Geraldine Brooks is a thorough writer, and this trait is mirrored in her narration style. The measured pace at which the author delivers her stories of being a Western female journalist in the Middle East may seem pedantic to listeners used to brisker styles. Yet Brooks’s deliberate pronunciation suits the content, which unfolds slowly as she spends more time in Saudi Arabia and begins to research women’s day-to-day realities throughout the Arab world. The higher pitch and volume she uses to convey dialogue is a welcome change when compared with the near monotone in which the rest of the narration is presented. The conversations Brooks has with women, and her retelling of them, are the liveliest parts of this volume.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2012
Duration: 10 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Bolinda Audio
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
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