Malcolm Hillgartner provides a stern but amiable voice that embodies the tone of Carle’s memoir. The author relates his decades of experience within the CIA, with particular attention to his post-9/11 experiences as an interrogator of terrorist suspects and affiliated criminals. Hillgartner’s sympathetic tone coupled with details of Carle’s personal life works well to humanize Carle and make listeners sympathetic to him. The most problematic issue of the production is the numerous redactions within the book. The CIA had to approve the book before publishing and removed significant numbers of Carle’s words. In the audio, whether it is one single word or an entire page, the listener hears only the one (almost haunting) word “redacted.” This continual interruption distracts from the production, and listeners can become increasingly confused.
Pub Date: June 28, 2011
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Blackstone 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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