NATIONAL REVIEW editor Jonah Goldberg's high-voltage performance grabs attention as he expresses amazement at the massive amount of historical research, insights, and detailed arguments he has put together. He's an accurate narrator with a strong and flinty voice, so listeners are never in doubt about the themes of this elaborative audiobook. With compelling examples and stories, he shows how the West's prevailing political system--liberal democratic capitalism--developed as a stabilizing alternative to the tribal cultures and despotic rule that existed for centuries around the globe. But as good as this system is, he says, it's fragile and under threat today from alienated populists who are attracted by the power of the mob or the certitude of strongman rule. An intellectually fascinating audio by most standards is oversold by the author's exuberance at the microphone.
Pub Date: April 24, 2018
Duration: 16 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780525498797
Publisher: Random House Audio
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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