Why do people struggle with thoughts or understanding? How does the structure of the brain impact who we are? David Stifel provides a confident professorial tone in his narration of Kandel's fascinating audiobook. Listeners searching for a fundamental review of neurobiology will find it satisfyingly comprehensive. Kandel, a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist, covers a broad spectrum of topics, including the current research on Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, anxiety, addiction, and depression, as well sexual identify and gender. Kandel also considers the biological nature of emotional expression. While unquestionably scholarly, Kandel's audiobook is accessible to curious listeners, particularly those with an interest in neurology. Stifel's voice conveys the material clearly, making the sometimes complicated material easier to grasp.
Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781427289254
Publisher: Macmillan 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
The prose and Athavale’s expertly restrained performance meld gracefully in this flawless audiobook.
Narrator Vidish Athavale's voice is softly indelible, like the snow that blankets the Himalayan landscape the author so beautifully describes. An Indian wildlife biologist, Suryawanshi has spent decades studying snow leopards and their ecosystem among the planet's highest mountain peaks. What differentiates the author's scientific work, and his enthralling narrative, is his goal to understand and protect rather than conquer. The author also achieves a near-perfect balance between insightful and entertaining personal observations of remote communities (both animal and human); his own growth as a scientist, husband, and father; and the difficult and dangerous scientific work he and his colleagues have undertaken.
The prose and Athavale’s expertly restrained performance meld gracefully in this flawless audiobook.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217336845
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2026
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