The assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy; riots at the Democratic National Convention; Prague Spring; the antiwar movement and the Tet Offensive; Black Power; women's liberation; and student uprisings from Warsaw to Berkeley. Mark Kurlansky can be forgiven for saying that the momentous events of 1968 transformed us and gave us the world in which we live today. His book on the subject is absorbing, whether you agree or disagree with his thesis. English actor Christopher Cazenove reads with evident interest, and just enough verve to emphasize the excitement of events without overdramatizing. He highlights the repetitive rhythm of Kurlansky's writing in a way that makes it easy to listen to, not metronomic. Even his occasional British pronunciation of an American name is all right; after all, this is an international story--as much about Warsaw as it is about Berkeley.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2004
Duration: 16 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Phoenix Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Geoffrey C. Ward's audiobook version of the current Ken Burns documentary series recounts the history of the Revolution as a story, and Robert Petkoff delivers it as such. He matches its narrative flow with a polished performance that draws the listener compulsively and pleasurably along. Never calling attention to himself, he narrates the text deftly with a subtle but perceptible mirroring of both sense and feeling. Petkoff's performance is like a dish that the more you have of it, the more you want. Six sidebar essays by other authors are split between narrators Beth Hicks and Fred Sanders. While they're not up to Petkoff's level of fluidity--Sanders' performance is somewhat stiff--both are able and professional enough. Overall, an engaging, illuminating retelling of America's founding story.
Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
Duration: 22 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217165483
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Never underestimate the value of a pleasing voice, especially when the subject is history--in particular, a topic as obtuse as the English Civil War. Mark Meadows's light British accent is an enhancement and a defining feature of this well-told narrative, a sequel of sorts to Oxford scholar Jonathan Healey's THE BLAZING WORLD. That narrative surveyed the entire revolutionary 17th century in Britain. This one focuses on a few momentous months when King Charles I and his Parliament split irrevocably, and England spiraled into civil war. As a case study in government deadlock and division, these events draw numerous parallels to contemporary scenarios. As an audiobook experience, Meadows delivers a lucid, arresting analysis of the how and why of England's most tragic era.
Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
Duration: 13 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217165612
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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