"Are you still alive? I am still alive." This is the traditional greeting of the Huaorani, an Amazonian Indian tribe who are living on top of one of Ecuador's largest oil deposits. Joe Kane describes life among "the people" with whom he lived for two years, watching as the oil giants despoil the jungle and the Huaorani leapfrog into the twentieth century in an effort to preserve their homes and traditional way of life. Joe Kane is an excellent writer, and the story that he tells is riveting. The sympathetic pain that he feels is clear. Michael Russotto reads very well. He does imbue all of the speakers with distinctive voices, which, in the case of the Huaorani, must be a guess. However, the device serves to identify the speaker, keeps the listener on track and removes any barrier to being able to sink into this compelling book. The Huaorani call all other people "cannibals." We are the cannibals, and we come away with a new understanding of what our warm houses and fast cars mean.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1998
Duration: 12 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
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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