John Shaw analyzes the songs “God Bless America" and "This Land Is Your Land" and the men who wrote them, Irving Berlin and Woody Guthrie. Occasionally, Traber Burns's reading of the lyrics of these familiar songs sounds a little bit odd; they should be sung, after all. There's also some discomforting dialect, since Berlin used racial and ethnic themes in songs earlier in his career. Still, this is an engaging reading, with particularly good voice work on historical figures like Teddy Roosevelt. It brings listeners into the world that Berlin and Guthrie worked in. With the additional examination of the earlier "Yankee Doodle," listeners get a good look at the American psyche through music.
Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2013
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
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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