This audiobook is a straightforward attempt to defend the 31st president--often considered to have been ineffectual during the worst economic period in the nation's history, the Great Depression. Straightforward is an accurate description of how narrator Mark Deakins approaches his task. Deakins has a deep, authoritative voice, terrific diction, and a great sense of pacing, which make this lengthy work interesting. He's easy to listen to, and although he doesn't commit specifically to character voices, he does pause and accentuate quotes so it's easy for the listener to identify who is speaking. The audiobook itself tends to laud Hoover without much discussion of where he fell short, so the general reader will have to look elsewhere to fill in some of the history. Nonetheless, Deakins delivers a consistent audio experience.
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781524702724
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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