"DREADFULLY BORING"
All the characters are dead, literally, and wander about like lost souls whose fragmented thoughts comprise the "story" (if you can call it a story).
Such a waste of time and money.
"A RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS"
A truly inspiring rendition. Best I have read in the genre! The unconditional love she experienced for herself and all of humanity can be "felt" as you listen. She expresses the ineffable better than most. Only some of the mystic saints have done as well or better. Highly recommend!
"A PEEK INTO THE WORLD OF THE 1%"
All are villains in this world. The wizard of Oz (Municipal Bond Insurance Corporation), is caught choreographing the fantasy. David (Bill Ackman, the wicked shorter) slays Goliath (MBIC). The multiple regulatory bodies mimic Snow White in her sleep mode. And Warren Buffet tries to put Humpty Dumpty (today's economy) back together again. The prognosis? Well, the Wizard has changed his name and the show goes on. Stay tuned for the next instalment. There's an election on the horizon.
Although there are many short comings with this book, the fact remains that I could not put it down. However, I found the author's style of writing frustrating. She starts out with one scenario, then quickly flashes back to another point in the past or future that appears to have no connection, at least to me, as a lowly member of the 98%. This works well for fiction but not for non fiction which requires explanation and examples. The book should have been much longer. Also, the narrator's voice is screechy at times and again this detracts from the material under discussion. At the beginning of the second section of the book, the narration breaks down altogether for a few minutes? Sentences/paragraphs are missing and this left an extra gap in my understanding. It sounds like a bad phone connection. That being said, I have read at least a dozen books dealing with the meltdown so I was not totally in the dark.
Suffice to say this work is reminiscent of Harry Markopolis' No One Would Listen wherein a quant (math whiz) spends about ten years spelling it out for the regulators so that they can put a stop to Bernie Madoff before he bilked thousands of investors out of sixty billion dollars. Now that we know that regulation is frowned upon by corporations and Alan Greenspan on down, it has become clear that investors and citizens would be wise to listen to the whistle blowers of society, no matter how unsavory they may appear to be. Are they not, when all is said and done, the supermen/batmen in our midst? The regulators are owned by the corporations and vice versa, so let Superman fly and heed his presence!
"DELIGHTFULLY SURPRISED!"
This is a suspense story with a twist. The characters are well developed and the plot kept me interested from start to finish. I highly recommend it.
"AMERICA THE GEAT! FOX NEWS AND RUSH LIMBOUGH"
All of the above are mentioned in this book, especially America the Great over and over. I greatly admire America but this was a bit much. It must be an election year! An interview with Romney comes at the end of the first short story and is then followed by a sequel story. Never have I listened to a book that was interrupted by an interview with the author.
As mentioned by others, Dewey is larger than life and performs missions impossible. Character development is poor and I had great trouble figuring out who was who - so much so that I found myself back tracking a couple of sections to try and figure it out. Then there is that long scene describing numerous weapons ad nauseam.
There are some enjoyable, exciting scenes but so disjointed the flow is stilted. I think the narrator did his best with the material handed him. He too sounded stilted at times as he tried to make sense of things.
Alas, I bought the sequel, Coup d'Etat. I will read it but don't expect much.
"SWALLOW THE HAPPY PILL LIED TO ME!"
I am half way through this book and so far, about 50% of the material is copied and pasted from the author's other book, Alcohol Lied To Me. In my opinion, this is dishonest! But of course, there will be no guilt on his part as he does not believe in retribution.
Also, I do not appreciate his negative views on organised religion which, in his opinion, causes untold guilt and suffering for religious souls. Organised religion over the centuries did much to spread civilisation to the populace and has brought happiness and peace to countless millions. Granted there were also horrendous mistakes made as civilisation evolved but this is no reason to throw out the baby with the bath water. A dialectic approach is needed here.
I do not intend continuing reading the ramaining half as I have already heard most of it from his other book, and I am angry at being bilked. I would like a refund from Audible. No one should have to pay twice for a book.
"THE SOLUTION"
This well researched material explains beautifully the myriad problems leading up to the 2008 financial meltdown. I have read other books on the subject but this one brought it all together such that I had an "aha" experience. It appears that "socialism" is a dirty word in the U.S. but it seems to me that a little more social conscience on the part of corporations would do the country and the world a great deal of good. The meltdown has caused global suffering and Dylan Ratigan is to be commended for his attempt to show how the problems can be tackled and the U.S. returned to fiscal and moral health.
"THE TRAGEDY OF POOR NARRATION!"
This book is packed with valuable, life saving information. However, much of it is largely technical hence it requires slow, measured presentation. The narrator in this case 'races to beat the band' and sounds as if he can't wait to 'get this thing over with.' It leaves me enraged that I can't absorb this material because concepts just tumble over each other at breackneck speed.
Mike Chamberlain did a super job of "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes. William Davis should take note.
Recommend that you purchase the paper back and read at your leasure as the material is valuable.
"BEHIND THE SCENE CLOSEUP"
Through the eyes of a naval family we are taken to Berlin, London, the Kremlin and the White House where we get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes in world dramas. One family member marries a Jew hence we also get a thorough look at the attempted genocide of the Jewish citizens who come under the sway of the Nazis. The author also attempts to show us a history of World War II from the point of view of a German historian.
The Narrator's stulted rendition takes a bit of getting used to but the story is so riveting this can be forgiven.
A great story and a wonderful way to absorb history! I didn't want the book to end.
"AMATEURISH"
The authors attempt to string together material from books by others and fail to come up with a cohesive whole.
I got the impression that they didn't fully understand what they were writing about. The frequent cliches, put downs, and repetitions drove me silly. The topic is obviously beyond them and they should leave it to the experts.
As for the narrator, there is only one word to describe his performance - Disastrous!
"CHILLING!"
In this highly suspenseful story, the author takes you back and forth between a computer game and a real life parallel. I was struck by the similarity to the non-fiction work by Sheldon S. Wolin, Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of totalitarianism.