The Intellectual Devotional

Starred review from October 1, 2008
If ever a book were meant for listening, this is it. Previously available from Macmillan only as a digital download, this 2006 national best seller by Kidder and Oppenheim ("Intellectual Devotional: American History") is now available for the first time on CD. The 365 daily lessons span the seven fields of knowledge: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts, and music. Narrators Oliver Wyman (www.oliverwyman.com) and Helen Litchfield, who also read for the "American History" entry in this series, assist listeners' efforts at retention with well-enunciated, cogent, and steadily paced readings. Absolutely essential for libraries serving populations gravitating more to CDs than digital downloads. [Audio clip available through audible.com; the next recording in this series, "The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture", will be available on CD from Macmillan and Sound Library next month, in retail and library editions, respectively.Ed.]Raya Kuzyk, "Library Journal"

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Narrators Jeff Woodman and Helen Litchfield alternate delivering the historical sound bites contrived by Kidder and Oppenheim to educate the masses. This work is similar to their first devotional, which promised the ability to "Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class." Here the narrators manage to avoid creating mind-numbing boredom as they elucidate upon seven topics, including politics and leadership, war and peace, rights and reform, business, building America, literature, and the arts. The 365 blurbs--each about a historical event or person of note, and a few related facts--are not exactly enlightening to anyone smarter than a seventh-grader--but there are a few tidbits that may beguile listeners and that could lead to fun family conversations or further academic exploration. D.P.D. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine


Two voices--one male, one female--read short essays on 365 topics in seven fields of learning. Both narrators are competent, but the contrast between them is too great. Helen Litchfield's voice is sharper and louder than Oliver Wyman's. Further, the information is superficial and untrustworthy; there are frequent errors of fact and interpretation. The book's "daily" format is an uncomfortable match for audio. Audiobook consumers rarely listen for just a few minutes, the length of one of these entries. As a result, this is like listening to a substandard encyclopedia. Like the writers, the narrators can't be experts on every subject--as their pronunciation of many foreign and classical terms, or even "difficult" words, shows--they are off, or simply wrong, often enough to chafe. Both book and recording exhibit a lack of seriousness and care. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine