Trainwreck

This intelligent audiobook is about the cruelty we heap on women celebrities whose misdeeds and even out-of-the-norm behavior are lambasted in the media. We find these women easy targets for hostility and judgment compared to men who are lionized for their misbehavior, even when it's destructive. Likable Alex McKenna is clearly engaged with the truth in narrating this author's message. McKenna has a rattle in her lower vocal register, but she's so effective and authentic that it quickly becomes irrelevant. This sweeping audio blends centuries-old examples and pop-culture figures to bring home the injustice of our puzzling ideals and anger toward women. Expertly written and performed, it's a wake-up call for us to examine the hidden assumptions and reflexes we have that unfairly denigrate women. T.W. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine