Narrator Sean Pratt delivers an upbeat and conversational performance of this well-researched audiobook advocating that monolingual Americans learn to speak more than just English. Featuring several interviews with polyglots, linguists, businesspeople, teachers, and others, this audiobook clearly demonstrates the advantages of learning a second language, such as advancing one's career, connecting with immigrant relatives, or smoother world travel. Pratt's friendly tone creates an approachable listen for those interested in adopting a new language or curious about linguistic trends in America's history, and his array of worldly accents further highlights his presentation. The audiobook concludes with Heavenly Reyna as the voice of Emma, a fictitious college student giving an imagined interview about the benefits of bilingualism and how her institution--and America--flourishes under it.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2021
Duration: 16 hrs
Publisher: Steve Leveen
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
Eric Jason Martin narrates this timely treatise on writing and AI by longtime English professor and writer John Warner. The author emphasizes that Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT cannot think or write; they merely use algebraic algorithms to deliver tokens (AI-speak for words) that follow a plausible pattern. The author warns that by outsourcing human thought processes, we risk losing those abilities. He makes his case with considerable wit. However, Martin misses almost every chance to showcase the author's message. Ironically, he narrates in an almost robotic fashion. Despite this, his slow pacing and crisp enunciation give the listener every opportunity to mull this well-reasoned argument. Final chapters offer suggestions for when, why, and how to push back against the AI onslaught.
Pub Date: July 1, 2025
Duration: 7 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798228499201
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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