ON FREEDOM Four Songs of Care and Constraint

From a cultural critic, this provocative writing about the uses and abuses of our freedoms is served well by Gabra Zackman's appealing narration. Her pitch-perfect enunciation, astute phrasing, and midrange vocal tone convey respect for the author's intellectual discipline. The "Four Songs of Care and Constraint" in the subtitle refer to how freedom plays out in the realms of art, sex, drugs, and our climate. Though her ideas about freedom in these areas are not explicitly political, Nelson has an uncommon grasp of how our nation is being upended by societal changes and disrupted by the political conflicts between libertarian impulses and the common good. Her nuanced approach to dealing with these issues is hopeful, offering a welcome antidote to the jingoistic rhetoric that polarizes public opinion. T.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2021]