Conventional wisdom has it that urban trees and bushes make for danger zones behind which the bad guys can hide. But the reality is that greenery actually reduces crime, increases oxytocin levels (the "bliss hormone"), and adds to a sense of human connectedness. That's just one of the myths dismantled in this informative audiobook, read by Patrick Lawlor with a friendly, transparent delivery. As the author globetrots from Bogota to Copenhagen to Amsterdam, Lawlor adds local color by providing accented voices, and we learn about surprising innovative urban experiments. For example, Paris was once considered too difficult for most citizens to manage by bicycle, but in less than a decade, the city's successful Vélib' bike system has resulted in more than 170 million two-wheeled journeys. Don't be fooled by the title, this isn't a bright-sided manifesto for city planners. It's a Freakonomics-style explanation about why we often make the wrong decisions about living spaces and how we can fix them.
Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2015
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
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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