Jed B
- 22
- reviews
- 40
- helpful votes
- 39
- ratings
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What Truth Sounds Like
- Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America
- By: Michael Eric Dyson
- Narrated by: Michael Eric Dyson
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 796
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 702
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 696
This audiobook exists at the tense intersection of the conflict between politics and prophecy - of whether we embrace political resolution or moral redemption to fix our fractured racial landscape.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Riffing on a meeting with RFK and James Baldwin
- By Adam Shields on 06-08-18
- What Truth Sounds Like
- Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America
- By: Michael Eric Dyson
- Narrated by: Michael Eric Dyson
a small moment crystallized
Reviewed: 11-12-18
the central scene of Bobby Kennedy's confrontation with Baldwin's Posse of black writers, artists, and intellectuals takes up only a small portion of the book, but it's branches and roots stretch out behind and before it across the years. because of that, the organization seems almost stream of consciousness. but it does hold together.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Undoing Project
- A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13,172
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11,490
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11,477
Forty years ago Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky wrote a series of breathtakingly original studies undoing our assumptions about the decision-making process. Their papers showed the ways in which the human mind erred systematically when forced to make judgments about uncertain situations. Their work created the field of behavioral economics, revolutionized Big Data studies, advanced evidence-based medicine, led to a new approach to government regulation, and made Michael Lewis' work possible.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Behind the scenes of amazing science
- By Neuron on 10-16-17
- The Undoing Project
- A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
deep and wide
Reviewed: 08-26-18
Several reviewers warned about the daunting science & math upon which the story turns. Math, particularly statistical math, is a weakness for me. The math and science were challenging, but worth it, and not too deep for a motivated layperson. Definitely worth your time, especially if you've never heard of their work. (I hadn't.) FInally, their personal stories enlightened and intertwined with the science. There is an ache in this story that connects the science they did to who they were, and who we are.
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Gilead
- By: Marilynne Robinson
- Narrated by: Tim Jerome
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,086
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,311
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Story4 out of 5 stars 2,306
In 1956, toward the end of Reverend John Ames's life, he begins a letter to his young son, an account of himself and his forebears. Ames is the son of an Iowan preacher and the grandson of a minister who, as a young man in Maine, saw a vision of Christ bound in chains and came west to Kansas to fight for abolition: He "preached men into the Civil War", then, at age 50, became a chaplain in the Union Army, losing his right eye in battle.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A book for dreaming over
- By Penelope Wisner on 04-18-05
- Gilead
- By: Marilynne Robinson
- Narrated by: Tim Jerome
A long affectionate sermon & a smattering of story
Reviewed: 03-28-18
I guess Harry Potter has ruined me, and I expect more narrative excitement then is provided here. the writing is certainly beautiful, and I did grow to care about the characters. I have known preachers who told a rollicking story, but this narrator is not that preacher.
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2 people found this helpful
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A Hobbit, A Wardrobe and a Great War
- How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918
- By: Joseph Loconte
- Narrated by: Dave Hoffman
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,226
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,103
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,104
The First World War laid waste to a continent and brought about the end of innocence — and the end of faith. Unlike a generation of young writers who lost faith in the God of the Bible, however, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis found that the Great War deepened their spiritual quest. Both men served as soldiers on the Western Front, survived the trenches, and used the experience of that conflict to ignite their Christian imagination.
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5 out of 5 stars
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My Tolkien-Lewis students will read this book
- By Orson on 10-14-15
- A Hobbit, A Wardrobe and a Great War
- How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918
- By: Joseph Loconte
- Narrated by: Dave Hoffman
All my favorites
Reviewed: 12-21-17
If you love C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and understanding how history, biography, and art intersect--this one is for you. Just enough sociological & psychological context to put the war and its impact on these two men into the proper context, but not so academic add to be dreary. What stuck with me were the pervasive, unexamined assumptions associated with liberalism & how WWI destroyed & devastated Western culture's love affair with the Myth of Progress. Lots of examples from their work demonstrate their intimate acquaintance with the terror of war, their suspicion of technology, and their unabashed awe with which they regarded the stolid courage & unpolished stubbornness of the working-class men with whom they served in the all-volunteer British Expeditionary Force. Their friendship mirrored the best part of that culture and the "stern & tender" relationships between men which made the accomplishments of the BEF possible. a wonderful book!
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17 people found this helpful
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You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
- A Memoir
- By: Sherman Alexie
- Narrated by: Sherman Alexie
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,809
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,638
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,633
When his mother passed away at the age of 78, Sherman Alexie responded the only way he knew how: He wrote. The result is this stunning memoir. Featuring 78 poems and 78 essays, Alexie shares raw, angry, funny, profane, tender memories of a childhood few can imagine - growing up dirt poor on an Indian reservation, one of four children raised by alcoholic parents. Throughout, a portrait emerges of his mother as a beautiful, mercurial, abusive, intelligent, complicated woman.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A Painful Gift
- By MC on 08-01-17
- You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
- A Memoir
- By: Sherman Alexie
- Narrated by: Sherman Alexie
Power, Beauty, Squalor, Shame & Laughter
Reviewed: 11-12-17
Why are all my favorite memoirs written by the sons of deeply wounded, defiantly creative, terribly flawed, and bulldog tough women? I cannot say. But Alexie's poetry, vulgarity, humor, & ruthless vulnerability stripped me bare and broke my strings. Read it.
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The Daybreakers
- The Sacketts, Book 6
- By: Louis L'Amour
- Narrated by: David Strathairn
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,827
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,523
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,521
Tyrel Sackett was born into trouble but vowed to justice. After having to kill a man in Tennessee, he hit the trail west with his brother Orrin. Those were the years when decent men and women lived in fear of Indians, rustlers, and killers, but the Sackett brothers worked to make the West a place where people could raise their children in peace. Orrin brought law and order from Santa Fe to Montana, and his brother Tye backed him up every step of the way. Till the day the job was done, Tye Sackett was the fastest gun alive.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very enjoyable story
- By Bruce E. Hawkins on 04-19-03
- The Daybreakers
- The Sacketts, Book 6
- By: Louis L'Amour
- Narrated by: David Strathairn
Finally!
Reviewed: 10-10-17
1st Louis L'Amour book I've ever read. Never thought of myself as a guy for Westerns, but this is just good writing--and reading!
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The Oedipus Plays
- An Audible Original Drama
- By: Sophocles, Ian Johnston - translator
- Narrated by: Jamie Glover, Hayley Atwell, Michael Maloney, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 835
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 758
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 759
The three Theban plays by Sophocles - Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone - are one of the great landmarks of Western theatre. They tell the story of Oedipus, King of Thebes, who was destined to suffer a terrible fate - to kill his father, marry his mother, and beget children of the incestuous union. He does this unknowingly but still has to suffer terrible consequences, which also tragically affect the next generation.
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5 out of 5 stars
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So Well Done!
- By LacyADM on 07-12-16
- The Oedipus Plays
- An Audible Original Drama
- By: Sophocles, Ian Johnston - translator
- Narrated by: Jamie Glover, Hayley Atwell, Michael Maloney, Samantha Bond, Julian Glover, David Horovitch
accessible and faithful
Reviewed: 09-29-17
a great old fashioned radio play, this classic updated so far as I can tell only in language, which seems to have been modernized very sparsely. as a result, the performance is rendered very accessible to lowbrow types like me, but loses none of its power.
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1 person found this helpful
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Louder Than Words
- The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning
- By: Benjamin K. Bergen
- Narrated by: Benjamin K. Bergen
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 445
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 397
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Story4 out of 5 stars 394
Whether it’s brusque, convincing, fraught with emotion, or dripping with innuendo, language is fundamentally a tool for conveying meaning - a uniquely human magic trick in which you vibrate your vocal cords to make your innermost thoughts pop up in someone else’s mind. You can use it to talk about all sorts of things - from your new labradoodle puppy to the expansive gardens at Versailles, from Roger Federer’s backhand to things that don’t exist at all, like flying pigs.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Fun But Technical--Glad I Got It On Sale
- By Gillian on 05-22-17
- Louder Than Words
- The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning
- By: Benjamin K. Bergen
- Narrated by: Benjamin K. Bergen
Lipstick on a pig
Reviewed: 07-12-17
I guess I've been spoiled by Brian Green and Bessemer van der Kolk. I now expect scientific authors to deliver scientific minutiae in a page-turning style while blowing my mind with meta-level insights. Bergen wants me to wade thru 10 chapters of tedious & redundant descriptions of experimental design, then throws me a few meager meta-tidbits in the last chapter or two. I'm sure it's a nifty subject, but I think it could have been two chapters in a larger book.
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Becoming Faulkner
- The Art and Life of William Faulker
- By: Philip Weinstein
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 44
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 36
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Story4 out of 5 stars 38
William Faulkner was the greatest American novelist of the 20th century, yet he lived a life marked by a pervasive sense of failure. Throughout his career, he remained haunted by his inability to master a series of personal and professional challenges: his less-than-heroic military career; the loss of his brother in an airplane crash; a disappointing stint as a Hollywood screenwriter; and a destructive bout with alcoholism.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Miss.'s BCS-Bundren.Compson.Snopes/Sutpen/Sartoris
- By W Perry Hall on 05-01-14
- Becoming Faulkner
- The Art and Life of William Faulker
- By: Philip Weinstein
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
Heartily recommend
Reviewed: 06-30-17
Others have complained of redundancy, but how can you write like Hemingway & evoke Faulkner? Especially when you're teasing out support for your thesis by quoting from the man's work. This sheds light both on the man and on the work; it doesn't revere him or sully him, but the writer is clearly a fan, and so he does get flowery at times. I found it satisfying.
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Just Mercy
- A Story of Justice and Redemption
- By: Bryan Stevenson
- Narrated by: Bryan Stevenson
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 18,308
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 16,212
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Story5 out of 5 stars 16,164
Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Made me question justice, peers and myself.
- By Kristy VL on 04-17-15
- Just Mercy
- A Story of Justice and Redemption
- By: Bryan Stevenson
- Narrated by: Bryan Stevenson
I dare you ...
Reviewed: 06-08-17
...to read this book without being changed. Maybe even radicalized. of course, the more you need to read it, the less likely you are to do so. God help us all.
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