Narrator Jill Smith gently expresses author Stephanie Seneff's feelings of loss as she recounts how her grandfather was found dead next to an open bag of DDT. Such emotion pops up again throughout Seneff's discussion of health problems relating to the herbicide Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate. These range from interference with gut bacteria to effects on children's brain development. Smith keeps the author's personal connection and concern in listeners' minds. There's quite a bit of chemistry involved. When Seneff asks, "Are you still with me," listeners might shake their heads. Smith's tone turns upbeat at the end as Seneff shares the changes we can make, such as eating less industrially farmed food and more food from gardens and farmers markets.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2021
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
Publisher: Chelsea Green
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
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.
Pollan is a favorite with listeners, and rightly so. He may not possess a silken or practiced voice, and he’d be nobody’s first choice to narrate Proust, but few author-narrators are as engaging or as effectively bonded to their narrative. Pollan here explores one of the most fundamental of questions: What is consciousness? This leads him to other questions. Where exactly is consciousness located? What other species possess it? Pollan takes his listener on a journey through theories and research sites, each rendered with his signature economy and precision. Some sections may require relistening, but the difficulties lie in the subject matter, not the prose. That couldn’t be clearer or more illuminating.
Once again, Pollan makes the unknown make sense.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217282159
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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