Nine and a half hours of the history and biology of fatal disease transmission may not be everyone's listening pleasure, but you do come away feeling this is something you, and everybody else, should hear. Author Sonia Shah is not a practiced narrator, but her perspective as a scientist and mother gives her narration authority and immediacy. And she definitely knows what she's talking about. Historically, governments have handled disease outbreaks badly, and have been slow to warn citizens of the full danger they face. Ignorance and denial inevitably heightened the toll. Shah tells grim stories that are always most terrifying in terms of what was to come. Yet her overall account is implicitly reaffirming in its "history" of all the outbreaks that did not occur, thanks to modern science, responsible government, and the vigilance of an informed public.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
Duration: 9 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780451482167
Publisher: Random House 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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