Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin has reconstructed her set of presidential biographies about four great American leaders to aim at a young audience. Briefly describing each president's early years before expanding on his leadership skills, Kearns encourages listeners with the idea that anyone can rise to an influential role. Lincoln is surprisingly voiced by Graham Sibley as a country hick character in contrast to the pleasantly delivered narrative sections. Rufus Jones provides a well-bred tone for Theodore Roosevelt, and Christian McKay gives FDR's voice a hint of his distinctive upper-class accent. Finally, Johnson is portrayed by Dion Graham with a robust Southern voice. In the conclusion, Goodwin herself warmly addresses her listeners with reminders that even the greatest leaders have faults.
(Nonfiction. 10-16)Pub Date: 2024
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797179902
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ken Coleman's expertise as a baseball announcer enriches this history of the Boston Red Sox since the sale of Babe Ruth to the N.Y. Yankees. He leads off with a grim account of this transaction, which started the curse that has plagued the Red Sox ever since. The sermon-like tone will amuse non-believers and comfort listeners who are certain the team is cursed. Like the ups and downs of Boston's play through the years, the narrator's voice fluctuates--exuberant and then despondent--in tone and tempo accurately reflecting the mood of any given baseball season. The narrator is very successful at conveying the emotional roller coaster ride Red Sox fans have endured as a result of the curse of the Bambino.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Author and narrator James Robinson combines his documentary filmmaking skills and familiarity with audiobooks to render his experience with serious visual disability in audio. Sound effects immerse the listener in Robinson's memories, like the ticking of the school clock as impatient classmates wait while he struggles to read. Slow pacing reflects the gravity of each memory. He sometimes inserts the confused conversations of friends and family who are puzzling out images of the world as he sees it. Other times, he provides insightful descriptions of images. He shares the difficulties associated with what he calls "whale eyes," the extraordinary help of his mother, and his eventual academic and professional success. Robinson's caring outlook and advice on society, specifically the disability community, is, unsurprisingly, visionary.
(Memoir. 11-18)Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 3 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217018239
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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