JustDuck

Well researched, comprehensive

Revisado: 01-01-25

I appreciate the attention to detail, and the research done for each episode. I started with the 9/11 series and am now working my way through the second series about the rise of rightwing extremism in America. The only critique is that while there is an excellent balance of narration, sound bite, and interview clip, some added sound effects are unnecessary and distract.

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Hear what happened to the Average Joes

Revisado: 07-29-24

The public has (rightly) heard many different accounts from the first responders who survived the day, but with the exception of Officer Lim, this book is a collection of the Average Joes working in the buildings that September morning. From those who, by a twist of fate, had just left their offices high in the towers, to those who got out of the complex with literal minutes to spare, these are recollections of the intense 102 minutes from the first plane crash to the 2nd, North Tower collapse. Because this was compiled over a decade after the attack, there is a welcome epilogue that gives the reader insight into what each person was up to afterwards. The only problem with these memoirs being written so long after the events is that some parts of their stories are clear memories, others have faded or been muted by PTSD
I found the male narrator to be excellent, however I found the female narrator to be a bit too cheerful/chirpy in her reading.

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Excellent retelling of events

Revisado: 07-26-24

With the exception of the odd, light music that plays between segments (at the end and beginning as if there was a commercial break between) I found this to be a really excellent no-nonsense account of not only the 102 minutes of the attack on the World Trade Center, but also of some of the basics of what the safety rules were when the towers were built, it's affect on the design, and how the choices made in the late 1960s affected people in 1993 and 2001.
The narrator is not melodramatic in performance, and the audio production is good enough that there are few instances where you can tell the recording was stitched together.

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Moving, contemporaneous account

Revisado: 07-25-24

written soon after the events of 9/11, this narrative includes small details that I, 20 years later, had forgotten. I think my biggest critique is that the narrator was a bit melodramatic in his reading. But, having never heard Dennis Smith speak (RIP) maybe that is how he would have delivered it if he had narrated his own work

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Great Christmas show

Revisado: 12-23-23

This is a fantastic listen! Guest Star Bing Crosby, a skit with Jerry Cologne, "The Christmas Song" sung by Doris Day, and a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo by Desi Arnaz

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Not exactly as advertised

Revisado: 12-12-23

Excellent narrator, though some pronunciations are off (Dubois is pronounced doo-bwah, not doo-boyss). I purchased this book because I am interested in both Women's history and US Civil War history, with a particular leaning towards the "average woman". I found the text to be pretty general, and very few bits of information not already covered in general Civil War history books. Anecdotes of women, but no particular focus on any in particular --- except at the end of the book discussing Reconstruction. It was as if instead of going to the next chapter, I went to a new book. Don't get me wrong, it is interesting, but it wasn't what I "came" for when purchasing and listening. It focuses exclusively on one woman, based off of her published journal, and both the family's financial struggles post-war and the woman's personal struggles with ex-slaves taking their place in society and "miscegination". While I would be interested in reading a book about this woman and her family, it just felt very specific and in depth compared to the rest.

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WWI Cliff's Notesirritated

Revisado: 02-17-23

Disclaimer: I quit listening after Lecture 12, as I was too irritated by the lack of depth in lectures specifically about one subject.
Like other critical reviews, I found this course to be irritatingly unchronological. But it is also something of a Cliff's Notes of the War. I found the professor spends more time telling you all the things he is going to cover, than actually telling you about those things.
If you want a much better history in a somewhat comparable kength, I highly recommend Hew Strachan's "The First World War"

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If you like Dickens...

Revisado: 11-04-22

It is a fascinating look at the city of London, but I must not have read the summary well enough. I assumed the book was about life in Victorian London 1837-1901, not London of 1820-1870. Don't get me wrong, it is still an interesting listen, but I was more interested in London than Dickens and this seems more a book about Dickens' life in London.

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Lots of fun

Revisado: 10-26-22

Once again, another enjoyable book by Ruth Goodman. The perfect resource if you're going to jump in the T.A.R.D.I.S. for a visit to the 16th Century. (Although, I'd suggest doing the OPPOSITE of this list.) I find it fascinating how much, and yet how little society has changed in 600 in years. From appearance, to manners, to what you can and cannot say to your neighbors, this book is a comprehensive look at the culture of Elizabethan England.

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Fantastic otherworldly drama

Revisado: 10-07-22

It's hard to put down what I loved best without giving away the plot, so I will just note that as a fan of Larson's other works, I was delighted to find he wrote a fictional tale, and how much I enjoyed it.
He weaves a bit of history in it, but also relies on some traditional storytelling, borrowed from various genres. I love that he himself gives a note after the book is finished, talking about what prompted him.

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