Brian Nishii, who was born and raised in Tokyo, is the perfect voice to narrate these eyewitness accounts of the bombing of Hiroshima. This volume is the first of a two-volume series on the atomic bombings of August 1945. Drawing on extensive interviews with those who survived, called "hibakusha" in Japanese, author Sheftall gives great detail on the day-to-day lives of the Japanese homefront and also provides details on Americans involved--from the crew of the bombers to those who developed the bomb. Nishii's pacing, inflection, and pronunciation are perfect. His Japanese pronunciation is flawless, as one would expect, and add to the overall clarity of the narration. It would be nice if there were some way to see the photos, maps, and bibliography of the print edition.
Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
Duration: 17 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593911969
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
A well-read explanation that will keep listeners engaged.
In a pleasing voice, Gordon Rothman narrates this account of how the current war in Ukraine started. Kinzer, a former foreign correspondent, goes back to the CIA’s clandestine war against the USSR, particularly its operations in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, to trace the origins of the conflict. “Ukraine is magnetically attractive to anyone looking for ways to keep Russia down or to bring it down,” Kinzer writes. He concludes that, although Russia was wrong to invade Ukraine in 2022, it was not unprovoked. Rothman’s delivery is clear, and his pace is easy to follow. Some of his pronunciations of Russian and Ukrainian names are anglicized.
A well-read explanation that will keep listeners engaged.Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2026
Duration: 13 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9781250451781
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Review Posted Online: yesterday
A story of survival through unthinkable tragedy that the wistful little girl in the portrait could never have imagined.
Narrator Jenn Lee brings a storyteller’s flair to this true saga of the Renoir portrait La Petite Irène, painted in 1880 and stolen by the Nazis during WWII. Irène Cahen d’Anvers was the daughter of a wealthy Jewish banking family who were targeted and destroyed during the occupation of Paris. But Irène survived by changing her religion and remarrying, eventually recovering the painting. The survival story of the portrait is equally dramatic and full of twists and turns in the world of underground art dealings. Lee’s talent for French is evident in her pronunciation of names, locales, and expressions, adding a vivid sense of place and atmosphere.
A story of survival through unthinkable tragedy that the wistful little girl in the portrait could never have imagined.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 51 mins
DD ISBN: 9781668659656
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2026
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