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Mimi

I get to bottle feed baby raccoons, throw mice at a coyote, and muck out the bear house at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care! I love my new town!

South Lake Tahoe, CA, United States | Member Since 2007

11
HELPFUL VOTES
  • 1 reviews
  • 2 ratings
  • 515 titles in library
  • 0 purchased in 2014
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  • The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined

    • UNABRIDGED (36 hrs and 43 mins)
    • By Steven Pinker
    • Narrated By Arthur Morey
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (918)
    Performance
    (751)
    Story
    (740)

    We’ve all had the experience of reading about a bloody war or shocking crime and asking, “What is the world coming to?” But we seldom ask, “How bad was the world in the past?” In this startling new book, the best-selling cognitive scientist Steven Pinker shows that the world of the past was much worse. In fact, we may be living in the most peaceable era in our species’ existence.

    Franics says: "Violence is decreasing everywhere. Who knew?"
    "IT'S ALL GETTING BETTER -- GET THAT!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    This book has stayed with me, and I use it to counter negative comments or thoughts in myself or from others. The book takes a good mind and careful listening. The author documents with all kinds of statistics that things really are getting better. I can see this during my own long life and as a wildlife rehabilitation volunteer. There really is a lot more compassion out there. I think some people would want to get the print book to check all the facts and certain citations. As the author comes down through history and discusses various aspects, I found some chapters easy to listen to and others more murky as they used some ideas unfamiliar to me. I noticed that when he discussed Bible times and quoted passages I thought I knew, punishment back then was pretty awful. It made me think again. He even brought out patterns of thinking and action in the U.S. divided by political parties. Fascinating! I imagine that our wonderful ability to learn of fresh atrocities on the other side of the planet can make life appear on a downhill slope, but this book is convincing otherwise. Worthwhile! Long but good!

    5 of 5 people found this review helpful
  • Thomas Paine's Rights of Man: A Biography: Books That Changed the World

    • UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 36 mins)
    • By Christopher Hitchens
    • Narrated By Simon Vance
    Overall
    (188)
    Performance
    (47)
    Story
    (48)

    Thomas Paine was one of the greatest political propagandists in history. The Rights of Man, first published in 1791, is the key to his reputation. Inspired by his outrage at Edmund Burke's attack on the uprising of the French people, Paine's text is a passionate defense of the rights of man. Paine argued against monarchy and outlined the elements of a successful republic, including public education, pensions, and relief of the poor and unemployed, all financed by income tax.

    Mimi says: "Exciting July Fourth Listening! Wow!"
    "Exciting July Fourth Listening! Wow!"
    Overall

    Somehow I had expected this would be simply Tom Paine's writing, not a whole book about him. History, philosophy and politics are not my strengths, but I've lived long enough and traveled enough that I do care about these things. I found another audio book on the same topics, Founding Brothers, very difficult listening, although I believed it was well narrated. This book by contrast is almost suspenseful. The narrator reads with great understanding, but the book is written so as to be interesting. This author has an exciting mind!

    Back in high school I didn't really get it about the deists. And who cared about the Louisiana Purchase? Paine was already trying to solve the problem of slavery, develop a plan for freed slaves. Paine even foresaw a need for a welfare system. Well, goodness! It's a most stimulating book. Educational, exciting, most worthwhile.

    11 of 11 people found this review helpful

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