A well-credentialed foreign policy consultant and former TIME magazine editor says the collapse of Old World institutions provides hope that individuals around the world will solve vexing problems like terrorist violence, class warfare, and financial and political volatility. Old World thinking, he says, makes these problems worse because its proponents are blind to the human desire to improve our condition, the world's unpredictability, and the instantaneous ways technology can put individual ideas into action. The author's reading is overly enthusiastic—these topics are intelligent and lively on their own. But the sound and phrasing are clear, the writer optimistic, and the ideas so cogently expressed that most listeners will be captivated by this important foreign affairs audio.
Pub Date: March 23, 2009
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Hachette 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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