The Wizard of Sound

I’ll admit: I groaned when I saw *another* Edison book. But *The Wizard of Sound* won me over by refusing to be a greatest-hits reel. Mitchell’s laser focus on the phonograph—its failures, its weirdness (recording on *tinfoil*?), its cultural shockwaves—makes this feel urgent, not dusty. The audiobook’s runtime is perfect for a car ride or a bedtime listen, though I’d argue it’s best consumed with headphones; Beck’s performance thrives in intimacy. His voice cracks with excitement during Edison’s first successful playback, and he nails the dry humor of 19th-century skeptics calling the device a ‘hoax.’ My only gripe? The sound effects, while clever, occasionally clash with Beck’s rhythm—like a record scratch (pun intended) mid-sentence. And parents, beware: your kid *will* ask to build a tin-foil recorder afterward. What elevates this above typical kids’ biographies is its refusal to sand down the edges. Edison’s competitive streak, his sleep-deprived mania, even his deafness (briefly addressed) aren’t glossed over—they’re framed as part of the inventive process. The final chapter, linking the phonograph to modern podcasts and voice memos, is a masterclass in making history feel *current*. If you’ve got a child who dismantles toys to ‘see how they work,’ this audiobook might just be their origin story.