November 2005 Audiobook Reviews

The World Is Flat : A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
by Thomas L. Friedman, Oliver Wyman

Audio Renaissance
Audio
ISBN# 1-5939-7751-4
Suggested Retail Price: $29.95 or as low as $19.00 from Amazon.com!

One day I accidently stumbled across this intriguing man being interviewed on PBS's Charlie Rose show about his new book. After the first exposure to Tom Friedman, I was hooked. Here was a splended orator telling me about a theory of modern life that makes a lot of sense. The world is flat because of jet travel, television, satellites, and this new way to communicate throughout the world called the Internet. This has allowed other countries to become part of the global supply chain, and we need to adjust how we think about jobs, business, politics, global trade, environmental treaties, and many other issues to the new realities.

Tom Friedman is a columnist for The New York Times, who is best known for his work in the Middle East. I would love to tell you more about this audio lecture, but it is so exciting to listen to the passion of Friedman, and his intelligent explanation of our future and the changes it could make in our lives, that I would urge you to listen to this splendid writer tell you about his theories about how the world is changing himself.

Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids
by David Kushner

Listen & Live Audio, Inc.
Audio
ISBN# 1-5931-6069-0
Suggested Retail Price: $27.95 or as low as $15.00 from Amazon.com!

This is a true story. David Kushner reads his own work, which is subtitled "How Two Guys Created An Empire and Transformed Pop Culture." Phew! Never at a loss for words, Kushner has appeared in such well-known publications as Rolling Stone, Wired, Spin and The New York Times.

Kusner tells us about a gang of geeks who prove that you can win at a gaming table. John Finkel is better known as Jonny Magic. Jonny was born in New Jersey. He was a kid with no friends who found his way to fame through his ability to find the edge in a game of cards.

This is the amazing story of how Johny became a young shark. He put together a method of counting cards and a gang. Then he took Las Vegas gambling casinos for a million dollars. He says it was more like three million.

Don't try this at a real casino. They are all wise to the method now and you'll be 86'ed immediately. This bad boy adventure makes for a good yarn and an amazing tale of success at cheating - assuming its really true, of course!