William Arkin narrates his audiobook in a weary voice that sounds as if his thoroughly researched work on drones and black boxes has exhausted him. That's understandable because the material IS exhausting in its detailed account of how the USA's tiny armada of 200 unmanned surveillance devices morphed, in just a decade, into 12,000, many of which are armed "point-and-shoot" devices capable of "loitering" in the sky for 40 hours at a time. Arkin is not optimistic about the future of long-distance perpetual warfare, nor is he hopeful for its civilian uses either--the audiobook ends with a prophetic look at unmanned-gone-wrong in the year 2034. The weak aspect of this audiobook is Arkin's use of the Mesopotamian EPIC OF GILGAMESH as a metaphoric reference--a literary device that's initially confusing and eventually annoying.
Pub Date: July 28, 2015
Duration: 11 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781478904120
Publisher: Hachette 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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