first distracts as an attempt at imitation. But the tactic pays off His approximations mark the voices so that in the complex give-and-take we know immediately who's speaking. Even in Gaines's spirited rendition, the wonky detail occasionally becomes numbing, but the material is important, and Gaines's delivery enlivens it.
Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2012
Duration: 13 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781442353305
Publisher: Simon & Schuster 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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