Epic stories of human survival and triumph over seemingly intractable adversity make for difficult storytelling. The author can easily overreach, achieving only melodrama. Here, however, Caroline Alexander faithfully renders the story of Shackleton's ill-fated Antarctic expedition without high drama or lack of discretion. The reading by Tezla and Rubin creates an immediacy that puts the listener right there on the voyage of the ENDURANCE and in the lifeboats and on the ice floes. Shackleton and his crew were trapped in frozen ice for over a year, only to break free and suffer tremendously at the hands of violent Antarctic weather before a small party braved ferocious seas to find help and salvation. This monument to Shackleton's leadership and the bravery of his crew stands as a testament to another time, and this audiobook also stands apart--not simply as an audio rendering of a fine book, but as a supreme achievement in storytelling by two able, adept readers. Read or listened to, this book shines like a beacon in a gale to anyone who wants the best nonfiction available today.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1999
Duration: 6 hrs
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
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.
Pollan is a favorite with listeners, and rightly so. He may not possess a silken or practiced voice, and he’d be nobody’s first choice to narrate Proust, but few author-narrators are as engaging or as effectively bonded to their narrative. Pollan here explores one of the most fundamental of questions: What is consciousness? This leads him to other questions. Where exactly is consciousness located? What other species possess it? Pollan takes his listener on a journey through theories and research sites, each rendered with his signature economy and precision. Some sections may require relistening, but the difficulties lie in the subject matter, not the prose. That couldn’t be clearer or more illuminating.
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217282159
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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