Access Top-Rated Full Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir, Sports

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/655940 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Mastering the Metal: The Evolution of Eddie Bravo

Author: Zack Moore

Narrator: Zachary Moore

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 8 hours 13 minutes

Release date: March 28, 2023

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

Over the last two decades, Eddie Bravo has been at the forefront of revolutions we've seen in the arts of fighting, comedy, and podcasting. But he wasn't alone in his journey. For just over a decade, James Watson and Eddie Bravo were inseparable: musical partners, work colleagues, roommates, and best friends. From metal to rap, our protagonists worked to master the art of music together. Through the story of these past experiences in the pursuit of musical mastery, the listener will get to intimately understand Eddie Bravo and see how those experiences in his youth spent in music made him the man and martial artist he is today. Through the narration of our author, we get the complete picture of the private man behind the Eddie Bravo public persona.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/618319 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America

Author: Abraham Josephine Riesman

Narrator: Alyss Weissglass

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 15 hours 11 minutes

Release date: March 28, 2023

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 3.2 of Total 10

Ratings of Narrator: 2.2 of Total 5

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

This definitive biography of Vince McMahon, former WWE chairman and CEO, is “riveting, essential reading” (Rick Perlstein, New York Times bestselling author) as it charts his rise from rural poverty to the throne of one of the world’s most influential media empires. Featuring exclusive interviews with more than 150 people who witnessed, aided, and suffered from his ascent. Even if you’ve never watched a minute of professional wrestling, you are living in Vince McMahon’s world. In his four decades as the defining figure of American pro wrestling, McMahon was the man behind Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, John Cena, Dave Bautista, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and Hulk Hogan, to name just a few of the mega-stars who owe him their careers. For more than twenty-five years, he has also been a performer in his own show, acting as the diabolical “Mr. McMahon”—a figure who may have more in common with the real Vince than he would care to admit. Just as importantly, McMahon is one of Donald Trump’s closest friends—and Trump’s experiences as a performer in McMahon’s programming were, in many ways, a dress rehearsal for the 45th President’s campaigns and presidency. McMahon and his wife, Linda, are major Republican donors. Linda was in Trump’s cabinet. McMahon makes deals with the Saudi government worth hundreds of millions of dollars. And for generations of people who have watched wrestling, he has been a defining cultural force and has helped foment “the worst of contemporary politics” (Kirkus Reviews). Ringmaster built on exclusive interviews with more than 150 people, from McMahon’s childhood friends to those who accuse him of destroying their lives. “Smart, entertaining, impressively reported, and beautifully written. Wrestling fans will devour it, but everyone who wants to better understand this crazy country and one of its truly original characters ought to read it” (Jonathan Eig, author of Ali: A Life).

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/617705 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Run Britain: My World Record-Breaking Adventure to Run Every Mile of the British Coastline

Author: Nick Butter

Narrator: Nick Butter

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 9 hours 56 minutes

Release date: March 16, 2023

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 1

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

Brought to you by Penguin. In the spring of 2021, as the UK's latest pandemic lockdowns were lifted, Nick Butter set out from the Eden Project to become the fastest person to cover ever mile of Britain's mainland coastline on foot. Battling the most extreme winds Britain had seen in 100 years, days of torrential rain and the unrelenting hills of Western Scotland and Cornwall, Nick suffered two broken bones and countless injuries, whilst taking on two marathons a day, every day, for 100 days. Covering an extraordinary 5,250 miles, running for over 12 hours a day, struggling to take in the 8,000 daily calories required to fuel his body, Nick battled sleep deprivation and extreme weight loss as he pushed his body and mind to their limit. Supported by close friends and family, Nick experienced spiralling lows and euphoric highs. As he traversed footpaths, country lanes and busy A roads, he passed through over two thousand coastal communities, buoyed along by supporters cheering from windows, balconies, passing cars and pavements, by school children and fellow runners, and by the stunning sights and sounds of the British coast. Run Britain is Nick's account of his extraordinary adventure. ©2023 Nick Butter (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/601084 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team

Author: Kara Goucher

Narrator: Kara Goucher

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 8 hours 48 minutes

Release date: March 14, 2023

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4.6 of Total 10

Ratings of Narrator: 4.71 of Total 7

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In “one of the most important athlete memoirs of its generation” (Kate Fagan, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Olympian Kara Goucher reveals her experience of living through and speaking out about one of the biggest scandals in running. Kara Goucher grew up with Olympic dreams. She excelled at running from a young age and was offered a Nike sponsorship deal when she graduated from college. Then in 2004, she was invited to join a secretive, lavishly funded new team, dubbed the Nike Oregon Project. Coached by distance running legend Alberto Salazar, it seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime. Kara was soon winning a World Championship medal, going to the Olympics, and standing on the podium at the New York and Boston marathons, just like her coach had done. But behind the scenes, Salazar was hiding dark secrets. He pushed the limits of anti-doping rules and created what Kara experienced as a culture of abuse, the extent of which she reveals in her book for the first time. Meanwhile, Nike stood by Alberto for years and proved itself capable of shockingly misogynistic corporate practices. The Longest Race is an unforgettable story that is “as interesting as it is important” (Molly Huddle, two-time Olympian) and also a crucial call to action. Kara became a crusader for female athletes and a key witness helping to get Salazar banned from coaching at the Olympic level. The Longest Race will leave you “motivated, empowered, and ready to take on the world” (Allyson Felix, Olympic gold medalist) as it reveals how Kara broke through the fear of losing everything, bucked powerful forces to take control of her life and career, and reclaimed her love of running.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/649600 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Umpire Is Out: Calling the Game and Living My True Self

Author: Rob Neyer, Dale Scott

Narrator: Dale Scott

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 10 hours 16 minutes

Release date: February 28, 2023

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 2

Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 2

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

Dale Scott's career as a professional baseball umpire spanned nearly forty years, including thirty-three in the Major Leagues, from 1985 to 2017. He worked exactly a thousand games behind the plate, calling balls and strikes at the pinnacle of his profession, working in every Major League Baseball stadium, and interacting with dozens of other top-flight umpires, colorful managers, and hundreds of players. What makes Scott's book truly different is his unique perspective as the only umpire in the history of professional baseball to come out as gay during his career. Granted, that was after decades of remaining in the closet, and Scott writes vividly and movingly about having to 'play the game': maintaining a façade of straightness while privately becoming his true self and building a lasting relationship with his future husband. He navigated this obstacle course at a time when his MLB career was just taking off—and when North America was consumed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Scott's story is also a baseball story, filled with insights and memorable anecdotes that come so naturally from someone who spent decades among the world's greatest baseball players, managers, and games. Scott's story is fascinating both for his umpiring career and for his being a pioneer for LGBTQ people within baseball and across sports.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/657080 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Sultan: A Memoir

Author: Wasim Akram, Gideon Haigh

Narrator: Ranjit Madgavkar

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 9 hours 12 minutes

Release date: February 22, 2023

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

The official autobiography of Wasim Akram, the 'Sultan of Swing', one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of cricket. For twenty years, Wasim Akram let his cricket do the talking - with his electrifying left-arm pace, his explosive striking as a batsman, and his inspirational leadership. For another twenty years, he kept his own counsel about his cricketing days - full of drama, controversy and even mystery - in a country, Pakistan, that to outsiders is a constant enigma.Sultan tells the story of cricket's greatest left-arm bowler, and one of its enduring survivors, who was chosen from the streets of Lahore and groomed by Imran Khan to become champion of the world - he was Man of the Match in the final of the 1992 World Cup which Pakistan won. Along the way were unforgettable rivalries with the legends of his time, from Viv Richards and Ian Botham to Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne. All of this against a backdrop of conspiracy and intrigue over ball tampering and match-fixing, about which Wasim finally sets the story straight. Sultan provides an unprecedented insight into the life - both on and off the field - of a cricketer who revolutionized the sport with his speed and swing, and a patriot buoyed and burdened by the expectations of one of the game's most fanatical publics.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/592893 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Hard Parts: A Story of Courage and Triumph

Author: Oksana Masters

Narrator: Emily Tremaine

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 10 hours 57 minutes

Release date: February 21, 2023

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

'Gripping, powerful and inspiring' - TONY HAWK 'Heart-wrenching and extraordinary' - ARIANA NEUMANN The remarkable and inspirational story of Oksana Masters, who was born with radiation-induced birth defects and suffered appalling abuse as an orphan, before being adopted and moving to the US, where she went on to triumph over her challenges to win ten Paralympic medals in four different sports. Oksana Masters was born in the shadow of Chernobyl, with one kidney, a partial stomach, six toes on each foot, webbed fingers, no right bicep and no thumbs. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right, and she was missing both tibias. Relinquished to the orphanage system by birth parents daunted by the staggering cost of their child’s medical care, Oksana encountered numerous abuses, some horrifying. Salvation came at the age of seven when Gay Masters, an unmarried American professor who saw a photo of the little girl and became haunted by her eyes, waged a two-year war against stubborn adoption authorities to rescue Oksana from her circumstances. In America, Oksana endured years of operations that included a double leg amputation. Still, how could she hope to fit in when there were so many things making her different? As it turned out, she would do much more than fit in. Determined to prove herself and fuelled by a drive to succeed that still smouldered from childhood, Oksana triumphed in not just one sport but four - winning against the world’s best in rowing, biathlon, cross-country skiing and road cycling competitions.  This is Oksana’s astonishing story of journeying through a series of dark tunnels - and how, with her mother’s love, she finally found her way into the light. Her message to anyone who doesn’t fit in: you can find a place where you excel and where you have worth.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/584461 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: The Education of Kendrick Perkins: A Memoir

Author: Kendrick Perkins

Narrator: Jd Jackson

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 11 hours 13 minutes

Release date: February 21, 2023

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 3 of Total 2

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

'Kendrick Perkins is the bold and educational voice we need today. Every single word he speaks will challenge, enlighten and encourage you to become a better version of yourself and see a better version of the world. Perkins' riveting stories about the NBA, his upbringing and social justice will make this ... impossible to put down.' —Emmanuel Acho, New York Times bestselling author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man Kendrick “Perk” Perkins is known for his blunt, opinionated, “carry the hell on” commentary on ESPN’s most popular shows. As a fourteen-year NBA player and starting center for the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics, Perk earned a reputation as an enforcer, a fierce defender, and a great teammate. Now, In The Education of Kendrick Perkins, he opens a different side of himself: a powerful and intimate memoir that goes beyond basketball to discuss the reality of being Black in America. Abandoned by his father, then orphaned after the murder of his mother, Perk was raised by his grandparents in a small Texas town. He left their home at age eighteen, drafted out of high school by the legendary Celtics. For a country boy, Boston was a completely new world, and the NBA a league of legends: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Garnett, James Harden, Shaquille O’Neal, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Durant, and more. Perk had to learn how to play with and against these stars, while adjusting to life on the road as a professional athlete. But his education went beyond basketball. In this audiobook, Perk reveals his awakening consciousness of larger issues that affected him, his fellow players, and Black Americans: -How many NBA players grow up in broken families and difficult circumstances -The history of slavery and how that trauma affects generations of Black life -The truths told by writers including James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, and others -The myths about the Black family and fatherhood -Why George Floyd’s murder forced a reckoning about race in America Honest, fearless, dramatic, filled with stories about life on and off the court, The Education of Kendrick Perkins is a unique memoir that shows how he and we all can “carry the hell on.” A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/569535 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: Down and Back: On Alcohol, Family, and a Life in Hockey

Author: Justin Bourne

Narrator: Justin Bourne

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 8 hours 5 minutes

Release date: February 14, 2023

Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 1

Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 1

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

For readers of Nine Lessons I Learned from My Father and Hockey Confidential, Down and Back tells broadcaster Justin Bourne’s story of following his Hall-of-Fame father not only to the NHL, but also into rehab. Bob Bourne was everything a son wants to emulate—an NHL All-Star, a Sports Illustrated “Sportsman of the Year,” a Stanley Cup champion. Justin Bourne followed in those huge footsteps, leading his teams in scoring year after year, and finally garnering an invitation to the New York Islanders’ training camp—the same team his father had played for. But Bourne was also following his father down a darker path. Though he hadn’t begun drinking until he was 21, by 36 his drinking had nearly swamped his career and his marriage. In an act of brutal self-honesty—which may not have been possible if not for his understanding of how lying spurred by alcoholism can cause a family pain—Bourne got help, got sober, and confronted what his father and the game mean to him. Down and Back is a frank and unflinching appraisal of the game and Bourne’s relationship with it: the violence and danger, the booze and drugs, the consequences of fame. But it is also an honest look at what is redeeming about the sport, through the eyes of someone who grew up in NHL dressing rooms, who has skated on NHL ice as both a player and a coach, and who inherited the game from a man he’s grown to better understand by looking more closely at himself.

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/660090 to listen full audiobooks.

Title: [German] - Dream Chaser: Aus Hamburg in die NFL

Author: Kasim Edebali

Narrator: Sebastian Pappenberger

Format: Unabridged Audiobook

Length: 10 hours 55 minutes

Release date: February 6, 2023

Genres: Sports

Publisher's Summary:

Vom Osdorfer Born in die weite Welt. Was für viele Jugendliche ein Traum bleibt, ist für Kasim Edebali Wirklichkeit geworden – eine Karriere als Profisportler. Mit viel Herzblut und immer 110 Prozent Einsatz schafft er mit 18 Jahren den Sprung über den großen Teich. Nach Stationen an der Kimball Union Academy und einem Sportstipendium am renommierten Boston College heißt die nächste Station: NFL. In seiner Biografie erzählt der Football-Star erstmals von seinem turbulenten Weg von Hamburg in die härteste Liga der Welt, wie er mit allen Höhen und Tiefen fertig wurde und sich immer wieder aufs Neue gegen die besten Spieler der Welt durchsetzte und zur »Vollmaschine« wurde. Gewohnt authentisch und mit viel Witz gewährt Kasim Edebali einen Blick hinter die Kulissen dieses spektakulären Sports und des knallharten Business, das damit einhergeht.