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Starts out with bad advice

Revisado: 11-01-19

I listened to a few different introductory audiobooks on learning Japanese before getting to this one. I knew going into this one that people in Japan almost never use "watashi" as the pronoun for "I". Most basic expressions leave out the reference to yourself because it is implied by the context of what is being said. So in the first few minutes of this audiobook, they start suggesting you say watashi-this and watashi-that, I bailed out because I feel like the book will make me look like a fool. Also, with no text material to accompany the book (like most others have), you are going to miss out on how to *actually* pronounce most of the phrases because the speakers in this audiobook speak WAY too fast. At least with other books, which usually speak slower so you can hear, you can also read the printed words (in romaji i.e. romanized format). Many of the consonants are difficult for a Westerner to pick up only by listening to a fast talking Japanese. I cannot recommend this book.

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Deals only with the minutia of various ministers

Revisado: 03-12-18

What disappointed you about The End of Tsarist Russia?

The author had access to various records (especially a lot of diaries) that were available to historians for the first time, which had a lot of potential to be woven into the broader history of Russia, the last Czar, WWI and the Bolshevik revolution. But the book focused almost entirely on the thoughts and correspondences of Russian ministers and diplomats. All other history and historical context was left out or barely mentioned. I've been reading a lot of history lately, and all through the book I was thankful that I'd read OTHER books that actually explained things. If you are not well versed in history, this book will be incomprehensible. If you are well versed in history, you'll get very little out of this book. The author is extremely long winded, like he had a book of one third the length that needed to be expanded by tripling the text with a lot of fluff. I am very easy to please, I've given 5 stars to almost every audio book on any subject. This is my first negative review. The narrator was very good.

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Provides a lot of info for how a fruit company overthrew a democracy

Revisado: 11-08-16

I was interested in how United Fruit came to be such a well-connected company that they could have the CIA help them overthrow a democracy and install a dictator friendly to the company. The book gets to that towards the end, as Zimurray was an old man by that time.

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A very tense story

Revisado: 09-20-16

The inside story from a moderate who pretended to be a fanatic, inside the revolutionary guard. A very tense story, my stomach in knots most of the time. Highly recommended! The reader speaks very slow, had to listen at 1.5 to 2 times speed.

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A must-read for everybody

Revisado: 04-06-16

What made the experience of listening to The Great Cholesterol Con the most enjoyable?

The author's sense of humor is great.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Great Cholesterol Con?

The author's description of Scottish cuisine.

What did you learn from The Great Cholesterol Con that you would use in your daily life?

How cholesterol protects people from various things, like cancer and infection. How cholesterol, LDL and HDL move about. How efficacious statin drugs are (or aren't).

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