These concise histories of 12 vanished civilizations began as a series of podcasts but prove unexpectedly cohesive and powerful coming together as an audiobook. Author Paul Cooper's narration is distinctly accented and a bit repetitive in his cadences; nonetheless, he is an effective and highly agreeable guide through four millennia of strife and mayhem. Cooper's chapters encompass the growth and heyday, as well as the devastation, of empires, offering together a concise history of civilization itself. Marvelous and rich in information and insight, Cooper's reconstructions are judicious, balanced, inclusive, and often heartbreaking--for example, the Spanish sailor infected with smallpox who wiped out two million people in Central America. Implicit are the history's warnings about the common agents of decline: prolonged irrigation, deforestation, drought, and civil discord.
Pub Date: July 23, 2024
Duration: 19 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488231544
Publisher: Harlequin 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: tomorrow
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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