SouthwestDude
- 9
- reviews
- 18
- helpful votes
- 56
- ratings
-
Big Hair and Plastic Grass
- A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s
- By: Dan Epstein
- Narrated by: Dan Epstein
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 293
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 265
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 265
The Bronx Is Burning meets Chuck Klosterman in this wild pop-culture history of baseball's most colorful and controversial decade. The Major Leagues witnessed more dramatic stories and changes in the 70s than in any other era. The American popular culture and counterculture collided head-on with the national pastime, rocking the once-conservative sport to its very foundations. For the millions of fans who grew up during this time, Big Hair and Plastic Grass serves up a delicious trip down memory lane.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent but biased
- By Andy on 02-25-21
- Big Hair and Plastic Grass
- A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s
- By: Dan Epstein
- Narrated by: Dan Epstein
Fun but ruined by narration
Reviewed: 09-25-23
How in the world do you write a book about 1970s baseball and then narrate it and mispronounce the player’s names? Aargh! So maddening. I mean - you can’t get Mark Belanger and Doug Decinces right? It takes away a bit of the author’s credibility.
The book is well researched and written and I did truly enjoy it. I recommend it but please don’t use the pronunciations around fans who remember that era.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Carrying the Fire
- An Astronaut's Journeys
- By: Michael Collins, Charles A. Lindbergh - foreword
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,295
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,148
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,144
In Carrying the Fire, Michael Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humor of the adventure of reaching the moon. He also traces his development from his first flight experiences in the air force, through his days as a test pilot, to his Apollo 11 spacewalk, presenting an evocative description of the joys of flight as well as a new perspective on time, light, and movement from someone who has seen the fragile Earth from the other side of the moon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
One of the Best Astro books
- By Ronald on 11-13-17
- Carrying the Fire
- An Astronaut's Journeys
- By: Michael Collins, Charles A. Lindbergh - foreword
- Narrated by: David Colacci
Perhaps the Best Astronaut autobiography?
Reviewed: 08-17-20
Michael Collins, science nerd, and famed astronaut writes his magnificent story with humor and insight. The narrator sadly turned him into a sarcastic person which doesn't seem consistent with the man or the tone of the book. Odd. Still highly, highly recommended.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Narrow Corner
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 41
On his way home from a remote Pacific island, Dr Saunders travels with two strangers: the treacherous Captain Nichols, and Fred, a handsome Australian with a shadowy past. Driven to shelter from a storm on the island of Banda, the trio meets good-natured Erik Christessen and his fiancée, the cool and beautiful Louise. A tense, exotic tale of love, jealousy, murder and suicide, which evolved from a passage in Maugham's earlier masterpiece, The Moon and Sixpence.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Stunningly Great
- By SouthwestDude on 09-08-19
- The Narrow Corner
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
Stunningly Great
Reviewed: 09-08-19
This remarkable story by the great Somerset Maugham is read brilliantly by David Thorpe. I was mesmerized throughout by his excellent narration and the compelling Dutch East Indies tale.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Stan Musial
- An American Life
- By: George Vecsey
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 117
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 108
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 110
When baseball fans voted on the top twenty-five players of the twentieth century in 1999, Stan Musial didn’t make the cut. This glaring omission—later rectified by a panel of experts—raised an important question: How could a first-ballot Hall of Famer, widely considered one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, still rank as the most underrated athlete of all time?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Vecsey is great... narrator, not so much
- By Daniel Stromme on 04-11-13
- Stan Musial
- An American Life
- By: George Vecsey
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
Ugh - Stan deserved better
Reviewed: 09-18-18
1. Mawkish, annoying, breathy narration
2. Mediocre and banal book
3. Spectacular and iconic player
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Willie Mays
- The Life, The Legend
- By: James S. Hirsch
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
- Length: 27 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 206
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 189
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 189
Willie Mays is arguably the greatest player in baseball history, still revered for the passion he brought to the game. He began as a teenager in the Negro Leagues, became a cult hero in New York, and was the headliner in Major League Baseball's bold expansion to California. He was a blend of power, speed, and stylistic bravado that enraptured fans for more than two decades. Now, James Hirsch reveals the man behind the player.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
If You Love Baseball... Learn about Willie
- By Steven on 07-18-17
- Willie Mays
- The Life, The Legend
- By: James S. Hirsch
- Narrated by: Adam Grupper
Ruined by terrible narration
Reviewed: 08-29-18
It’s a good and solid retelling of the great May’s life., unfortunately it’s marred by a goofy narrator who, ostensibly, doesn’t know diddly about baseball and can’t pronounce famous players names like Marichal and Cepeda or, as he calls them - Jim BOOTIN and Tom HOLLER. It’s maddening and will make real fans nuts. Further, it’s publicized as having an interview with the ads Hey Kid but it’s not on this spoken version of the book. I wished I’d simply gotten the book and read it myself.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Ball Four
- The Final Pitch
- By: Jim Bouton
- Narrated by: Jim Bouton
- Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,888
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,648
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,644
When Ball Four was published in 1970, it created a firestorm. Bouton was called a Judas, a Benedict Arnold and a “social leper” for having violated the “sanctity of the clubhouse.” Baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn tried to force Bouton to sign a statement saying the book wasn’t true. Ballplayers, most of whom hadn’t read it, denounced the book. It was even banned by a few libraries. Almost everyone else, however, loved Ball Four.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Three Ten Year Updates Give Bouton a 5th Star
- By Byron on 08-09-12
- Ball Four
- The Final Pitch
- By: Jim Bouton
- Narrated by: Jim Bouton
Brilliant and sad and so very human
Reviewed: 05-11-18
I have read Ball Four at least 10 times and was excited to hear Jim do the narration. I had no idea how much I would enjoy hearing his voice brung the 1969 Seattle Pilots alive. As a 12 year old I saw Jim pitch that year in Anaheim. Little did I know how much his book would impact my life.
The section on the loss of his daughter is devastating and yet so very poignant. I love you, Jim Bouton.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Sweet Thursday
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Jerry Farden
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 823
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 706
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 704
In Monterey, on the California coast, Sweet Thursday is what they call the day after Lousy Wednesday, which is one of those days that is just naturally bad. Returning to the scene of Cannery Row, the weedy lots and junk heaps and flophouses of Monterey, John Steinbeck once more brings to life the denizens of a netherworld of laughter and tears—from Fauna, new headmistress of the local brothel, to Hazel, a bum whose mother must have wanted a daughter.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The total is Greater than the Sum of its Parts
- By Jeff on 06-15-11
- Sweet Thursday
- By: John Steinbeck
- Narrated by: Jerry Farden
Wonderful narration of a heartwarming story
Reviewed: 10-10-16
The world is a sad and terrible place. It especially seems so these days but Steinbeck's world of simplicity and kindness will rejuvenate your faith in your fellow humans.
The narrator is the best I've ever heard. He captures the tone of each character and the tone of the book magnificently. I loved everything about this selection.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Always Running
- La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.
- By: Luis J. Rodriguez
- Narrated by: Luis J. Rodriguez
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 497
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 437
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 438
By age 12, Luis Rodriguez was a veteran of East L.A. gang warfare. Lured by a seemingly invincible gang culture, he witnessed countless shootings, beatings, and arrests, then watched with increasing fear as that culture claimed friends and family members. Before long, Rodriguez saw a way out of the barrio through education and successfully broke free from years of violence and desperation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Book for all educators
- By Heather M. Vitz on 03-15-15
- Always Running
- La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.
- By: Luis J. Rodriguez
- Narrated by: Luis J. Rodriguez
Narration like no other
Reviewed: 09-29-16
This is an important book for many reasons. The narration, by the author, is remarkable and brilliant.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
The Ancient Southwest: Chaco Canyon, Bandelier, and Mesa Verde
- By: David E. Stuart
- Narrated by: Todd Curless
- Length: 3 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 27
Over twenty-five years ago, David Stuart began writing award-winning newspaper articles on regional archaeology that appealed to general readers. These columns shared interesting, and usually little-known, facts and stories about the ancient people and places of the Southwest. Stuart's unusual perspective focuses on both the past and the present.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating but read terribly
- By SouthwestDude on 04-29-16
Fascinating but read terribly
Reviewed: 04-29-16
Sadly ruined by old time computer sounding reader - such a shame - however - a must listen if you're a southwest lover,
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful