by Sheera Frenkel & Cecilia Kang ; read by Holter Graham , Sheera Frenkel & Cecilia Kang ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 13, 2021
The authors read the opening and closing segments; Holter Graham delivers an exceptional performance of the bulk of this audiobook. All three narrators communicate audible respect for this well-documented writing and a measure of alarm about its focus--the irresponsible leadership of Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. The authors say the social app was designed from the start to be addictive and to make money through the sale of users' private data. They show how the company's thirst for market dominance and revenue led them to allow enemy-funded election disinformation on the site in 2016 and how Facebook continues to be irresponsible in curating posts. With his virtuoso phrasing skills and vocal panache, Graham's performance of this chilling book could not be more fitting.
Pub Date: July 13, 2021
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062960696
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
by Mark J. Plotkin ; read by Mark Plotkin & PhD ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
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
by Thomas Levenson ; read by Mike Cooper ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 9, 2026
Cooper proves a sure guide for Levenson’s argument for the critical importance of vaccines.
Awards & Accolades
Our Verdict
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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: July 28, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
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