Want controversy? Listen to this audiobook; then go to a party, and start talking about the genetic basis of race. Alan Sklar's deep, resonant voice makes him an excellent choice to narrate as the author uses the latest research on the human genome to argue that race may be more biological, and therefore less cultural, than we'd like to admit. It's a provocative idea and one that scientists are beginning to discuss. Sklar approaches the book seriously but makes the information accessible. He pauses effectively to let listeners absorb the ideas, and he varies his pitch and tone to accentuate the important evidence. While there are times when he reads too slowly and the book bogs down because of it, overall, he does a fine job keeping things interesting.
Pub Date: May 6, 2014
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780698162655
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dr. Plotkin is an ethnobotanist who recounts his experiences searching for new medications in the Amazon rain forest. He makes an impassioned plea for the world to stop destroying this irreplaceable resource. Since the author reads his own work, we can rely on the pronunciation of some unusual botanical terms; however, his voice (presumably not trained for performance) lacks the enthusiasm and fascination the words suggest. Furthermore, with no chapter references and few pauses between sections, transitions, such as the change of location from Ecuador to Massachusetts, are awkward.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The prose and Athavale’s expertly restrained performance meld gracefully in this flawless audiobook.
Narrator Vidish Athavale's voice is softly indelible, like the snow that blankets the Himalayan landscape the author so beautifully describes. An Indian wildlife biologist, Suryawanshi has spent decades studying snow leopards and their ecosystem among the planet's highest mountain peaks. What differentiates the author's scientific work, and his enthralling narrative, is his goal to understand and protect rather than conquer. The author also achieves a near-perfect balance between insightful and entertaining personal observations of remote communities (both animal and human); his own growth as a scientist, husband, and father; and the difficult and dangerous scientific work he and his colleagues have undertaken.
The prose and Athavale’s expertly restrained performance meld gracefully in this flawless audiobook.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217336845
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
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