While Kao Yang's narration of her memoir is a bit flat, there’s still something spellbinding about hearing her describe in her own voice how her family, like many other Hmong people, faced persecution and displacement following the Vietnam War. The family endured a harrowing escape from the jungles of Laos to a refugee camp in Thailand and ultimately settled in St. Paul, Minnesota, where their struggles were far from over. Yang has chronicled their experiences in a poignant memoir that provides a glimpse of Hmong history and culture and ultimately pays homage to her beloved grandmother, the family matriarch. It’s a remarkable story of Hmong endurance and family love. In the end, she needs no narrative embellishments to hold the listener rapt.
Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2011
Duration: 10 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781611744507
Publisher: HighBridge 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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