The normally pedantic Richard Rhodes presents a loosely disguised biography of Lonnie Athens, a fringe criminologist shunned by his peers, who spent 10 years interviewing violent humans in prisons. When a sociology journal editor read Athens's doctoral thesis, he claimed it was the worst article he had ever been sent to review, calling it a "mysterious analysis of stream of consciousness." The narrator's cheery drone of Athens's loosely defined terms (for example, "violentization," "frustrated malifaction," and "incipient violent self-image") breaks the cadence into petulant, guttural lingo as inmates recount their thoughts during a rape. The horrific tales stand as islands in a sea of words.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2000
Duration: 15 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Buckley offers a reasonable proposal for a national service program without jail or criminal penalties. Narrator Lawrence reads with a slow and careful announcer's voice; one wishes Buckley were reading this one himself. Books on Tape does its usual quality job with formatting, packaging and tape-turning instructions. The reader repeats the last sentence at such times, so you're sure you haven't missed anything. Popular nonfiction collections will appreciate Gratitude, and the topic is likely to prove timely in the years ahead.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 5 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Kozol’s shocking exposé of inequities in the funding of our public schools contrasts white suburban schools with those serving black and Hispanic populations. Interviews with students, teachers, and school administrators add eloquent testimony to Kozol’s disturbing presentation of facts. Narration by Jack Winston is clear and brisk, but the pace is unrelenting, with little pause for transition between scenes or chapters. Winston’s cool, detached voice contrasts with Kozol’s impasssioned and outraged message. The sheer repetition and magnitude of Kozol’s damning evidence is numbing; the narration gives no relief. Powerful medicine, most easily taken in small doses. Music signalling tape changes is jarringly inappropriate.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 8 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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