Dick Hill takes listeners back nearly 64 years to February 19, 1945, and the U.S. invasion of Iwo Jima, a tiny volcanic island in the Pacific occupied by the Japanese. Hill is more than up to the challenge of portraying the memories and varying accents of 22 survivors of one of the costliest battles of WWII, a battle that claimed nearly 22,000 Japanese and 7,000 American lives. Enhancing the listening experience even more is Hill's exacting grasp of a Japanese accent. Author Larry Smith does an exceptional job of weaving the personal memories of the heroic veterans and factual nuggets—either previously unreported or unknown—on the battle itself. This audiobook is a must for all WWII aficionados.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2008
Duration: 13 hrs
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Macintyre’s latest is one of his best.
If there’s a branch of history devoted to espionage, Macintyre is its unchallenged dean. As narrator, Macintyre is conversational, confiding, unaffected, and companionable. He sounds like he’s been through it all. His popular narratives, among them A Spy Among Friends (2014) and Operation Mincemeat (2010), excel in precision of detail and adherence to fact, which is indeed often stranger than fiction. What novelist would conceive of a master spy with erectile dysfunction? This true history of a British spy roping in a Soviet spy in revolutionary Tehran is a primer in spycraft and agent management and offers an entirely new perspective on the Islamic Revolution and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Macintyre’s latest is one of his best.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2026
Duration: 17 hrs, 24 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217406906
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
A brilliant piece of work that proves love can survive war.
Journalists are trained to look for and deliver facts, and Irish reporter Hayden did that, but she also did something more: She looked for love amid war. Narrator Aoife McMahon, with her delightful Irish accent, brings us the stories Hayden found while reporting the news. She explores war's impact on people and their relationships. She tells stories of the courageous soldier in Ukraine who confesses discomfort during his home visits and queer people in Ghana, where their love could have deadly consequences. From battle-scarred countries the world over, including Uganda, Iraq, and Rwanda, McMahon relates these stories with a beautiful dignity. They reveal terror and horror but also unexpected love, compassion, and survival.
A brilliant piece of work that proves love can survive war.Pub Date: June 16, 2026
Duration: 9 hrs, 41 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797198644
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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