By 1850 and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, the promised land for the nation's slaves had become Canada. The way there became known as the Underground Railroad. Though most people had never actually seen a railroad by 1840, its vocabulary triggered the imaginations of those on the road to freedom. The slave may have walked or gone by wagon or steamboat, but he was on the track, and there were conductors at each stop along the way. Peter Jay Fernandez skillfully moves between the hundreds of voices in Bordewich's richly documented narrative. We hear the voices of John C. Calhoun from South Carolina, Daniel Webster from Massachusetts, John Brown from Kansas, as well as Harriet Tubman and Levi Coffin. All ring with clarity in Bordewich's exhaustive text.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2006
Duration: 19 hrs, 45 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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