The author, a former professional ballplayer, examines the integration of the Barons, a minor league baseball team in Birmingham, Alabama, in the mid-1960s. The reporting is excellent, the writing is clear, and Fleet Cooper’s narration is outstanding. What did it take for an integrated team to survive in the bastion of segregation that was the Deep South? Colton does a wonderful job researching the players and manager of one team that dealt with racism off the field (mostly) while trying to win a pennant race on the field. These voices from players, managers, owners, and others are a varied lot: bitter, angry, Latin-accented, soft-spoken. Cooper gives each full attention, carving out identities for everyone involved in this tumultuous time. It’s a great example of excellent narration capping a well-done book.
Pub Date: May 14, 2013
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781478977278
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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