Jennifer Jill Araya's narration bubbles over with the author's enthusiasm for Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mendel is the president's former press secretary. Araya adds a soupçon of Mendel's anger toward Zelensky's rivals to the discussion of Ukraine's political environment before the recent war. When Mendel turns to the current invasion by Russia, mostly in the last chapter, Araya goes full throttle in expressing her outrage over the Mariupol bombings and the West's reluctance to help Ukraine defend itself. With Araya stressing key points, Mendel discusses the use of social media and "fake news" to spread falsehoods. The audiobook opens with a timeline of events leading up to the invasion and an introduction from Mendel.
Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797149950
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Newsom sets the record straight in this above average political memoir.
Newsom’s friendly, solicitous narration of his memoir is especially impressive considering that he suffers from dyslexia, a condition that he wasn’t diagnosed with until he was in the fifth grade. Newsom uses his memoir to clarify and examine his life and to preemptively respond to critics about the myths and faux pas connected with his past, including his connection to the Getty family, his four-year marriage to Kimberly Guilfoyle, and, most revealing, the fractured patrician and plebian childhood he spent with his divorced parents. His father was a judge and a friend of Gordon Getty, and his mother worked three jobs to keep Gavin and his sister fed and clothed. The memoir makes for an engaging listen, with Newsom’s rise to governor taking a back seat to his surprising self-examination.
Newsom sets the record straight in this above average political memoir.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 7 hrs, 57 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217070619
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
Brisk, fluent, pleasing to the ear, Emma Gregory's narration does justice to a fine historian and her landmark biography of one of Britain's most misunderstood rulers. On the death of Elizabeth I in 1603, Scotland's James VI became England's James I, first in the Stuart line. James was one of Britain's most intelligent and energetic rulers, and one the most complex. Today he is accepted for the inclinations that have marginalized him for centuries and in this fine narrative is properly assessed for the singular place he holds in Britain's history. The narrative is organized topically, rather than strictly chronologically, and requires a high level of vocal skill to deliver clearly and effectively. This finely nuanced biography has the gifted, insightful narrator it deserves.
Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
Duration: 18 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798318527753
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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