David Slayback
- 12
- reviews
- 6
- helpful votes
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Why We Did It
- A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell
- By: Tim Miller
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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As one of the strategists behind the famous 2012 RNC “autopsy,” Miller conducts his own forensic study on the pungent carcass of the party he used to love, cutting into all the hubris, ambition, idiocy, desperation, and self-deception for everyone to see. In a bracingly honest reflection on both his own past work for the Republican Party and the contortions of his former peers in the GOP establishment, Miller draws a straight line between the actions of the 2000s GOP to the Republican political class's Trumpian takeover, including the horrors of January 6th.
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No, Tim!
- By Lori Renard on 06-30-22
- Why We Did It
- A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell
- By: Tim Miller
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
Funny, honest, vulnerable. Left me wanting more
Reviewed: 07-10-22
Bias up front, I listen to Tim Miller on The Bulwark and other interviews where he appears (not a follower on Twitter or TikTok) and generally find him funny and refreshingly clear-eyed.
This book is more of the same, in a good way. As a former GOP operative/researcher/hatchet man, Tim knows a ton of colleagues who never broke away from Trump and wants to know why. He starts by laying out the timeline of how he did it, his path of disillusionment with "the game" and the people he worked for competing with his ability to compartmentalize and desire to keep doing the thing he'd always known. After laying out his own reasons, he moves on to categorize the different reasons why others stayed on and gives examples of each. For him, it's viscerally personal; he knows all of these people to various degrees and gives anecdotes that really flesh out the character that he ascribes to them.
The book is well-written and tightly-paced. Tim is funny in both wordplay and blunt honesty. If it weren't an audiobook, I'd include some quotes; I really need to go back and write down some of the one-liners and turns of phrase. I also found this book very moving, particularly the vignettes about being an in (and then out-of-the-closet) gay man whose work was to publicly speak against his own desires and the interactions with some of the more sympathetic characters in the book.
My only complaint (which could also be seen as a good thing) was that it left me wanting more. It starts and ends with him reconnecting with one of his erstwhile connections, and the ending in particular is both sad and abrupt. Not everyone makes it out, and no one really does unscathed. But in some ways, that ending is the honest one, and this book was nothing if not honest and vulnerable.
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The Lincoln Lawyer: Booktrack Edition
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Mickey Haller is a Lincoln Lawyer, a criminal defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car, traveling between the far-flung courthouses of Los Angeles to defend clients of every kind. Bikers, con artists, drunk drivers, drug dealers - they're all on Mickey Haller's client list. For him, the law is rarely about guilt or innocence; it's about negotiation and manipulation. Sometimes it's even about justice.
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Background music
- By Mark w Nelson on 02-23-21
- The Lincoln Lawyer: Booktrack Edition
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
Thrilling book, great narrator, marred by music
Reviewed: 05-14-22
The actual book was well written and tightly paced. Mickey Haller is a sympathetic but realistic protagonist, and I really like how the story kept the tension by letting the reader in on just enough to be torn between plots. The narrator put in a strong performance too, particularly with some of the side characters.
My main complaint: please don't put random music beats into audiobooks! Especially early on, it was really distracting and poorly balanced, sometimes competing in volume with the narrator. The Thrawn trilogy on Audible is an example of good use of sound effects and music. This more like someone sprayed the contents of their free beats software over a track without listening
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- As Told to Alex Haley
- By: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
- Narrated by: Laurence Fishburne
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
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it's Nearly perfect
- By Kerry on 09-16-20
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- As Told to Alex Haley
- By: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
- Narrated by: Laurence Fishburne
Well-performed, thought-provoking
Reviewed: 05-01-22
I picked up this book on a whim because I wanted to understand a time in American history through the perspective of one of the influencers of the day. After reading it, I understand how Malcolm X held so much sway, even if I don't agree with a lot of his opinions.
Malcolm X makes a very powerful narrator. This book is told in the style of a true storyteller unafraid to voice his opinions. I was gripped by the stories of his life, from being a headstrong boy to a hustler in the ghetto to a new convert to a national voice. He doesn't waste words or time, he's very matter-of-fact with what he believes down to predicting his own death at the hands of the nation of Islam. Laurence Fishburn does an excellent job of bringing out the fiery character of those words.
The book doesn't shy away from highlighting X's flaws. Even when he offers explanations of being misunderstood or otherwise taken out of context, he still doesn't feel defensive. I came away feeling like I understood his worldview without feeling preached at or that I needed to take a side. I was undeniably turned off by some of what he believed (the chauvinism, some of the more radical prescriptions), but I can't blame the book for his character, and the honesty was refreshing.
Definitely worth reading, even (or especially) if you don't agree with him. It doesn't tell the reader what to do or think, it just gives insights.
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Projections
- A Story of Human Emotions
- By: Karl Deisseroth
- Narrated by: Karl Deisseroth, Natalie Naudus, Karen Chilton
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Karl Deisseroth has spent his life pursuing truths about the human mind, both as a renowned clinical psychiatrist and as a researcher creating and developing the revolutionary field of optogenetics, which uses light to help decipher the brain’s workings. In Projections, he combines his knowledge of the brain’s inner circuitry with a deep empathy for his patients to examine what mental illness reveals about the human mind and the origin of human feelings - how the broken can illuminate the unbroken.
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Authors, USE BETTER NARRATORS!!
- By aaron on 08-28-21
- Projections
- A Story of Human Emotions
- By: Karl Deisseroth
- Narrated by: Karl Deisseroth, Natalie Naudus, Karen Chilton
Interesting, but overly wordy and poetic
Reviewed: 04-25-22
I really wanted to like this book. I listened to multiple interviews with the author, I think optogenetics is a cool approach to figuring out how our minds work, and I was looking forward to some in-depth tales of case studies and science.
There is definitely some of that here. The book is structured with 1 case study per chapter, covering a range of psychiatric ailments and patients that the author personally encountered. Usually at the end of each chapter is a tie-in to what science has shown us about the particular issue for that patient. Unfortunately, the tie-ins are a bit shallow for me; there really isn't much to them beyond the abstract of a paper here or there.
The other problem is that everything takes so long to get to the point. The author belabors each chapter with flowery language, poetry, and quotes. The author also makes a poor narrator, reading with a slow, choppy cadence. My favorite chapters were the ones where other narrators stepped in to play the patients.
It's hard to take anything away from the book. The case studies were interesting but not as well told as other books of case studies I've read. The science is sort of gestured it. The ending chapter tries to tie it together into a tale of how optogenetics shows that a lot of the disorders boil down to specific neuron firing, but I already believed that, and it didn't really say anything new. The book is not bad, but it doesn't offer a unique enough perspective to get over how dully written it is
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Crash Dive: The Complete Series (Books 1-6)
- By: Craig DiLouie
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 29 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Crash Dive: The Complete Series chronicles the adventures of Charlie Harrison as he fights the Imperial Japanese Navy during WW2. Gripping, action-packed, authentic, and filled with larger-than-life men and women of the Greatest Generation, Crash Dive puts you aboard a submarine during the war. You'll stand alongside Charlie as he proves himself time and again by keeping his wits and being decisive in crisis, though each encounter leaves him more heavily scarred for it.
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great series
- By Old Diamond Jim on 12-30-19
- Crash Dive: The Complete Series (Books 1-6)
- By: Craig DiLouie
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Pleasant Escapism
Reviewed: 09-27-21
These aren't the best books I've ever read. The characters are somewhat flat and trite, and the plots are predictable. The story doesn't twist or invoke shades of gray or ever make you feel uncomfortable. Yet overall, I still enjoyed the set! Sometimes you're in the mood for some escapism, clear good and bad guys. The writing is tight, fast-paced, and easy to follow. The narrator's performance combined with the author's dialogue really sold me on the world he conveyed and the hopes of the people involved. If you're looking for a literary masterpiece or some gripping mystery, look elsewhere. But if you're a fan of action schlock or just generally want a pick-me-up kind of series that never wears out its welcome, Crash Dive (particularly in this audio form) is a great choice!
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Atomic Awakening
- A New Look at the History and Future of Nuclear Power
- By: James Mahaffey
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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The American public's introduction to nuclear technology was manifested in destruction and death. With Hiroshima and the Cold War still ringing in our ears, our perception of all things nuclear is seen through the lens of weapons development. Nuclear power is full of mind-bending theories, deep secrets, and the misdirection of public consciousness - some deliberate, some accidental. The result of this fixation on bombs and fallout is that the development of a non-polluting, renewable energy source stands frozen in time.
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Great book. Atrocious robot narration.
- By Ted on 07-11-19
- Atomic Awakening
- A New Look at the History and Future of Nuclear Power
- By: James Mahaffey
- Narrated by: John McLain
An enthusiast's history of nuclear science
Reviewed: 09-27-21
Up front, I'm generally a fan of nuclear energy, and it's evident that the author (a former nuclear scientist himself) is too. That said, I think the book does a decent job of telling an unbiased factual history of the atomic age. Mahaffey does a great job breaking down the important advances along the way so that a layman can understand, weaving in humor and interesting life tidbits into a compelling narrative that kept me interested throughout. I particularly enjoyed the section on the immediate post-war era, which tells a string of crazy (brilliant and/or terrifying) experiments and ideas born out of a palpable excitement about the possibilities of this new invention! Despite being a bit out-of-date with current nuclear progress, the ending was also satisfyingly motivational.
Mahaffey doesn't necessarily have any grand predictions or particular prescriptions. He has a view, but it doesn't feel preachy. Mostly, it's a well-paced historical narrative tinged with the optimism and excitement he clearly has.
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Kill Switch
- The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy
- By: Adam Jentleson
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Every major decision governing our diverse, majority-female, and increasingly liberal country bears the stamp of the US Senate, yet the Senate allows an almost exclusively White, predominantly male, and radically conservative minority of the American electorate to impose its will on the rest of us. How did we get to this point? In Kill Switch, Adam Jentleson argues that shifting demographics alone cannot explain how Mitch McConnell harnessed the Senate and turned it into a powerful weapon of minority rule.
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Don't bother, narration intolerable!
- By Joseph on 03-08-21
- Kill Switch
- The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy
- By: Adam Jentleson
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
Important subject, but a bit blandly told
Reviewed: 06-26-21
Overall, I found this book a bit dull, but worth reading if you're curious about the filibuster and don't already have a detailed knowledge of how it works.
I came into this book already having a fairly strong opinion about the filibuster (abolish it), so I was biased in favor of agreeing with the author. He does a good job setting out the actual history behind the filibuster, how it arose unintentionally from a few oversights and rule changes and became what it is today. I find the case compelling, but the book never really moved me. The facts are there, but there's just something missing. The author admits his bias upfront, but then attempts to step back into fairly dispassionate prose that doesn't really pull the narrative together. I just don't feel like I came away with much that was both new to me and actually insightful or useful. The book is also not helped by the fairly stilted narrator
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A Random Walk Down Wall Street
- A Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing (Eleventh Edition)
- By: Burton G. Malkiel
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Burton G. Malkiel's classic and gimmick-free investment guide is now more necessary than ever. Rather than tricks, what you'll find here is a time-tested and thoroughly research-based strategy for your portfolio. Whether you're considering your first 401(k) contribution or contemplating retirement, this fully updated edition of A Random Walk Down Wall Street should be the first book on your wishlist.
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Let me save you 12 hours & 14 minutes
- By MckKingry on 02-11-19
- A Random Walk Down Wall Street
- A Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing (Eleventh Edition)
- By: Burton G. Malkiel
- Narrated by: George Guidall
In 3 words: Buy index funds
Reviewed: 07-14-20
Really, my summary above is the whole thesis of this book. Low cost index funds held over the long term outperform any form of active investing. There are some subtleties involved that the author goes into, particularly on the specifics of balancing risk to reward in your portfolio, but that's about it.
So why is this book 12 hours long? Honestly, for most people, it's overly repetitive. Most of the book takes the form of case studies, exploring different strategies people have taken to try to outperform the market. Malkiel is a surprisingly good storyteller, but when you already buy into the thesis, it's hard to stay engaged. You already know the ending. As someone already familiar with the subject, most of the useful stuff was in the last 2 chapters, which offered concrete plans. I also got a lot out of the chapter on modern portfolio theory.
All that said, I know why this book is so commonly recommended to new investors, and I recommend it for the same reason. It's like a long ice bath, systematically dismantling the delusions of grandeur that most new investors start with. For these readers, the repetitiveness is an advantage: it emphasizes that none of the ideas they might have are magic bullets. By exhaustively detailing each strategy, Malkeil increases the chance that he hits the particular one(s) that the reader believes in.
Overall, an interesting but limited book if you already believe the thesis, but excellent for new investors.
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Red Notice
- A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man's Fight for Justice
- By: Bill Browder
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Red Notice is a searing expose of the wholesale whitewash by Russian authorities of Magnitsky's imprisonment and murder, slicing deep into the shadowy heart of the Kremlin to uncover its sordid truths.
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This is an absolute "YES" as your next read/listen
- By William on 02-07-15
- Red Notice
- A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man's Fight for Justice
- By: Bill Browder
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
Reads like the Arkady Renko series, but in real li
Reviewed: 06-30-20
I bought this book as part of a 2-for-1 sale, knowing only some of the basics about Bill Browder and the Magnitsky Act. I'm glad I did!
The story starts off as an autobiography of Browder, explaining his origin and how he came to be so involved in Eastern Europe. I honestly hadn't expected this part to be as interesting as it was. Browder is a good POV narrator, and he was able to break down a lot of the economic concepts in an understandable and engaging way. He also just comes across as generally relatable, never seeming to talk down to the reader or holding himself up as any sort of paragon; he seems to get where he does via a combination of genuine interest, persistence, and luck. Finally, I loved getting some insight into the world of post USSR society, and how cynicism was almost an inevitable consequence in its people.
As the level of criminality in Russia begins to impact his business dealings, the story transitions to more of a thriller, and even though I knew the eventual outcome, I was still gripped by the pacing, always eager to hear what would happen next. Towards the end, when Russia is setting out to prosecute as many of his associates as it can (ultimately resulting in the death of Sergei Magnitsky), you can really feel the combination of panic, sorrow, and doubt; Browder (imo, wrongly) blames himself for Magnistky's death, and that self-blame is what drives him to push the Magnitsky Act through.
Overall, a satisfying book, even if you already know the gist of what happens. The ending is bittersweet, of course, but uplifting.
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How to Build Meaningful Relationships Through Conversation
- By: Carol Ann Lloyd, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Carol Ann Lloyd
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
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In 10 lectures for self-development, professional communications coach and speaker Carol Ann Lloyd teaches the best ways to communicate and listen, including how to focus on understanding, how to overcome barriers and distractions, and how to clarify intentions. When listeners step back to hear what makes conversations successful, they will learn that each component of a conversation is a piece of a larger puzzle, which only fits together when thoughtfully considered and executed.
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Only Got 5 Minutes In…
- By Shayla on 04-06-20
Basic conversation through case study
Reviewed: 06-27-20
Pretty good overall, but not groundbreaking. Most of what I read was stuff I already knew, but it was well told and motivated by the case study style the author uses. The general idea is to start approaching conversation with purpose and to understand the full context behind it.
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