Addressing young listeners directly, animal behaviorist Temple Grandin reads the introduction to her work on cognitive differences, with Andrea Gallo taking over the narration of the main text. It is nominally a celebration of cognitive multiplicity, with visual thinkers, like the author, complementing verbal thinkers. There's lots of empowerment for visual thinkers here, but Grandin's text often turns her appreciation of what different brains can do into harangues against engineers, the educational system, and helicopter and snowplow parenting. Gallo's warm, even delivery assumes tones of muted outrage for these lectures in order to meet the author's energy, such that the experience of listening is something of a gentle pummeling. Even the young listeners Grandin most hopes to encourage--visual thinkers like her--may emerge exhausted.
(Nonfiction. 9-13)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
Duration: 7 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593745281
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Lisa Ling's informative introductions lead in to her storytelling as she delivers delectable food-based tales drawn from Chinese culture. In a conversational tone, Ling describes an iconic dish, offering historical context, etymology, or myth and capturing the warmth of the author toward these foods. She then transitions to tales about dragons, monks, emperors, and other heroes. Ling's transitions are fluid whether she's shifting from Chinese to English or giving context before relating a folktale. Harp-like notes signal transitions to stories, and other sound effects emphasize elements within them. Grace Lin furthers the audio experience by reading her author's note. There is also beautifully illustrated downloadable material. From wonton soup to fortune cookies, this audio will fill listeners up with wonder and knowledge.
(Nonfiction. 8-13)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781668632598
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Austin Channing Brown narrates stories of loving herself as she grows up a Black girl in a mostly white world. Her tone is upbeat and her attitude positive as she describes her confusion amid early experiences of white coding. Through natural, immersive storytelling she shows how she thought she faced gender bias because of her name but came to understand the larger issue of racism. Brown's delivery is conversational. Her stories are personal, yet they speak to universal situations, such as becoming the designated spokesperson for Blacks in white classrooms, receiving impactful lessons from her parents on getting through life, suffering when her cousin is sent to prison, and seeing the limited views of whites as she experiences inequities and indignities from elementary school to adulthood.
(Memoir. 11-15)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
Duration: 3 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780593677025
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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