Hiltzik’s book is an important addition to our understanding of a significant period in recent American history. His engaging and relatively unbiased treatment of the New Deal—which took place from the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt to the beginning of WWII—fills a gap in recent popular history. Hiltzik’s chapters on the WPA Arts Project deserve special praise. Traber Burns’s narration is clear, even, and emphatic. He makes an avalanche of events and dates easily accessible to the listener. Burns seems to draw some of his inspiration from the great radio announcers of the era. He indulges in the occasional accent—Franklin Roosevelt is irresistible—but always with a light touch.
Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2011
Duration: 19 hrs
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
Golden Voice narrator Cassandra Campbell explores Mattel's dark side in this unauthorized history that exposes spying, copyright infringement, and the true origins of Barbie. Hitt's investigative reporting asserts that Barbie's creator, Ruth Handler, was often ruthless. Handler claimed that the inspiration for Barbie came from her daughter, but Barbie was a near-identical copy of a German doll that was created four years prior to Barbie's debut. Hitt argues that while Handler faced sexism herself, she chose corporate profit over supporting women and minorities. Campbell invokes emotion where appropriate, as when she uses a barbed tone for Handler's remarks about people she hated and a flat voice to capture her matter-of-fact, uncaring attitude. Campbell's pace and tone let the writing shine.
Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2025
Duration: 12 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781797193847
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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