Jonathan Kozol draws a vivid picture of an urban ghetto, with its hunger, poverty, drugs, disease and violence, through a series of interviews with the people of the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx, the poorest congressional district in the country. Dick Hill adds human voices as both the interviewer and the interviewees--the children, parents and ministers of Mott Haven. He skillfully captures the different voices, dialects and accents of the residents, differentiating between young and old, male and female. There is a sensitivity and calm in his performance that poignantly conveys the contradiction between the faith and optimism of the children and the "physically repellent and profoundly dangerous" conditions of their surroundings. These voices will stay with the listener for a long time.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 1995
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance 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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