New Reviews: Contemporary Culture

Audiobook lovers, beware! If the proponents of the 15-Minute City succeed, you'll have less time to listen on your daily commute. As narrator Andrew Joseph Perez reminds us throughout this audiobook, the failure to integrate work, markets, and recreation into urban neighborhoods has lengthened commutes. At the same time, the proliferation of the automobile has transformed... Read More

British narrator Emma Hussey delivers an exploration of volcanoes throughout the earth's past, present, and future. Transported from the ancient eruption at Pompeii to active volcanoes in Nicaragua and Hawaii, listeners are drawn into a layered understanding of their global impact and cultural significance. Hussey's grounded performance cedes center stage to these awe-inspiring... Read More

Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the interdisciplinary Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University, opens and closes this audio production. Her gentle voice is filled with playful curiosity as she sets the stage for Cassandra Campbell's engaging performance. Campbell guides listeners through explorations of the possibility of life on other planets, based on Earth's geological... Read More

Craig Foster narrates his lyrical meditation on our human connection with the wild in a gentle voice that reflects the limpid ocean from which life evolved. The documentary photographer and producer of many films, including MY OCTOPUS TEACHER, has written a mix of memoir and personable treatise on nature and our place in it. While he sometimes pauses unexpectedly mid-sentence,... Read More

This intelligent and important overview of ocean science and climate change by an oceanographer and a science journalist is narrated by Suzie Althens. Sadly, her over-enunciation and slow pace result in a ponderous delivery of its fascinating details. In addition, Althens's upspeak is distracting, and her tone may confuse some listeners as it doesn't always match the content.... Read More

The author of this important audiobook about autocrats and their dealings is also its narrator. That isn't unusual in nonfiction, and it has its advantages: A committed expert brings authority and, often, experience with public speaking to the role. Thus, this author/narrator compellingly describes her rogues list of autocrats, ranging from China's Xi Jinping and Russia's... Read More

Joe Ochman narrates in a resonant voice and crisp style that suit this audiobook about earth science. He does nice work with subtle modulations of tone when he emulates a quoted person's accent. The text combines reporting, research, and a dollop of personal experience. Jabr travels widely to corral his immense subject; destinations include the Russian arctic; Iceland; England;... Read More

Maggie Mertens narrates her detailed exploration of women, running, and the bizarre treatment of athletic women throughout history. Though women have proven time and again that they have the speed and endurance to run and break records, false beliefs and out-of-date advice continue to pervade the world of women's sports, often to the detriment of the athletes. Mertens's... Read More

Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning poet Mary Oliver has written 15 provocative and thoughtful works of prose on topics ranging from nature to understanding and defining poetry and the fascinating life of the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. Narrator Kimberly Farr is earnest and heartfelt; she speaks with clarity and certainty. Her tone is playful; her pitch moves up... Read More

Mark Easter narrates in a calm voice that makes his performance a little soft-edged. His delivery is clear, and his experience as an ecologist is always present. His highly informed text gives listeners an understanding of where our food comes from and how its production affects the planet. Happily, he gives some suggestions anyone can follow--eat more plants, grow your own... Read More

Jacques Roy adeptly treads the line between measured and conversational in this excellent performance of Higginbotham's investigation of the 1986 CHALLENGER catastrophe. Roy maintains the listener's attention through detailed accounts of the science and engineering underlying the NASA space program while also bringing to life the people involved. We hear the cheerfulness of... Read More

Kirby Heyborne is a lively guide through this history of the world's tallest buildings and discussion of current developments in skyscraper design. Though arguments can be made for why living in them has some drawbacks, the author believes there is much to admire both visually and financially in their evolving role in urban landscapes. And the trend of mixing corporate offices... Read More

It was a great decision by author Madhumita Murgia to narrate this account of her investigation into artificial intelligence (AI) and its global impact on societies. Murgia is the artificial intelligence editor for Britain's FINANCIAL TIMES, so her multilayered understanding of the topic helps create an impactful audio performance. She is curious and sensitive, skeptical and... Read More

Gabra Zackman's narration fully embodies a balance of deep insight and affability--a perfect fit here. Nussbaum's approach to the topic of reality television transcends the usual narrative history as it captures key social commentary of programs unique to their time and place. The audiobook traces a detailed timeline from PBS's "An American Family," considered a touchstone of... Read More

Peter Ganim adopts the voice of a broadcast reporter. His trustworthy tone grounds this unbelievable but true story of an FBI sting. It begins in 2018, when the fibbies shut down an encrypted phone business and then create a "legit" start-up that will sell supposedly encrypted phones to international criminals. The faux start-up becomes more popular with international crime... Read More

DEEP WATER is both a call to action to combat climate change and a celebration of the marvels of the ocean. Narrator Stephen James King's performance expresses those twin intentions with grace notes of wonder alongside clear worry and concern. King's gentle Australian accent is a constant reminder that rising ocean temperatures are a global catastrophe. Bradley casts his net... Read More

Golden Voice narrator JD Jackson's tone reflects the seriousness of Kozol's brief but disturbing audiobook. Jackson performs this indictment of the "savage inequalities" of American schools with a measured pace and controlled cadence. He conveys the vigor of Kozol's takedown of the country's segregated schools, which he criticizes for their dilapidated buildings, stultifying... Read More

Dominic Gruenewald adds momentum, skepticism, and a lucid voice to this fresh report on the history and current state of artificial intelligence (AI). As the title suggests, much of what we call AI is programmed deception, a type of fakery limited to specific tasks or goals. Gruenewald provides a light touch when narrating the linguistic paradoxes of AI terminology, classic... Read More

Anyone who finishes this audiobook about land use and isn't outraged just wasn't listening closely. When land is treated as a commodity rather than as a historical asset, society and, ultimately, the planet suffer. The author looks at the history and contemporary impact of land-use practices and policies. Golden Voice Bahni Turpin offers a solid, clear narration. She captures... Read More

Journalist and podcaster Nicola Twilley has dedicated years to the study of refrigeration. Twilley's delivery is most notable for her English accent; words such as "garage" and "tomato," "vitamins" with a short "i," and "aluminum" with a long "u" may distract the listener. Nonetheless, this audiobook demonstrates how important her reporting and research are as it reveals the... Read More

Award-winning English author Olivia Laing's pleasant, light voice suits her narration of her newest work, a mix of memoir and nonfiction essay. Structured around her restoration of an eighteenth-century walled garden--yes, she acknowledges Frances Hodgson Burnett's A SECRET GARDEN--the book explores her delights and frustrations while working with plants, the history and... Read More

This informative and insightful audiobook history of the Mississippi River and its regions quickly and necessarily focuses on questions of protection and preservation. The Mississippi is the center of American prosperity but is difficult to control and at every point is vulnerable. Narrator Gabriel Vaughan is a steadfast guide through a tangled history of levy building and... Read More

Andrea Gallo's skillful narration, especially her natural cadence, brings to life the two intertwined narratives of this audiobook on robotics. Her warm presentation personalizes the author's story, which ranges from watching "Lost in Space" as a child in Romania to becoming the director of MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Gallo's delivery illuminates the author's... Read More

Questlove is an established musician, musicologist, DJ, and narrator of his latest audiobook. Here, he recounts the fifty-year history of hip-hop with exuberant joy. The result is a fascinating journey from the coastal cities in the early 1970s, where historians believe hip-hop started, to the current state of the art. From the nature of sampling, lyrics, and how music made the... Read More

A sweeping work of nonfiction voiced by six talented narrators, this audiobook tells the stories of immigrants who were detained while trying to enter the U.S. With authentic-sounding voices and accents, the narrators convey real stories of individuals and families and the impact detention in America had on them as they sought new lives. Voicing the accounts of a Central... Read More

Pace matters in a globe-trotting audiobook that illuminates the scientific basis for climate change. Sean Patrick Hopkins narrates enthusiastically at the right tempo. He also alters his tone ever so slightly when quoting experts. Stanford-based Jackson, chair of the Global Carbon Project, is among the mainstays of those doing hands-on work in ecology: He has marked gas leaks... Read More

This book, published in 1994, follows several members of a Coney Island high school basketball team. The author, who is essentially embedded in the school, spends multiple hours with the players as they go through the recruitment process and as they deal with girlfriends and life in a troubled area of New York. JD Jackson brings his usual stellar narration to the audiobook,... Read More

Narrator Michael Chance performs this timely audiobook with dignified enthusiasm that perfectly matches the spirit of the London economist's work on how to help people prepare for living longer. With a lovely accent reminiscent of the British actor Michael Caine, he adds color and sensitivity to this persuasive manifesto. The author's positive message is that instead of feeling... Read More

Marvel Comics fans will love this behind-the-scenes look at the creation of many of the company's lesser-known characters, such as Killraven, Man-Thing, Omega the Unknown, and others. Todd Menesses delivers a punchy, well-paced work with welcome enthusiasm about the subject matter. Clearly, he gets it. There is a slight problem with his pronunciation of some words like "genre,"... Read More

Listeners will find much to learn in this audiobook. Just when dire reports--fire, flood, calving icebergs--are enough to alarm anyone, this audiobook from ecological engineer Galle arrives with a refreshingly positive and heretical assertion that nature and technology can be allied. Narrating convincingly in a youthful tone that suits the author's optimism, Eileen Stevens... Read More

Paige McClanahan has an appealing voice and narrates persuasively at a good pace. She gives this audiobook a sense of her lived experience as a travel writer, reporter, and thoughtful interpreter of the world of travel. While she resides in France, she is a longtime contributor to the NEW YORK TIMES; her insights on tourism are based on thousands of hours of interviews. She... Read More

Many people have paid a high price for whistleblowing over the years. Skilled narrator Stephen Graybill's assured tone and steady delivery miraculously enliven this work by University of Minnesota ethicist Carl Elliott. Six stories reference the moral struggle that whistleblowers face, especially in the healthcare and educational arena. Elliott fought for an external... Read More

Robert Fass performs this homage to New York City's northernmost borough, the Bronx, thoughtfully and skillfully. His pace reflects the author's peregrinations and considerations of the only part of the city connected to the continent. His tone is that of an engaged reporter committed to noting things large--the highways that penetrate the Bronx--and small. Through it all,... Read More

Daniel Henning captures the love and fascination that biologist and lifelong bee fan Seeley holds for bees--creatures he has admired, studied, and puzzled over his whole professional life. Henning captures the narrative thread weaving through Seeley's ample science, drawing listeners in as they're educated on the fascinating and complex world of bees. In 20 chapters of lively... Read More

Journalist June Thomas narrates in a clear and authoritative voice. Her focus is the development of queer women's culture as seen through the lens of six noteworthy spaces that have existed over the past half century. From lesbian bars and communes to sex-toy shops, Thomas presents a rich portrait of the sapphic community through interviews and other firsthand accounts.... Read More

Forty-nine people were murdered at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016. Trevor Aaronson doesn't just provide a history of this devastating mass shooting--he also guides listeners through a critique of how government agencies manipulated the facts surrounding the event and how complicit media outlets spread misinformation. The result is a compounding tragedy that... Read More

This detailed and well-organized account of American music's most prominent evolutionary decades--the 1840s, 1920s, and 1950s-- provides a fascinating overview of the way popular music changed in response to a variety of factors over the past 180 years. While artists arriving from Europe were influential at the start of the 1800s, music also came to change because of... Read More

Angelina Rocca's gentle narration is a welcoming invitation to the complexities of underwater soundscapes and what sound means for species who call the earth's oceans home. Humans have only recently begun to understand our outsized impact on the lives and food webs of fish, aquatic mammals, and other organisms. Rocca's relaxed yet earnest performance immerses listeners in... Read More

Capitalism and its relentless focus on growth is speeding our planet toward becoming uninhabitable due to climate change. Unchecked, capitalism will continue to exploit the cheap labor and resources of less developed countries, accelerate global warming, and cause mass migrations of people from uninhabitable regions. Saito's radical solution is a version of Marxism that... Read More

Astrophysicist and data scientist Roberto Trotta and narrator George Weightman form the perfect team for guiding listeners on this wondrous journey through humanity's age-old relationship with the stars and night sky. The audiobook combines Trotta's lyrical prose and thoughtful scholarship with Weightman's engaging performance. Discussions of humanity's scientific understanding... Read More

Alexandra Cohler has the right tone, tempo, and style for this polemical and highly informed audiobook. She can sound like she's reporting on a real-life scene or immersed in a sci-fi setting. Her narrative approach works well with this provocative work by journalist/science fiction novelist Newitz, who challenges preconceived notions about messages and messaging. The subject... Read More

This audiobook tackles immigration, one of today's most contentious topics, in a logical, informative, and unique way. Author Zeke Hernandez uses statistics and stories and calls on his personal experience to provide a balanced view. Narrator André Santana delivers the sometimes complex subject matter in an easy-to-understand manner. Santana's engaging narration makes the... Read More

Nick Offerman performs this classic work about the importance of small agriculture to America's way of life. According to Berry, cultural and community connections are vital to agriculture. His examination of the harmful practices of agribusiness is still as relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1977. While the dense text might have proved too challenging for... Read More

TV writer/producer Gary Janetti is a fine traveling companion. His vocal style may remind listeners of David Sedaris, but his opinions and wit are his own. He takes the listener on a grand tour of his favorite places and packs this audiobook with observations on such topics as the decline of fashion on airplanes, along with tips on how to shut off unwanted conversation and how... Read More

First appearing in print in 1979, this remarkable and intimate audiobook chronicles the implosion of the 1960s and reports on the people, mores, and trends that defined that turbulent time. Actor Susan Varon narrates this collection of essays in a voice that is confident and clear. She morphs into the New Age journalist and the perceptive writer who was Joan Didion. This... Read More

Judith Butler's voice adds gravity to their examination of the rising anti-gender-expression rhetoric. A renowned philosopher and pioneering queer theorist, Butler narrates their work for the first time here. The subject comes at a polarizing time, and Butler's patient yet sober tone seems to acknowledge this. They speak candidly on the rhetoric of the trans-exclusionary... Read More

Kate Coventry's gentle narration affects a tone of wonder as she describes the author's communication with animals and the spiritual relationship she has with them. The author's lifelong relationship with wildlife started early in childhood; her father was a forester. She describes such topics as women's roles in scientific study, the Covid lockdown's effect on drawing animals... Read More

If it's possible to sing a love song to the land, this audiobook might be it. Rosamund Young narrates a series of sketches and essays about Kite's Nest Farm, her organic farm in England's Cotswold region. There is no overarching narrative beyond a respect for nature, but this approach makes the audiobook ideal for those who can't commit to long periods of listening. Her lyrical... Read More