Shameless Audiobook by Brian Tyler Cohen

I first pressed play on Shameless: Republicans’ Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy during a long afternoon walk along Portland’s leafy waterfront, headphones snug against the noise of passing bikers. I needed something to match the swirling intensity I’ve been feeling about our country’s fractured political climate—a sense that things are off-kilter but nobody dares say it outright. Brian Tyler Cohen delivers exactly that level of candor, blending sharp analysis with an impassioned urgency that mirrors the anxious buzz so many of us feel right now.

Cohen’s approach isn’t subtle, and for me, as someone who grew up in a household where nightly news debates were part of dinner conversation (sometimes fiery, always loud), his directness was oddly comforting. He doesn’t tiptoe around blame or sugarcoat dysfunction; instead, he traces how today’s Republican Party has twisted its historic brand into something unrecognizable—and sometimes outright dangerous—for democracy itself. The “long con” he describes resonates deeply if you’ve spent years watching rhetoric diverge from reality on TV screens and social media feeds.

One thing I found especially powerful was Cohen’s use of voices from within the progressive movement—interviews with Pete Buttigieg, Mehdi Hasan, Jen Psaki, plus a foreword by Jamie Raskin—which give his arguments both depth and credibility. As an educator myself who values diverse perspectives in any classroom discussion, I appreciated these layered insights; they make Cohen’s call to action feel communal rather than preachy.

What really stuck with me is his clear-eyed assessment not just of Republican tactics—gaslighting slogans paired with behavior that undercuts their professed principles—but also the mainstream media’s role in normalizing extremism through relentless coverage of MAGA mania. In my experience helping high schoolers parse current events for class projects (and explaining why some stories seem bigger than others), this critique struck home. We talk all the time about information literacy; here is real-world proof that imbalance can have profound consequences.

That said, Shameless does lean hard into partisanship—it knows its audience and preaches most convincingly to those already frustrated by GOP maneuvers or alarmed at democracy’s seeming fragility. But even for skeptics or conservatives willing to engage honestly with opposing views (as I encourage my students to do), there are points worth wrestling with: namely, how we allow branding and narrative control to shape our collective understanding of truth versus action.

On audio performance: Unfortunately, because narrator information wasn’t available at release—and this version may have used a neutral or AI-generated voice—I can’t comment much on performance style or emotional inflection here. If future editions feature Cohen himself narrating (he has such a passionate podcast presence!), it would no doubt amplify every pointed sentence and rhetorical flourish.

If there’s one minor complaint beyond partisanship bias—it might be pacing. Occasionally themes repeat themselves more than necessary; but perhaps that’s inevitable when cataloguing so many recent examples of disinformation or manufactured outrage.

In sum: Listening to Shameless felt like sitting down with a trusted but outspoken friend who won’t let you look away from uncomfortable truths—yet insists there remains hope if only we confront them together. It left me resolved not just to stay informed but also engaged in whatever ways I can muster: sharing resources with friends unsure what news source they trust next or simply encouraging critical conversations around my own kitchen table.