William Deresiewicz, author, essayist, and literary critic, has compiled a variety of essays on solitude and leadership, the pitfalls of an Ivy League education (he previously taught English at Yale), and social media's incursion into daily life, among other timely concerns. Narrator Eric Jason Martin adopts a slow pace that is fitting for the unifying theme of the importance of solitude as an inspiration for reflection, as opposed to the distracting mental noise of constant connection. Martin is clear, informative, and frank as he covers technology culture, higher education, the social imagination, arts and letters, and the Jewish people. While some conclusions are overly sweeping, the writing is, overall, thought-provoking and well elaborated.
Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
Duration: 13 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798765021606
Publisher: Tantor Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Inspiring collections of Angelou reading her poetry. These selections showcase Angelou's smooth, lyrical voice and her warm vitality. Her innate rhythm celebrates her verse and offers the poems to listeners as they should be remembered. Occasionally Angelou comments between the selections, and occasionally she interjects a resonant laugh.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Random House Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Ranjit Madgavkar narrates these essays on how forces beyond their control--for example, war, imperialism, language, climate change--influence people's lives. His strong but clear Indian accent never lets listeners forget that author Ghosh is a native of West Bengal, a fact that explains Ghosh's strong interest in colonialism, anti-colonialism, and the history of South Asia. The opening essays about the participation of Indian soldiers in the disastrous British Mesopotamian campaign of WWI are particularly fascinating. Madgavkar approximates different accents in the quotations from authors of other nationalities, making clear where they begin and end. Even without knowledge of South Asia, listeners will comprehend these essays because Madgavkar gets across the emotions.
Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2026
Duration: 19 hrs
DD ISBN: 9798228648760
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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