Jonathan Yen's confident, well-paced narration is ideal for this biography of Claude Shannon, the father of the Information Age. In 1948, Shannon awakened the world to information theory, the concept that all information can be quantified, stored, and transmitted in binary digits or "bits" (a breakthrough that makes possible the downloading of this audiobook, among other things). Narrating in a tone that combines authority and warmth, Yen mirrors Shannon's kindhearted genius; he was a man who opened the gates of the digital age but would just as soon talk about unicycles or his flame-throwing trumpet. Described by one colleague as "Lewis Carroll crossed with Albert Einstein," Shannon was well known for his legendary digressions: He built a calculator based on Roman numerals ("Throbac"), learned to juggle (and wrote a scientific paper on the subject), spent eight months working on a system that could predict a roulette wheel's outcome (and devised the first handheld computer in the process), played the stock market religiously, and tinkered with many whimsical creations that became the touchstones for artificial intelligence and robotics. What can one person accomplish when a playful scientific curiosity is unleashed? This well-produced audiobook has the answer.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Tantor Media
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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