Stephen Greenblatt is not only a Shakespeare scholar who teaches at Harvard but also a key figure among literary theorists who view fiction in its historical context. But when narrator Edoardo Ballerini opens this audiobook by asking, "How is it possible for a whole country to fall into the hands of a tyrant?", it's clear the subject is not Elizabethan England. Greenblatt's analysis of how figures such as Macbeth, Richard III, and King Lear rose to power is a not-so-thinly veiled reflection on the 45th president and his enablers. Ballerini is wonderful to listen to as he deftly handles excerpts from the plays with just the right shift in tone and no attempt to sound like a stage actor. He also subtly delivers the act, scene, and line numbers that follow each passage, though these are obtrusive and should have been left out by the editors.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2018
Duration: 5 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781501997518
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
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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