The Ellis Island story provides the perfect vehicle to discuss the history of immigration in the U.S. Now serving as the plinth for the Statue of Liberty, the island housed the bureaucracy that oversaw the entrance of 12 million immigrants into America between 1892 and 1924. Commenting on the necessity of admitting foreigners to U.S. soil, the first immigration commissioner, John Weber, observed, "Americans typically shun hard manual work." Although employing perfect diction, narrator Johathan Hogan reads with little expression. Barely pausing to signal quotes, he seems determined to maintain a mechanical uniformity throughout. The few lines of poetry give him no inspiration to vary his stark delivery.
Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2009
Duration: 20 hrs, 15 mins
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Carol Matthau epitomizes a glamour and lifestyle not associated with the 1990's. Here is a life of privilege, tragedy and worry about what friends would think of her new frock or lover. Matthau possesses a voice and delivery that simply could not be improved on. In her coy whisper, she tells compelling stories involving everyone from William Saroyan (husband #1) and Truman Capote to Carson McCullers, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Walter Matthau (husband #2). This excellent audio presentation will leave you wanting to read the entire book to discover what juicy tidbits were left out.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: The Publishing Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Brick delivers this unforgettable narrative with grace and skill for full impact.
Scott Brick is a frequent narrator of historian Philbrick’s audiobooks, and he’s a perfect match for the author’s straightforward but highly expressive narrative voice. The discovery of gold in the California Sierras in 1848 triggered one of the most dramatic episodes in American history, a grand panorama of greed, obsession, and astonishing twists of fortune. Gold fever fueled progress in sea travel, railroad building, and mechanics and, not incidentally, accelerated the booming nation’s slide toward civil war. Philbrick is, as always, a rewarding and deeply satisfying storyteller, and his history of the California Gold Rush offers a cast of memorable characters along with a troubling record of racism and vigilantism.
Brick delivers this unforgettable narrative with grace and skill for full impact.Pub Date: yesterday
Duration: 13 hrs, 21 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217356218
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
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