The four years thoroughly chronicled by Jonathan Mahler show the growing divisions in a changing New York City in the late 1980s--and suggest parallels to today. In a rich, steady tone, Golden Voice narrator Robert Petkoff conveys the rising rates of crime and poverty, and the widening racial divide, along with the opposing ways the city's leaders reacted to them. The audiobook examines the leading tabloid stories that kept the country riveted at that time. Mahler shifts between prominent leaders and activists such as Ed Koch, Al Sharpton, and Donald Trump, and the backdrop of growth in AIDS, homelessness, and poverty. This audiobook is an engrossing look at New York City during one of its most turbulent times.
Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025
Duration: 16 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217159567
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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