Narrator Will Damron gives the opening anecdote of this audiobook the tone of a true-crime story. It's not a murder case, but a would-be suicide stopped by an ossified larynx. The author, who has worked with paleontology field crews, tells the story of life's rise from the sea as seen in a tiny doodle of a fossil that had an early spine and skeletal system. Damron keeps up the dramatic tone through a tour of the Mutter Museum, Philadelphia's medical museum; California's La Brea Tar Pits; and other macabre sites. But mostly he captures the author's curiosity and enthusiasm as he takes on such questions as how to keep astronauts' bones from losing mass on the long trip to Mars.
Pub Date: March 5, 2019
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781984839633
Publisher: Penguin 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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