Hey, you! Yes, you—with the earbuds. Want to know how your music got to you? And why it costs so little? Download this audiobook and listen. It’s a fascinating story of the criminals—um, forward thinkers— who took down the record companies by pirating music and giving it away for free. Then they got busted. No worries though—you’re legal. Anyway, you’d think that a book that explains such an earth-shattering economic change could get some professional narration. Author Stephen Witt does what author-narrators do best, and that’s to bring passion and unassailable subject knowledge to their performances. But Witt also brings the word-dropping, uneven pacing, and too-fast reading pitfalls that new narrators exhibit. He improves as the book moves along, and it’s still worth a listen, but a more experienced storyteller would have been a better choice.
Pub Date: June 16, 2015
Duration: 9 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780698402980
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The readers can't compensate for the unbearably pompous prose style of this extended parable about corporate politics and strategy.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Henslee’s warm, unhurried narration makes listeners feel like the next success story could be theirs.
Barbara Henslee narrates with an intimate, upbeat delivery and a sunny Southern warmth that feels like being personally recruited to the Mary Kay empire. Her voice suits the material perfectly, drawing listeners into a bygone era when women built empires through gatherings around kitchen tables and on front porches, long before they could open their own bank accounts. Henslee never oversells, just gently persuades, mirroring the company’s own quiet pitch to millions of women that economic independence and personal transformation were within reach. The balanced treatment of the realities of multilevel marketing, alongside the truly inspirational story of founder Mary Kay Ash, make this a compelling listen for anyone curious about the often mocked world of direct sales.
Henslee’s warm, unhurried narration makes listeners feel like the next success story could be theirs.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
Duration: 14 hrs, 24 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217281879
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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