Narrator Fred Sanders presents Alaska journalist Tom Kizzia's compelling story in a thought-provoking style. Listeners are introduced to Papa Pilgrim, his wife, and their 14 children, who live off their land in Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Sanders injects bits of characterization into the story when recounting interactions between the family members and Pilgrim's conflicts with his neighbors and the National Park Service. These anecdotes add authenticity without overdramatizing the story as listeners learn how Pilgrim hides behind Christian values and antigovernment individualism while manipulating and abusing those around him. The depth of this true story of one man's brutality and his family's resilience is best experienced in the documentary style offered by Sanders.
Pub Date: July 16, 2013
Duration: 10 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9780385393652
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
An intriguing audiobook that melds traditional journalism with an insightful journey of personal discovery.
Eddy called his family every night to say he was leaving work. Then one night in 1987, he never made it home. Through the following decades, his daughter struggled to deal with a loss that fundamentally altered her life’s direction. Vivienne Leheny’s narration is raw, showcasing the author’s ongoing frustration at the unanswered questions that loom large in the story. Her portrayal of the author as a forlorn teenager turned anxious and angry young woman is spot on. Leheny sounds quietly thoughtful when delivering the facts of the case and appropriately outraged at the lack of care taken by the Baltimore police to preserve evidence or pursue meaningful justice.
An intriguing audiobook that melds traditional journalism with an insightful journey of personal discovery.Pub Date: April 7, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs, 59 mins
DD ISBN: 9781488237249
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: tomorrow
An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.
Author Hale presents the case of his young cousin Haley's disappearance on Cave Mountain in 2001 and the ensuing search and rescue operation, the largest in Arkansas history. Hale connects this with the murder of 3-year-old Bethany by a small and isolated religious sect decades earlier on the same mountain. Narrating these two stories in a low, slightly gruff tone, Hale weaves together family anecdotes, Ozark lore, local and broader history, and Christian theology. While the two cases are intriguing, the work lacks focus and contains extraneous details.
An interesting Ozark history that doesn’t quite cohere.Pub Date: March 3, 2026
Duration: 11 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9780063398153
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: March 10, 2026
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