Andrea Gallo's steady, authoritative narration suggests reverence for the vast and meticulous research behind this intriguing analysis of life in silence. Listeners are first transported to the bleak world of Philadelphia's infamous Eastern State Penitentiary. While hearing about prisoner mistreatment is sometimes difficult, their isolation from all markers of time and space initiates an engaging inquiry into isolation, culture, and the human psyche. Moving to the monastic world, where silence is a choice, Gallo's static delivery reinforces the book's dissertation-like tone. This is a missed opportunity when quoting such diverse characters as Henry David Thoreau, Trappist monk Thomas Merton, or writer Eugenia Ginzburg, a survivor of Stalin's gulag. The author's deft illumination of the "silence on top of the silencing" of women, however, shouldn't be missed.
Pub Date: 2019
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781980014782
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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:
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:
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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