A former high-level U.S. policy executive explains how faulty economic statistics are preventing powerful policymakers from seeing what's happening on the ground: Many citizens are falling behind economically and losing hope they'll ever catch up. John Hopkinson skillfully moderates the author's indignation about these realities. With hushed intensity and a solid connection to the writing, he narrates a litany of stories about citizens who are unemployed, underemployed, and chronically unable to pay basic living expenses. His resonant voice and creative phrasing allow people to absorb these realities, and the fact that government statistics don't reflect the growing divide between the wealthy and the disadvantaged. Hopkinson's interpretations of this important message are near flawless, though some listeners will prefer faster overall pacing.
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
Duration: 3 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781633311367
Publisher: Disruption Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This audiobook takes a sideways look at the history of capitalism by profiling some of its critics from the dawn of the Industrial Revolution to today's digital revolution. Some names and movements will be familiar, such as Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and the English Luddites. Many others are less widely known. Nathaniel Priestly narrates the work in a steady professional tone. The author is a journalist and generally uses declarative sentences. Given the complicated and detailed text, Priestly slows his pace slightly to allow listeners to better absorb the material. But his tone is never pedantic. He uses strategic pauses to break up long passages. The most surprising aspect of this discussion is how several critiques from long ago remain vitally relevant today.
Pub Date: May 13, 2025
Duration: 23 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250350329
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Harrie Dobby has her hands full performing this important audiobook, full of academic references and economic formulas. Cambridge economist/public policy professor Diane Coyle says that common economic benchmarks like unemployment rates and gross domestic product are designed in arbitrary or misleading ways. She says these measures of societal progress, formulated before the digital age, are not only outdated but too often are drawn in ways that are manipulated to support various government, business, or political interests. In audio format, the frequency of these details interrupts the flow of the author's thinking. But Dobby's tone and phrasing connect perfectly with Coyle's message: We need to scrutinize the data we get from experts and the media so we can understand what the numbers actually represent.
Pub Date: April 1, 2025
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781663749888
Publisher: Ascent Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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