Collective biographies, while fine in print, can present problems for audiobook narrators, which is the case in this production. The author's writing on 50 great scientists is fluent. And narrator Mark Meadows injects energy and just the right authoritative tone into his reading of the short biographies. He pronounces the names of Arabic, French, German, Dutch, and Russian scientists smoothly and with appropriate accents. However, the conclusion of each mini-biography is followed by a section of trivia and recommended reading that is introduced with the words "But there's more . . ." It would be easy to overlook those three words while reading a print version, but they're repeated 50 times throughout the audiobook. To his credit, Meadows varies his delivery slightly, but the repetition still detracts from the production. This is one audiobook that works better in print.
(Collective biography. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Dreamscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A powerful and empowering listening experience.
Narrator Lee Osorio grounds this sobering history of the 1980s–1990s American HIV/AIDS epidemic, with additional emotionally attuned performances from Alejandro Antonio Ruiz, Avi Roque, Tyla Collier, and others, giving voice to profound memories, joyful and heartbreaking poetry, and other primary source material. The casual cruelty audible in selected recordings, like one from a 1982 White House briefing, emphasize how government indifference and public antipathy contributed to delays in support for medical treatment. Thrumming at the heart of this production are the visceral experiences of people who live and lived with HIV and AIDS, including hard-hit LGBTQ+ communities and communities of Black and Indigenous people and other people of color, and the family, friends, and lovers who advocated for access to health care alongside them.
A powerful and empowering listening experience. (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 21, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 35 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217172122
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
Compelling, emotional, and well researched, this audiobook brings to life the stories of four young people from abolitionist families. Using primary sources to highlight the tumult of the time period leading up to and during the Civil War, the coming-of-age story focuses on Lewis Douglass, son of Frederick Douglass; George Garrison, son of William Lloyd Garrison; Lucy McKim, daughter of Miller McKim; and Charlotte Forten, granddaughter of James Forten. A talented team of narrators-- including the author--do an excellent job of communicating the fear, sadness, determination, and hope of those who were entrenched in the fight against slavery. Listeners will be inspired by this story of family, activism, and legacy.
(Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217074419
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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