Which is more beneficial in a leader—mental health or mental illness? If you answered health, Nassir Ghaemi’s assertion that mental illness—specifically depression and bipolar disorder—makes for the best crisis leadership may surprise you. Narrator Sean Runnette presents Ghaemi’s fascinating hypothesis with steadfastness and conviction. The author’s claim is well supported; he compares leaders who were contemporaries and faced similar situations, exploring how their mental health or illness influenced their actions. Runnette’s delivery will go a long way toward convincing listeners of the validity of Ghaemi’s well-researched and well-laid out theory. A FIRST-RATE MADNESS will have listeners reconsidering their views of mental illness and what makes a capable leader.
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2011
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Sylvia Nasar's excellent biography of the tragic but ultimately triumphant life of mathematician John Forbes Nash,, Jr., gets cheated by poor audio production. Anna Fields's volume is so low that some of her trailing sentences are inaudible except in a silent room. Blackstone compounds the problem with a very high-noise recording. The end result is a production that can't be listened to comfortably in a car or walking in public because Fields's voice ranges from near-whisper to just above normal volume. The listener who compensates for the whisper is overwhelmed by her louder sections. In future Fields projects, Blackstone needs to use compression. Read the excellent book instead.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2000
Duration: 19 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The authors, both neuroscientists, believe that Internet search logs offer an astounding research opportunity: a look at human sexuality that is anonymous and, thus, probably acutely honest. What do people search for, sexually, online? The results are enlightening, sometimes startling, and rather humorous. The potential for titillating smarminess in this topic is enormous, but narrator Andrew Garman never goes there. His demeanor is professional and full of good cheer. The graphic language, which he reads with clarity and humor, could come off equally as silly or scandalous, but his pace never feels like it's lingering or leering, and his tone is instructive. There are charts and lists in the text, and Garman easily incorporates them into the listening experience.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2011
Duration: 9 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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