The authors read the opening and closing segments; Holter Graham delivers an exceptional performance of the bulk of this audiobook. All three narrators communicate audible respect for this well-documented writing and a measure of alarm about its focus--the irresponsible leadership of Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. The authors say the social app was designed from the start to be addictive and to make money through the sale of users' private data. They show how the company's thirst for market dominance and revenue led them to allow enemy-funded election disinformation on the site in 2016 and how Facebook continues to be irresponsible in curating posts. With his virtuoso phrasing skills and vocal panache, Graham's performance of this chilling book could not be more fitting.
Pub Date: July 13, 2021
Duration: 10 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062960696
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Dr. Plotkin is an ethnobotanist who recounts his experiences searching for new medications in the Amazon rain forest. He makes an impassioned plea for the world to stop destroying this irreplaceable resource. Since the author reads his own work, we can rely on the pronunciation of some unusual botanical terms; however, his voice (presumably not trained for performance) lacks the enthusiasm and fascination the words suggest. Furthermore, with no chapter references and few pauses between sections, transitions, such as the change of location from Ecuador to Massachusetts, are awkward.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
The prose and Athavale’s expertly restrained performance meld gracefully in this flawless audiobook.
Narrator Vidish Athavale's voice is softly indelible, like the snow that blankets the Himalayan landscape the author so beautifully describes. An Indian wildlife biologist, Suryawanshi has spent decades studying snow leopards and their ecosystem among the planet's highest mountain peaks. What differentiates the author's scientific work, and his enthralling narrative, is his goal to understand and protect rather than conquer. The author also achieves a near-perfect balance between insightful and entertaining personal observations of remote communities (both animal and human); his own growth as a scientist, husband, and father; and the difficult and dangerous scientific work he and his colleagues have undertaken.
The prose and Athavale’s expertly restrained performance meld gracefully in this flawless audiobook.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
Duration: 10 hrs, 9 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217336845
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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