Author/narrator Seb Falk challenges listeners to check their assumptions about the scientific contributions made during the European Medieval period. Falk uses Brother John of Westwyk (1350-1400)--an English monk, astrologer, and inventor--as a gateway into discussions on the interconnected nature of religious and social life, and education during this time. The author's passion for the Middle Ages translates into an accessible, well-paced production. Falk's lilting delivery as he discusses influential figures and key instruments, like the astrolabe, creates an absorbing experience. His facility with Latin, Middle English, and Arabic words, phrases, and names allows the focus to remain on the scientific achievements being discussed. From monastic life to the firmament and beyond, listeners will acquire a clearer understanding of this period.
Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2020
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781705265581
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dr. Plotkin is an ethnobotanist who recounts his experiences searching for new medications in the Amazon rain forest. He makes an impassioned plea for the world to stop destroying this irreplaceable resource. Since the author reads his own work, we can rely on the pronunciation of some unusual botanical terms; however, his voice (presumably not trained for performance) lacks the enthusiasm and fascination the words suggest. Furthermore, with no chapter references and few pauses between sections, transitions, such as the change of location from Ecuador to Massachusetts, are awkward.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Cooper proves a sure guide for Levenson’s argument for the critical importance of vaccines.
Levenson argues that present-day anti-vaxxers like Robert Kennedy Jr. use historical arguments that may have had some validity when vaccines were first developed but have since been debunked and are now being recycled cynically. Mike Cooper’s energy and British accent ensure clear communication of the history and science behind the safe and effective vaccine system we have today. He occasionally employs a snarky tone that strikes just the right note as Levenson discusses Andrew Wakefield’s discredited beliefs about the link between vaccines and autism and Kennedy’s comparison of vaccines to genocide. Levenson takes on the philosophical question of individual rights and vaccine mandates but notes that state power is being used to prevent mandates that would ensure the health of all.
Cooper proves a sure guide for Levenson’s argument for the critical importance of vaccines.Pub Date: June 9, 2026
Duration: 3 hrs, 42 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217286645
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: tomorrow
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