Listeners who want to know how we got where we are with the big tech companies should start with this convincing foray into the land of the giants. As Columbia University law professor Tim Wu takes them to task, Frits Zernike's narration is thoughtfully paced, and his tempo appropriately propels the action. His storytelling reveals how the companies' power and our dependence on them have brought about the present imbalances: Amazon undercuts its clients by selling similar products more cheaply; Meta (Facebook) buys Instagram and WhatsApp to avoid competition; Google pays rivals not to do searches. To effect change, Wu suggests treating these behemoths like public utilities. Wu writes authoritatively on how tech platforms that began with altruistic slogans have ended up behaving like monopolies.
Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
Duration: 6 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798217165643
Publisher: Random House 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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