theresa saso

Objective and Entertaining

Revisado: 02-08-25

A nice review of the history and effect of the food industry’s never ending race to profits at the cost of a international health crises

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An Important and Entertaining Triumph

Revisado: 05-06-24

NARRATION: GREAT narration! I usually listen a little slower or faster, but this was right on and his voicing of the characters was superb.

THE STORY
As a memoirist (don't worry, I'm not self-promoting, I don't use my real name on my Audible account) I could see "behind the scenes" at what a difficult task Rebecca Renner and her editors were taking on. This book is about Operation Alligator Thief, told from the third-person perspective of the undercover Florida Wildlife Officer who made the case over 2 1/2 years, operating an alligator farm, and the first-person perspective of Rebecca as the author investigating the subject matter, obviously post-facto. She could have written this book as basically a true crime thriller, but it would have lost some of the great insights and straight-up biology, history, anthropology and social justice lessons.
It's hard to teach and entertain at the same time, but Rebecca does a very good job balancing the hero's journey and her own investigative journalism memoir. I won't say there weren't times listening that it dragged just a touch because of the depth of some of those lessons, but that is only in comparison to the tension of the undercover story. And I learned so much about all these aforementioned subjects.
What really impressed me about this book was how Rebecca humanized the subjects (and not the animals) into 3D persons instead of 2D heroes and villains. Some authors think they do the same but they really don't. And she didn't "even them out" either. She didn't just lead her readers to the "were all the same in the end" bs that many writers and journalists do. She basically showed us the real people and their circumstances and the truth of their social and physical environment but also showed the moral and legal decisions. No, not everyone is completely a hero or villain but that doesn't mean there aren't heroes and villains in a situation.

So, yes, give it a listen and when it bogs down (that might be a pun) wade through (I may have done it again) as you will be rewarded by more than just clever mystery writing type pay-offs. You'll get the real mud. (sorry).

Cheers to American heroes, like Jeff, and journalists, like Rebecca who tell their stories with integrity.

J

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The Tokyo Rose of the Bernie Bros Rememoirs

Revisado: 12-15-23

Amber, Nanoceleb, Dirtbag of the Left, Socialism's Girl Friday, The Tokyo Rose of the Bernie Bros, 5'3" 1/2 dynamo, pens a collection of essays!

You insisted I buy this book so I did. When you say "jump", I say "how high and upon which neoliberal's neck. Amber insists she doesn't read reviews, so this is for my fellow comrades, and perhaps a few centrists looking for truth.

NARRATION
It's Amber, you know, a lovely drone that feels sarcastic even when she's not saying anything sarcastic. A little fry on the edges. It's memoiresque, so I like it when author's read. It sounded as if she got more comfortable later in the read-- maybe lower intensity gummies, or maybe just me. The editing is solid. No annoying breaths or noises. If you love her on Chapo you'll love the narration.

CONTENT

There's a lot going on here. It's memoiry, it's political, it's a lot of dishing on really inside baseball people and topics. I preferred the memoir stuff, her childhood and work history and relationships. To me, she's the Labor Queen (she's the one who would come on Chapo and really talk nuts and bolts of the labor movement in an out of DSA) and she makes a strong biographical and political argument for labor being the vehicle that can affect our deadlocked 2-party neolib nightmare. (A big point for me, that I'll take away)

The essay on Occupy felt like a metaphor of the book and sometimes, not inconsistently, a manic one-sided (the patient) therapy session. Sometimes I was rapt with her frenzied descriptions, and sometimes I was annoyed at the details of some axe she's grinding about somebody I don't recognize or care about. Although her overall take on Occupy really felt like it was processed intelligently from beginning to end and ultimately some real truths are identified that I'll keep because they are the best synopsis I've heard yet.

There's a lot of interesting takes in this rather short book of essays. Her take on the Panther's storied breakfast program, her personally experience with abortions ("Jesus Christ, Amber #!") and takedown of Planned Parenthood, Trump Panic, Social Media, Virgil disappearing like HR before a Bad Brains gig, the aforementioned take on Labor as a unifying force:, Snowpiercer: all worth the price of the book and your time. If you are looking for Trapo dishing, not much here.

But the standout essay is her metaphorical categories of democrats as masochists, pedos, and necrophiliacs . It's as clever as it is true, Definitely my favorite.

The essay/post mortem on Bernie brought it all back for me, what could have been, a "cloud of bats". It felt like a memorial. South Carolina all over again. But as Amber notes, "Optimism is for suckers and pessimism is for ..." Amber is nothing if not a realist.

A good listen,

Thanks, Amber

--Joseph Naus

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Slow Motion Dystopia --

Revisado: 12-03-23

NO SPOILERS.

NARRATOR

I listened to this at 90% just to savor it. Ms. Araya is perfect. The sound editing is flawless. No breaths and I think I can recall only one obvious edit in the entire read. Her male voice is not bad, either. I'd definitely choose her over most narrators of the dozens or more I've come across.

REVIEW

It's hard not to compare this to Dave Eggers, "The Circle". But whereas that has a Hollywood feel, this feels sparse and raw. I also thought of White Noise, as far as tone. I was surprised to like that it was in third-person although it felt like first-present. Much of the book is spent in the mind of Theresa, the protagonist, who is an everywoman. The recounting of her life's jobs might be frighteningly accurate for those growing numbers who haven't secured the American Dream of a career, family, and financial security. It's the "quiet desperation" of someone who is not overly ambitious in her work but is caring and diligent, and perhaps a little worse off for being a bit of a people pleaser.

McNeil perfectly walks a line, I'm not sure where or what that line is, something to do with criticism, commentary, maybe even satire, but most certainly something that is modern reality. I love some of the names, like Holistic Apex. And there's Falcon Gidry, a lying, ridiculously pretentious tech billionaire, that seems to live above the laws of man and nature. Fake tech and despicable people. The setting of this novel is only absurd if you aren't familiar with the dealings of Elon Musk and Bill Gates and many others and what has gone on in the last decade or so in this world, particularly the US, particularly in the deindustrialization of the midwest, a la Chris Hedges, "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt."
This is literature, but it reads (listens) more like a page-turner.
I'm going to re-listen and check out McNeil's other offerings.
Thanks for the great read,
Joseph Naus

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Solid Sedaris

Revisado: 12-11-22

He’s funny, right? Yes indeed. Oh is that right? Yes it is. I said funny. 15 words.

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David Hyde Pierce gives an impeccable performance

Revisado: 05-10-21

perfect narrator! pronunciation of the strange words were so spot on and really at a depth to this story

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Love this series!!!

Revisado: 09-06-16

Where does The Obelisk Gate rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Current fave in all fiction

What about Robin Miles’s performance did you like?

Mile's voice is like a massage on my ears, and her performance drops me right into the middle of this world.

Any additional comments?

Such an amazingly rich and different world. Extremely unique and a wonderful travel experience. I'm going to listen to the first book again right now.

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esto le resultó útil a 14 personas