Dan Bittner's narration pairs nostalgia for American baseball with an incisive examination of the game today. Throughout the summer season of 2022, listeners follow the fortunes of a town whose MLB affiliation was removed in 2020 as part of a 25% downsizing of minor league baseball. In an effort to retain local baseball in Batavia, New York, new owners purchased the Batavia Muckdogs and filled its roster with college athletes. Bittner's congenial voice connects the author with fellow military veterans, diehard fans, and multigenerational supporters rallying around their team. He infuses his performance with warmth and an affinity for the sport while simultaneously leveling frank assessments of MLB's business model and data-driven play. This engrossing production is a must-listen for sports fans.
Pub Date: March 11, 2025
Duration: 10 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217018673
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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