Here’s a rare conceit for a book: You own a barbecue restaurant in New Jersey, but through various means you are able to establish a relationship with the North Korean government, which allows you to play a role in international diplomacy. It’s a great story, and it’s well written. Narrator Traber Burns has a down-home style that sounds like he’s sitting on his porch telling us this unique personal story. Burns’s voice is somewhat scratchy, and he tends to swallow some words because he reads too fast, but because he’s narrating a regular guy’s story, it works, for the most part. He varies his voice for some characters but generally plays it straight.
Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2011
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781611745641
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
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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