by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz ; read by Laural Merlington ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 22, 2014
Imagine living in a country in which the government has repeatedly lied about its history and founding narrative, and where millions of children repeat these myths in both state-sponsored and private schools. According to this thought-provoking audiobook, you're already living in such a place if you're living in the United States. This history of the natives who once roamed this land will challenge, enlighten, and, perhaps, shock listeners. Narrator Laural Merlington approaches this book with a dispassionate voice that enunciates every word but fails to capture the essence of the author's intent. This audiobook needs a little more emotion, or a narrator with a more elastic presentation. Merlington's straightforward delivery accentuates the good history this book represents but falls short in providing what is clearly meant to be an engaging experience.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2014
Duration: 10 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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by Jake Skeets ; read by Jake Skeets ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2026
This is a fine collection from one of our most underrepresented literary traditions.
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The poetry in this collection is strong and often evocative, but Skeets’ reading of his work undercuts it. His pacing doesn’t match the lengths of his lines, and his flat tone betrays the sometimes very intense emotional content. Skeets is the Navajo Nation Poet Laureate, and he does sing a few passages in the Navajo language that evoke more feeling. Alongside some love poems, the main subjects of this collection are the culture and terrain of the author's homeland and the changes that have resulted from contact with white settlers. The most extensive alteration, including an extended drought in already dry land, comes from changes in the climate.
This is a fine collection from one of our most underrepresented literary traditions.Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 1 hr, 44 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217422241
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2026
by Boyce Upholt ; read by Gabriel Vaughan ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 11, 2024
This informative and insightful audiobook history of the Mississippi River and its regions quickly and necessarily focuses on questions of protection and preservation. The Mississippi is the center of American prosperity but is difficult to control and at every point is vulnerable. Narrator Gabriel Vaughan is a steadfast guide through a tangled history of levy building and floodplain management. He is most effective when the narrative frame is the author's own history. The narrative advances southward toward the river's delta and egress, and there environmental issues are overlain with a history of racial injustice and exploitation. During sections of tough listening, what Vaughan sometimes lacks in polish he more than makes up in impact and empathy.
Pub Date: June 11, 2024
Duration: 10 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781696615440
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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