Biting insects and intrepid parasites populate this memoir of a misunderstood illness and a family. Narrator Frankie Corzo's deft voice brings Daisy Hernandez's story full circle from childhood to adulthood and then to a poignant blend of both. Hernandez was 5 when her Aunt Dora moved from Colombia to New Jersey to seek care for a parasitic illness called Chagas, transmitted by the insect Triatominae. Corzo's capable narration of Hernandez's research on the disease helps the listener better understand risk factors, transmission rates, and symptoms as part of the larger problem of healthcare inequity in the U.S. Additionally, Corzo's blend of American and Latinx dialects perfectly conveys Hernandez's bittersweet realization at the book's end: She and her seemingly old-fashioned aunt were more alike than different.
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
Duration: 7 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781665020701
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
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
An absorbing drama.
Reena Dutt takes listeners to Cleveland Heights, where Sam disappears the morning after a fight with her wife, Aliya. Umrigar’s text immerses listeners in both women’s experiences, switching perspectives deliberately. Dutt evinces grief, terror, and rage (alas, often conveyed in clunky figurative language) as Sam and Ali navigate this cataclysm, which is complicated by their status as a mixed-race, queer couple. Dutt’s voice for Ali is grave and deliberate, and for Sam, lighter but still firm. Secondary figures are also carefully characterized; the lead investigator and Ali’s Indian Muslim father are particularly well realized. Dutt’s attention to detail extends to the pronunciation of Ali’s name: correctly South Asian in the mouths of those who know her well, broadened to a nasal “alley” by Americans who don’t.
An absorbing drama.Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668655023
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2026
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