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William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and capitalized M).

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Causes and prevention of civil war

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-07-24

Narration is exquisite, crystal clear, engaging, enthusiastic, perfectly paced and intoned, pronunciation and phrasing are flawless.

Refreshingly, the narrator, Barbara Walter, speaks with a full throated woman’s voice, which is refreshingly not the ridiculous teeny weeny high pitched voice affected by many.

Information is valuable, clearly explained, convincingly presented, logically organized, thoroughly documented, vetted by premier scholars and experts.

The last few chapters are frighteningly vivid hypotheticals followed by proven effective counter-revolutionary strategies and tactics.

Highly recommended!

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Historical analysis of America’s anti-liberalism

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-02-24

Narration is clear, but plodding, dead pan, and stultifying.

From inception to present, the author describes endemic, obdurate commitment to privileged, elitist, Christian-based, unfair economic, societal, political policies and practices.

Author builds the case that Trump is the lionized personification of these values and norms. If elected, his administration will be fascism instantiated. Only the very rich will avoid affliction. We, in fact, already have, as will future generations.

Defeating him in the 2024 election will not stay all harm. It is too late for that, but it may shield us from its most immediate, severe insults.

Conclusion: Rating this one is a tough call. While the content is very important, the narration is lumbering and enervating.

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Detailed analyses of accidental presidents

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-02-24

Narration is clear.

Content is detailed, informative, encyclopedic, even.

Recommended for those wanting an especially detailed description of presidents who became presidents whose predecessors died before serving their full terms.

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The black Sox scandal

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-01-24

Narration is clear and enthusiastic without being over the top.

This is a detailed analysis of the scandal ensconced in historical context. The key players are all identified, their relationships scrutinized, and plausible scenarios delineated.

For baseball fans this is a must listen.

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Overview last yr of WW2

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-30-24

Narration: clear, although I don’t think relatively high pitch of speaking voice is conducive to facilitating serious listening.

Content: if one knows relatively little of the key engagements fought during the last year of WW2, then this is a handy, informative overview. Otherwise, not much new here.

Personal gripe: the amateurish reiteration of general Patton’s monologue (as far more impressively spoken by George c Scott [Patton]) was not at all impressive. Frankly, I think it a cheap riff ripping off Scott’s far more impressive rendition. As such, it was entirely banal, unnecessary and indulgent. In fact, one can nearly view the narrator blushing when speaking Patton’s profanities. Geez. We’re all adults here. If profanity is going to be spoken gratuitously, at least let it be spoken by a voice actor with a more commanding voice.

The description of this audio implies focus on the closing months of the war in which American v Russian frenzies are cast in vivid relief. It is for this reason that I bought the audio. This audio does not deliver on that implicit promise, as most of the content concerns D-Day, subsequent advancements: The Bulge, Market Garden, and Hurtgen Forest, with far less attention given to eastern campaigns. I would not have bought this audio if I knew this in advance.



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Brief descriptions of US presidents

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-29-24

Narration is clear.

Content is clear, well organized, and interesting but must be vetted by consulting other references.

The Trump entry is dated, incomplete, and insufficiently critical.

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Avoiding war after October 7

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-21-24

Narration is clear.

Biden does not get enough credit for keeping us out of war following October 7.

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2025 in a nut shell

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-12-24

Clear narration.

2025 explained succinctly. Let’s hope 2025 does not come to pass.

Obviously, trump did not design this. He’s not that smart.

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The presidents’ wives, children, and intimates

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-07-24

Narration is somewhat plodding and induces boredom.

Meticulous details of the lives of the presidents’ children, wives, and other family members.

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Good story, lots of science

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-17-24

Narration clear but too slow. Suggest play at 1.2

Story is interesting although more like a long lecture on vulcanization.

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