Philip Robbins
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- helpful votes
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Going Infinite
- The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Michael Lewis
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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When Michael Lewis first met him, Sam Bankman-Fried was the world’s youngest billionaire and crypto’s Gatsby. CEOs, celebrities, and leaders of small countries all vied for his time and cash after he catapulted, practically overnight, onto the Forbes billionaire list. Who was this rumpled guy in cargo shorts and limp white socks, whose eyes twitched across Zoom meetings as he played video games on the side?
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really expected more rigor from Michael Lewis
- By Wowhello on 10-04-23
- Going Infinite
- The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon
- By: Michael Lewis
- Narrated by: Michael Lewis
Gripping, bracing, worthy of consideration
Reviewed: 10-06-23
Micheal Lewis’s way of deconstruction, analysis and storytelling more generally in this and his previous books are, for me, interesting, fascinating, captivating and thought provoking.
In the case of SBF I was aware of FTX, SBF, and E.A. beginning in 2020 simply because I read the news on a daily basis and for anyone with a similar habit SBF’s meteoric rise seems impossible to have missed. Before I consumed Going Infinite I had formed my own opinions about FTX and SBF which were not flattering. Basically I was absolutely convinced that SBF is criminal at worst. At best way in over his head and utterly incapable of recognizing right from wrong.
So, having read what Lewis has to say here I still think SBF et al. deserve everything they have coming to them at trial. However, I came away from this book with a different perspective. I don’t have any sympathy for SBF but I can’t deny that I am able to recognize SBF’s humanity inasmuch as I don’t believe that the kid who went to work for Jane Street was corrupt from day one. It’s an interesting story because it illustrates among other things a progression from the idealistic effective altruist to a character completely ultimately incapable of recognizing the difference between right and wrong. SBF in my estimation is clearly a gifted genius and an empty vessel who is likely not and will never be capable of recognizing boundaries. So self absorbed and disposed to navigate life by calculation that the ends always justify the means. It’s just a fascinating read. If you like Lewis’ previous work and the way he tells a story I recommend Going Infinite.
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The Shame and the Sorrow
- Dutch-Amerindian Encounters in New Netherland (Early American Studies)
- By: Donna Merwick
- Narrated by: Gloria Mason Martin
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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The Dutch, through the directors of the West India Company, purchased Manhattan Island in 1625. They had come to the New World as traders, not expecting to assume responsibility as the sovereign possessor of a conquered New Netherland. They did not intend to make war on the native peoples around Manhattan Island, but they did; they did not intend to help destroy native cultures, but they did; they intended to be overseas the tolerant, pluralistic, and antimilitaristic people they thought themselves to be - and in so many respects were - at home, but they were not.
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Not a mere land grab
- By wylie smith on 12-26-19
- The Shame and the Sorrow
- Dutch-Amerindian Encounters in New Netherland (Early American Studies)
- By: Donna Merwick
- Narrated by: Gloria Mason Martin
Narrator Quality Matters
Reviewed: 11-07-22
The subject matter of this audiobook is very interesting to me which is why I made the purchase. The reason I have given a sub par review is owning wholly to poor quality narration. It sounds like a female computer voice and what’s problematic is the cadence; punctuation matters. Often times it just comes across disjointed and difficult to follow. Super interesting subject matter but the delivery here is abysmal.
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The Island at the Center of the World
- The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America
- By: Russell Shorto
- Narrated by: Russell Shorto
- Length: 14 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In a landmark work of history, Russell Shorto presents astonishing information on the founding of our nation and reveals in riveting detail the crucial role of the Dutch in making America what it is today.
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Incomplete history, but fun. Performance is poor.
- By Matthew on 11-27-18
- The Island at the Center of the World
- The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America
- By: Russell Shorto
- Narrated by: Russell Shorto
Finally
Reviewed: 11-06-22
I have been waiting for an audiobook that addresses Dutch history in North America. Shorto’s treatment is well worth it.
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Confidence Man
- The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America
- By: Maggie Haberman
- Narrated by: Maggie Haberman
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Few journalists working today have covered Donald Trump more extensively than Maggie Haberman. And few understand him and his motivations better. Now, demonstrating her majestic command of this story, Haberman reveals in full the depth of her understanding of the 45th president himself, and of what the Trump phenomenon means.
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This is the only one you have to read
- By Amazon Customer on 10-06-22
- Confidence Man
- The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America
- By: Maggie Haberman
- Narrated by: Maggie Haberman
Information & Belief…
Reviewed: 10-23-22
Overall the narrative is fascinating because of the the amount of background.
Ms. Haberman’s delivery is very agreeable. I listened to this AB three times.
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The Frontiersmen
- A Narrative
- By: Allan W. Eckert
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 30 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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The frontiersmen were a remarkable breed of men. They were often rough and illiterate, sometimes brutal and vicious, often seeking an escape in the wilderness of mid-America from crimes committed back east. In the beautiful but deadly country which would one day come to be known as West Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, more often than not they left their bones to bleach beside forest paths or on the banks of the Ohio River.
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A Masterpiece for History Novel Enthusiasts!
- By Whitney on 06-08-11
- The Frontiersmen
- A Narrative
- By: Allan W. Eckert
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
Immersive, Colorful, Unvarnished
Reviewed: 08-20-22
If you’re interested in 18th century American history this might be for you. A raw and unflinching narrative that vividly captures the frontiersman and Indian experiences of the 18th century. Mesmerizing descriptions of the landscape’s flora & fauna and the Native Americans that inhabited those spaces .
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The Bin Laden Papers
- How the Abbottabad Raid Revealed the Truth About Al-Qaeda, Its Leader, and His Family
- By: Nelly Lahoud
- Narrated by: Lameece Issaq
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Usama Bin Laden’s greatest fear was not capture or death, but the exposure of al-Qaeda’s secrets. At great risk to themselves and the entire mission, the US Special Operations Forces, who carried out the Abbottabad raid that killed Bin Laden, took an additional eighteen minutes to collect Bin Laden’s hard drives and thereby expose al-Qaeda’s secrets. In this ground-breaking book, Nelly Lahoud dives into Bin Laden’s files and meticulously distills the nearly six thousand pages of Arabic private communications.
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Love letter to Bin Laden
- By Anonymous User on 05-30-22
- The Bin Laden Papers
- How the Abbottabad Raid Revealed the Truth About Al-Qaeda, Its Leader, and His Family
- By: Nelly Lahoud
- Narrated by: Lameece Issaq
Incredibly Fascinating….
Reviewed: 04-26-22
A masterfully arranged and interpreted collection of inarguably one of the most significant intelligence scoops of the 21st century.
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The Guns of John Moses Browning
- The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World
- By: Nathan Gorenstein
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Few people are aware that John Moses Browning - a tall, humble, cerebral man born in 1855 and raised as a Mormon in the American West - was the mind behind many of the world-changing firearms that dominated more than a century of conflict. He invented the design used in virtually all modern pistols, created the most popular hunting rifles and shotguns, and conceived the machine guns that proved decisive not just in World Wars I and II but nearly every major military action since. Yet few in America knew his name until he was into his 60s.
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Fascinating Story
- By tb on 07-02-21
- The Guns of John Moses Browning
- The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the World
- By: Nathan Gorenstein
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
B.A.R.
Reviewed: 11-16-21
My review? All 15 stars!
Legendary creator of sporting and military firearms. Who gave to Marines, Navy, Army and Air Force personnel the tools that are still part of the war fighting trade, #mod-deuce.50cal.
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