This is a compelling, stunning, fascinating-like-a-car-wreck audiobook --a clear call for reform of both the American criminal justice and mental health systems. It is ably narrated by the author, Christine Montross, a psychiatrist with experience working in prisons. Montross relies heavily on the stories of individuals and the insane way the justice system treats people with mental health issues. She explores the damage that solitary confinement and incarceration in supermax (maximum security) prisons do to individuals, and the craziness of criminalizing behavior symptomatic of mental illness. Montross is a fine narrator of her own work. Her performance is steady and somewhat rhythmic in intonation. Though some may find her style a tad deliberate, her compassion and conviction are unmistakably clear.
Pub Date: 2020
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593211298
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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