Michael Wimer
- 4
- reviews
- 18
- helpful votes
- 44
- ratings
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The Lost City of Z
- A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
- By: David Grann
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,290
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,368
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Story4 out of 5 stars 3,380
A sensational disappearance that made headlines around the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or disappearance for those who seek to solve it. The Lost City of Z is a blockbuster adventure narrative about what lies beneath the impenetrable jungle canopy of the Amazon. After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann set out to find out what happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A Worthy Read for Armchair Explorers
- By Jennifer Seattle, WA on 03-01-09
- The Lost City of Z
- A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
- By: David Grann
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
Great Storytelling
Reviewed: 08-14-23
The level of research and detail is compelling. It magnifies just how miserable the expeditions must have been. Note that this is not an answer to the riddle of Z, but rather is a journey from curiosity to ambition to expertise to madness. Nice amalgam of RIVER OF DOUBT APOCALYPSE NOW INTO THIN AIR MOSQUITO COAST. Gann is a master
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Educated
- A Memoir
- By: Tara Westover
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 126,424
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 111,420
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Story5 out of 5 stars 111,032
Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. When another brother got himself into college, Tara decided to try a new kind of life. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Other Side of Idaho's Mountains
- By Darwin8u on 03-28-18
- Educated
- A Memoir
- By: Tara Westover
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
...fantastic when read alongside two other books....
Reviewed: 08-28-19
I read this in conjunction with Going Clear and Under the Banner of Heaven...these three books give compelling perspectives on the complexities of fundamentalism. What Westover does so powerfully is communicate just how abusive and toxic these ‘religions’ are on a personal level. This book was a painful read...
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Sacred Knowledge
- Psychedelics and Religious Experiences
- By: William Richards
- Narrated by: River Kanoff
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 315
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 273
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 271
Sacred Knowledge is the first well-documented, sophisticated account of the effect of psychedelics on biological processes, human consciousness, and revelatory religious experiences. Based on nearly three decades of legal research with volunteers, William A. Richards argues that, if used responsibly and legally, psychedelics have the potential to assuage suffering and constructively affect the quality of human life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Groundbreaking Wisdom: A Must Read
- By Voyager on 10-07-17
- Sacred Knowledge
- Psychedelics and Religious Experiences
- By: William Richards
- Narrated by: River Kanoff
Illuminating to Read After HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND
Reviewed: 10-01-18
Read after HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND by Michael Pollan. This book is helpful and illuminating without being as "airy" as most books on the subject of consciousness. Though the author is clearly a supporter of re-opening the scientific study of psychedelics, which was trashed by Nixon, conservatives, concerned parents and people who were understandably freaked by the any unknowns of mind altering drugs, he does so without any hardcore selling. This author asks and answers questions with more medical specificity than Pollan and, in general, shines more light on subject without spending a lot of time proselytizing nor going overly-Leary/Esalen on the reader. I found it to be quite worth the investment....
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16 people found this helpful
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The Better Angels of Our Nature
- Why Violence Has Declined
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 36 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,362
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,512
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,465
Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I'd kill for another book this good
- By Eric on 11-11-11
- The Better Angels of Our Nature
- Why Violence Has Declined
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
What an extraordinary challenge this author has taken on...
Reviewed: 10-01-17
Although some will find the unabridged version daunting and sometimes repetitive, I have a library of books that I would balance against this single work in terms of answering the very difficult question of whether or not there needs to be a god. The very repetitions I mention above are necessary because Pinker, ever the scientist, slices all of his facts and statistics and observations such that the mountain of precise data is, in itself, an argument that a scientist/ thinking person can get to somewhere beautiful without having to rely on the consistent ridiculousness of religionists. I don’t know of any other work as nearly as efficient and successful as this book is in doing the hard work that religion tries to shortcut...Wonderful.
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