Thomas Hager’s gift for narrative is on display in this account of a discovery that has had incalculable influence on human history: the Haber-Bosch process for producing ammonia from nitrogen in the atmosphere. By profiling the two German chemists who perfected it, Hager weaves the rich story of how this process has fed the world with fertilizers and helped it wage two terrible wars with explosives. Unfortunately, Adam Verner’s narration seems utterly detached from the text. His pace is languid, even dull, and he routinely misses the cadences of the author’s sentences, emphasizing the wrong words and interrupting the flow of Hager’s prose. It’s a disappointing telling of a fascinating story that deserves better.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2010
Duration: 11 hrs
Publisher: Audible, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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