Erratic climate change, ever-increasing global consumer demands, and an ever-increasing world population (hot, flat, and crowded) are the greatest challenges the world has to face in the twenty-first century. Thomas Friedman is not interested in sounding an alarm. He's calling to arms America's good old, though slightly dormant, entrepreneurial and inventive spirit. Narrator Oliver Wyman deftly reflects Friedman's intelligence, passion, and, perhaps most importantly, impartiality when discussing such hot-button issues as Middle Eastern petro politics, third-world deforestation, and China's skyrocketing demand for energy. Wyman's voice is at its brightest when calling for a new, out-of-the-box green patriotism, reflecting Friedman’s belief that the United States can and should be the world's leader in finding the "tools, systems, energy sources, and ethics" to create a world we can live in for centuries to come. B.P. 2009 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2008
Duration: 21 hrs
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
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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