R Hilux

More emotional than practical

Revisado: 04-29-15

Knapp is a good writer with a poetic prose, but sometimes it's too littered with cliches and unnecessary drama. I'm a straight forward type of communicator/reader so I found this book to be too maudlin for my taste. Although the book contain some statistics and research to back up the author's points about how we live in a culture where women are subject to feelings of intense worthlessness thus an insatiable appetite to fill their void, this is an emotional book that contain more narrative of the author's pain and struggles in said culture than practical solutions.

The narration was top notch though. The narrator read with passion, so much that I initially suspected that the author herself had narrated this book, only to find that Knapp had died at the young age of early forties to cancer.

I can see how some people could really enjoy this book, especially if they found the words to resonate with their own struggles to feel that they are not alone. Although I can identify with Knapp's voice and struggles, I've already done my own emotional work and prefer books that contain more practical solutions over melancholic ranting.

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Speed reading contest material for the econ dummy

Revisado: 11-19-14

If you could sum up Basic Economics, Fourth Edition in three words, what would they be?

Sowell good. Weiner bad.

What did you like best about this story?

I am admittedly ignorant when it comes to economics and finance, which is why I picked up this book. I found it to be clear, concise, rational and full of information and examples. I will need to read a wider range of economic books to have an informed opinion on this book, but overall I enjoyed all the insights. I would rate this book 5 stars.

However, this review is for the audiobook version. I felt that the narrator read too quickly. This is not a fiction; there is a load of information and arguments packed. A slower narration would provide one a little more room to absorb and reflect on the material. Instead, I had to pause and rewind. A lot. It seemed like the narrator was trying to rush through his job and I am becoming dissuaded from purchasing educational books in audiobook format due to this being a common experience on Audible.

What does Tom Weiner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He made me rewind many times because he read too fast, so I got to listen to certain paragraphs multiple times.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were many a-ha moments that challenged my default beliefs about society that had been fed to me since I was young. For instance, the terms "distribution of income." Sowell argues that this is often a misnomer when people speak of distribution of income in a society, as income is not "distributed" by some central agency like Social Security or pre-determined like the distribution of height. So I have to be more aware of when language is used in a misleading way as it can influence on how one thinks or feels about an issue.

Any additional comments?

Dear Audible: Please have your narrators slow down! This is not a speed reading contest; we customers buy this book to absorb and enjoy. I know I can have the book read at .75x, but the sound byte becomes echoic and painful to listen to.

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Excellent book, poor narration

Revisado: 11-14-13

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I'd recommend the actual book, but not the Audible version.

Would you be willing to try another one of Pam Tierney’s performances?

No

Any additional comments?

This is a short book and the narrator rushes through one sentence to the next. The content is condensed and some sentences require a moment for thought and processing, but the monotone and hasty narration makes it hard to follow.

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