Let's Be Reasonable

John McLain doesn’t just narrate this book—he *performs* it. His delivery is the audiobook’s secret weapon, threading needle-thin lines between sarcasm and seriousness with an ease that sells Marks’ arguments. When Marks eviscerates the idea of ‘viewpoint diversity’ as a corporate buzzword, McLain’s dry, measured tone makes it land like a punchline you can’t argue with. The same goes for Marks’ takedown of conservative grievances about higher education: McLain’s voice drips with the quiet fury of someone who’s been there, done that, and bought the academic T-shirt. That said, the audiobook stumbles when Marks dives into legal jargon about academic freedom cases. McLain’s narration can’t fully salvage dense footnotes or citations, which sometimes drag like a flat tire on a long road trip. The production also leans heavily on abrupt chapter breaks, which disrupt the flow—especially jarring when you’re mid-paragraph and the voice drops into silence. Still, these quibbles don’t dull the core of the book, which is as compelling for liberal listeners as it is for conservatives. Marks forces you to confront uncomfortable truths, and McLain’s performance ensures you’ll actually *listen*.