Grind offers an account of Washington Mutual (“WaMu”), the nation’s largest savings and loan, and how it was mismanaged in the first decade of the century as a result of the boom in subprime mortgages and then excluded from the charmed circle of financial institutions deemed worthy of saving in 2008. Traber Burns’s punchy, gruff delivery is well suited to this story of small-time (and not so small-time) bankers drawn to disaster by the siren song of easy profits. Burns’s pace is even and easy to follow. Like the author, Burns refrains from conveying scorn but leaves it to the listener to judge. As in other books on similar subjects, the depictions of the wild mortgage market and the collapse of 2008 are riveting.
Pub Date: July 1, 2012
Duration: 14 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The readers can't compensate for the unbearably pompous prose style of this extended parable about corporate politics and strategy.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Henslee’s warm, unhurried narration makes listeners feel like the next success story could be theirs.
Barbara Henslee narrates with an intimate, upbeat delivery and a sunny Southern warmth that feels like being personally recruited to the Mary Kay empire. Her voice suits the material perfectly, drawing listeners into a bygone era when women built empires through gatherings around kitchen tables and on front porches, long before they could open their own bank accounts. Henslee never oversells, just gently persuades, mirroring the company’s own quiet pitch to millions of women that economic independence and personal transformation were within reach. The balanced treatment of the realities of multilevel marketing, alongside the truly inspirational story of founder Mary Kay Ash, make this a compelling listen for anyone curious about the often mocked world of direct sales.
Henslee’s warm, unhurried narration makes listeners feel like the next success story could be theirs.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 24 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217281879
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: today
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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