Rick Bass delivers these essays--old and new--at a deliberate pace and a careful tempo. His voice sounds kindly and literary. Reared in Texas, he retains a slight twang and the long vowels of that region ("fi-er", "why l" and "e-quator"). That he is soulful, sincere, and aspirational matters more. A fiction writer and essayist, he is also an environmental activist, and a number of these texts center on the horrific aftermath--asbestosis and mesothelioma--of the mining that took place near his adopted home in the Yak Valley of Montana. His appreciation of friend and fellow environmentalist Barry Lopez, along with Ernest Hemingway and nature itself, plus his decimation of W.R. Grace, the mine owner at the heart of one the biggest lawsuits ever filed, makes this collection memorable.
Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781696614313
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An exciting, inspiring, and provocative audiobook.
This memoir, environmental manifesto, and recounting of adventures in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest is a compelling listen. Rosolie tells the story of the Junglekeepers organization, dedicated to protecting the rainforest, with a heart-stopping pace. Rosolie and his team capture some of the world’s largest anacondas, climb to the top of the jungle canopy, fight for the survival of rare macaws, and meet the Indigenous Mashco Piro tribe. The Junglekeepers bring travelers to this most remote part of the planet where they have built the “world’s tallest treehouse.” Sadly, after overcoming threats of logging and mining and saving more than 100,000 acres of wilderness, the organization now faces drug dealers who want to use the land for their own purposes.
An exciting, inspiring, and provocative audiobook.Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 36 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217159543
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026
Ranjit Madgavkar narrates these essays on how forces beyond their control--for example, war, imperialism, language, climate change--influence people's lives. His strong but clear Indian accent never lets listeners forget that author Ghosh is a native of West Bengal, a fact that explains Ghosh's strong interest in colonialism, anti-colonialism, and the history of South Asia. The opening essays about the participation of Indian soldiers in the disastrous British Mesopotamian campaign of WWI are particularly fascinating. Madgavkar approximates different accents in the quotations from authors of other nationalities, making clear where they begin and end. Even without knowledge of South Asia, listeners will comprehend these essays because Madgavkar gets across the emotions.
Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2026
Duration: 19 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228648760
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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