Discover the Best Sellers Audiobooks in History, 20th Century

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Title: A History of the Twentieth Century

Author: Martin Gilbert

Narrator: John Curless

Format: Unabridged

Length: 29 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-19-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 68 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Martin Gilbert, author of the multivolume biography of Winston Churchill and other brilliant works of history, chronicles world events year by year, from the dawn of aviation to the flourishing technology age, taking us through World War I to the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt as president of the United States and Hider as chancellor of Germany. He continues on to document wars in South Africa, China, Ethiopia, Spain, Korea, Vietnam, and Bosnia, as well as apartheid, the arms race, the moon landing, and the beginnings of the computer age, while interspersing the influence of art, literature, music, and religion throughout this vivid work. A rich, textured look at war, celebration, suffering, life, death, and renewal in the century gone by, this volume is nothing less than extraordinary.

Members Reviews:

Entertaining. Worth reading.

This was an interesting book. Entertaining and it contains a lot of information that I didn't already know.

One thing that confuses me is that in the wrap up of the audio book it says that you have just finished reading "the condensed version of Martin Gilbert's 3 volume work." In the description of the book it clearly says unabridged. I don't know what condensed means if it doesn't mean shortened. Also, if the book was indeed abridged that would help explain a few mysteries which I had earlier chalked up to either an omission on the author or a case of me spacing out during portions of the book. There were a few times when it seemed like certain individuals were referenced without ever being introduced. Also the author covered the space race a lot, but then there was no mention of the moon landing.

Long story short: this is worth buying, but it's possible that you aren't getting the whole book.

A Focus on the Facts with Minimal Commentary

What made the experience of listening to A History of the Twentieth Century the most enjoyable?

Getting a breakdown of events across the globe decade by decade gives the listener a unique perspective on major happenings (mostly catastrophes) of the century. After finishing this work, one can see how difficult it is for modern historians to sort through the sheer volume of information to find some thread of reason behind it all.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A History of the Twentieth Century?

As I lover of world history, I was surprised to find so many critical details I had previously missed. For example, other works originally led me to think that WWI was sort of everyone's fault. 'However, after listening to a blow by blow progression of events the Kaiself himself seems to deserve most of the blame. . In addition, I had no idea that so much upheval occurred in the Soviet Union during the interwar period.

What aspect of John Curlesss performance would you have changed?

He kind of grows on you after a few hours, but I initially felt that he wasn't enunciating properly. He does well with pronunciation and really deserves at least 3.5 stars.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, its fairly engaging but you really should limit yourself to one decade a day. Otherwise its easy to lose focus and end up Leopold's Congo thinking that the author is still discussing Republican China.

Any additional comments?

I think this work should have been shortened to only focus on its strong points_ politics, international relations and war.

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Title: Into the Silence

Subtitle: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest

Author: Wade Davis

Narrator: Enn Reitel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 28 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-18-11

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 229 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

On June 6, 1924, two men set out from a camp perched at 23,000 feet on an ice ledge just below the lip of Mount Everests North Col. George Mallory, thirty-seven, was Britains finest climber. Sandy Irvine was a young Oxford scholar of twenty-two with little previous mountaineering experience. Neither of them returned.

In this magisterial work of history and adventure, based on more than a decade of prodigious research in British, Canadian, and European archives, and months in the field in Nepal and Tibet, Wade Davis vividly re-creates British climbers epic attempts to scale Mount Everest in the early 1920s. With new access to letters and diaries, Davis recounts the heroic efforts of George Mallory and his fellow climbers to conquer the mountain in the face of treacherous terrain and furious weather. Into the Silence sets their remarkable achievements in sweeping historical context: Davis shows how the exploration originated in nineteenth-century imperial ambitions, and he takes us far beyond the Himalayas to the trenches of World War I, where Mallory and his generation found themselves and their world utterly shattered. In the wake of the war that destroyed all notions of honor and decency, the Everest expeditions, led by these scions of Britains elite, emerged as a symbol of national redemption and hope.

Beautifully written and rich with detail, Into the Silence is a classic account of exploration and endurance, and a timeless portrait of an extraordinary generation of adventurers, soldiers, and mountaineers the likes of which we will never see again.

Critic Reviews:

The First World War, the worst calamity humanity has ever inflicted on itself, still reverberates in our lives. In its immediate aftermath, a few young men who had fought in it went looking for a healing challenge, and found it far from the Western Front. In recreating their astonishing adventure, Wade Davis has given us an elegant meditation on the courage to carry on. (George F. Will)

I was captivated. Wade Davis has penned an exceptional book on an extraordinary generation. They do not make them like that any more. And there would always only ever be one Mallory. From the pathos of the trenches to the inevitable tragedies high on Everest this is a book deserving of awards. Monumental in its scope and conception it nevertheless remains hypnotically fascinating throughout. A wonderful story tinged with sadness. (Joe Simpson, author of Touching the Void)

Into the Silence is utterly fascinating, and grippingly well-written. With extraordinary skill Wade Davis manages to weave together such disparate strands as Queen Victorias Indian Raj, the Great Game of intrigue against Russia, the horrors of the Somme, and Britains obsession to conquer the worlds highest peak, all linking to that terrible moment atop Everest when Mallory fell to his death. The mystery of whether he and Irving ever reached the summit remains tantalizingly unsolved. (Alistair Horne, author of The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916)

Members Reviews:

Really enjoyed it

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in mountaineering or war. The author gives a good overview on some of the more devastating battles of WWI and how they shaped the lives and outlook of climbers like Mallory. You really get to appreciate who these men are and the physical, political, and mental stress they had to endure just to get to the base of Everest.

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Title: Heart and Soul

Author: Kadir Nelson

Narrator: Debbie Allen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-27-11

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The story of America and African Americans is a story of hope and inspiration and unwavering courage. But it is also the story of injustice; of a country divided by law, education, and wealth; of a people whose struggles and achievements helped define their country.

Kadir Nelson, one of this generation's most accomplished, award-winning artists, has created an epic yet intimate introduction to the history of America and African Americans, from colonial days through the civil rights movement. Written in the voice of an "Everywoman," an unnamed narrator whose forebears came to this country on slave ships and who lived to cast her vote for the first African American president, Heart and Soul touches on some of the great transformative events and small victories of that history. This inspiring book demonstrates that in gaining their freedom and equal rights, African Americans helped our country achieve its promise of liberty and justice - the true heart and soul of our nation.

Members Reviews:

inspiring historical narrative

What did you love best about Heart and Soul?

Kadir Nelson is best known for his beautiful, stunning paintings, but this narrative is wonderful. This history of America is told from the point of view of an African American grandmother telling the story of her country and her people. Debbie Allen brings this to life, just as Kadir's paintings do. The words, the tone, the spirit soar. Wonderful for family listening - absolutely inspiring and heartfelt.

What other book might you compare Heart and Soul to and why?

The tone and spirit of Debbie Allen's narration reminded me of listening to Lynne Thigpen narrate The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, by Ernest Gaines.

uplifting history lesson of black Americans.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

YES.see book and listen. powerful!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Heart and Soul?

made me realize how little I know and nee.d to check on

What about Debbie Allens performance did you like?

Kadir used family experiences. to make it real. The reader was wonderful. You must see the book to be really touched.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Black experience told passionately and made real for all. Exceptional!

Any additional comments?

This audio and book experience should be a MUST for children and adults. The pictures are awesome. Get it, Enjoy!

Factual and well narrated

After reading The Help I began to wish I had known more about black history especially in relation to racism in the American south before listening to it. Low and behold this audio book turned up to provide just that. I found it extremely informative whilst not bogging you down with dates and facts, this meant that it was easy to listen to and take in. The narrators personal touches and passion shone through illustrating the tragic and triumphant facts and stories beautifully. I now feel more informed about such an important part of our history and have a better understanding of the other audio books I enjoy listening to. Well worth a listen.

Enthralling and Immensely Rich

I am new to Kadir Nelson but I find that I love his artistry and words. I was moved by Heart and Soul. His presented words flowed off the page and rested in my heart with such a flourish that I thought I was hearing my own story. This volume is suitable for all the family. Debbie Allen's voice talent lent its raspy and velvety tones to the story.

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Title: Churchill's Secret War

Subtitle: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India During World War II

Author: Madhusree Mukarjee

Narrator: James Adams

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-27-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 119 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In the tradition of The Rape of Nanking and A Problem from Hell, this account will change the way we think of Churchill and World War II.

In 1943 Winston Churchill and the British Empire needed millions of Indian troops, all of India's industrial output, and tons of Indian grain to support the Allied war effort. Such massive contributions were certain to trigger famine in India. Because Churchill believed that the fate of the British Empire hung in the balance, he proceeded, sacrificing millions of Indian lives in order to preserve what he held most dear. The result: the Bengal Famine of 1943-44, in which millions of villagers starved to death.

Relying on extensive archival research and first-hand interviews, Mukerjee weaves a riveting narrative of Churchill's decisions to ratchet up the demands on India as the war unfolded and to ignore the corpses piling up in the Bengali countryside. The hypocrisy, racism, and extreme economic conditions of two centuries of British colonial policy finally built to a head, leading Indians to fight for their independence in 1947.

Few Americans know that World War II was won on the backs of these starving peasants; Mukerjee shows us a side of World War II that we have been blind to. We know what Hitler did to the Jews, what the Japanese did to the Chinese, what Stalin did to his own people. This story has largely been neglected, until now.

Critic Reviews:

"[W]ell-researchedThis gripping account of historical tragedy is a useful corrective to fashionable theories of benign imperial rule, arguing that a brutal rapaciousness was the very soul of the Raj." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A fascinating narrative with a flawed narration

Where does Churchill's Secret War rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

It's a pretty good audiobook. I've just listened to all of Simon Schama's "History of Britain" which ended off with some scathing commentary on the mismanagement of the Raj so it's interesting to move from that to an in-depth exploration of the Bengal Famine and India in the war effort.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of James Adams?

Probably Madhav Sharma, who did a superb job with Kim. Mr Adams isn't a bad narrator per se, but the main problem is that he can't code switch accents when pronouncing a number of Indian terms and names which means that they sound tortured and very odd in his rather plummy British accent. This is, I suppose forgivable in the first couple of chapters where we get fleeting references to "die-wanns" (diwans) and so forth but in a book dealing primarily with India in the Inter-War period, the Second World War and it's aftermath, an inability to pronounce "satyagraha" or "Bose" (protip- it's not "Bo-Say") can be really jarring and jerks one out of the flow.

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Title: Fordlandia

Subtitle: The Rise and Fall of Henry Fords Forgotten Jungle City

Author: Greg Grandin

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-17-10

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 128 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In 1927, Henry Ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of Delaware in the Brazilian Amazon. His intention was to grow rubber, but the project rapidly evolved into a more ambitious bid to export America itself. Fordlandia, as the settlement was called, soon became the site of an epic clash. On one side was the lean, austere car magnate; on the other, the Amazon, the most complex ecological system on the planet. Indigenous workers rejected Ford's midwestern Puritanism, turning the place into a ribald tropical boomtown. And his efforts to apply a system of regimented mass production to the Amazon's diversity resulted in a rash environmental assault that foreshadowed many of the threats laying waste to the rain forest today.

More than a parable of one mans arrogant attempt to force his will on the natural world, Greg Grandin's Fordlandia is "a quintessentially American fable". (Time).

Editorial Reviews:

Fordlandia is a wide-ranging history not only of Henry Fords problem-plagued foray into the Amazonian rainforest, but also of his place in advancing mechanized manufacturing. While the jungle experience did not make a lasting imprint on the Ford Companys existence, the perfection of assembly-line processes, the invention of machines to replace workers, and Henry Fords desire to control all facets of his automobile production process certainly combined to change the way goods are manufactured and life for workers around the world. Jonathan Davis aptly takes listeners through the story as the book first details Henry Fords rise to world prominence through the debacle of Fordlandia, and finally to Fords legacy of multinational corporations and mechanized labor.

The experience of Fordlandia brings forth Davis many skills as a gifted narrator. While his even voice tells the tale, he offers engaging and enjoyable moments as he describes various characters who helped make Fords poorly thought-out excursion into virgin rainforest the misery that it was. Davis reads excerpts from the letters botantist Carl LaRue sent to Henry Ford from Brazil, detailing the forlorn existence of the natives who would, supposedly, benefit from Fords insistence on a workforce that adhered to his personal Puritan values. Davis also reads the poetry of George Washington Sears, whose work describes a Brazilian workers revolt, and of Elizabeth Bishop, who put the Amazon Rivers untouched beauty into verse.

Mostly though, Davis introduces listeners to the wheelers and dealers who finessed the Brazilian land deal. According to author Grandin, that deal snookered the richest man in the world into paying for land he could have gotten for free. Later, Davis voices upper- and mid-level Ford managers who saw opportunities for money and power in time spent at the struggling Amazonian rubber plantation.

Fordlandia has it all: from American ingenuity, pride, wealth, and stubbornness to the tendency of some towards exploitation, greed, and nativism. Davis gives voice to Grandins words as he describes that moment in American history when the country changed from being mostly agrarian pioneers to factory workers; When American businessmen and factory owners began looking farther than the shores of the United States and saw income possibilities in foreign countries.

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Title: Freedom Summer

Subtitle: The Savage Season That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy

Author: Bruce Watson

Narrator: David Drummond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-10-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 160 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In the summer of 1964, with the civil rights movement stalled, seven hundred college students descended on Mississippi to register black voters, teach in Freedom Schools, and live in sharecroppers' shacks. But by the time their first night in the state had ended, three volunteers were dead, black churches had burned, and America had a new definition of freedom. This remarkable chapter in American history, the basis for the controversial film Mississippi Burning, is now the subject of Bruce Watson's thoughtful and riveting historical narrative. Using in-depth interviews with participants and residents, Watson brilliantly captures the tottering legacy of Jim Crow in Mississippi and the chaos that brought such national figures as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Pete Seeger to the state. Freedom Summer presents finely rendered portraits of the courageous black citizens and Northern volunteers who refused to be intimidated in their struggle for justice, as well as the white Mississippians who would kill to protect a dying way of life. Few books have provided such an intimate look at race relations during the deadliest days of the civil rights movement.

©2010 Bruce Watson (P)2010 Tantor

Editorial Reviews:

In Freedom Summer, Bruce Watsons amazing attention to detail vividly brings to life the dramatic events that took place in Mississippi in 1964. Watsons account of the murder of three civil rights workers that summer and the ensuing aftermath told in David Drummonds deep, baritone voice makes for a very powerful listen. Thanks to numerous interviews with eyewitnesses to this striking moment in American history, Watson fills Freedom Summer with precise details like the midnight runs one civil rights worker would take to relieve his stress and the first terrifying night another spent half awake in her new office in Mississippi. Its these telling details that give the book a sweeping, novelistic quality.

Theres also a sense of immediacy that stems from Watsons precise writing and Drummonds performance. Drummond wisely takes a matter-of-fact approach to narrating the book. Theres no reason to add extra drama to Freedom Summer. What happened that year in Mississippi needs no embellishment.

Freedom Summer should be heard in every 20th-century American history class, as it zeros in on a specific time and place and reminds us exactly what happened so we will never forget this dramatic turning point in American history.

Critic Reviews:

"Bruce Watson captures, with skill and sensitivity, the drama of that historic summer in Mississippi.... This is the best account I have seen of Freedom Summer." (Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States)

Members Reviews:

The Long Hot Summer

A child of the 60s I approached this book with the impression that I knew most of what took place. Fortunately, I was wrong. This book revisits the summer of 1964 when 700 or so volunteers arrived to register voters in Mississippi. Familiar characteris of the era come alive through Bruce Watson's pen - LBJ, Stokely Carmichael and others. More importantly, a critical number of the 700 participants also come to life which is so interesting. If you think you know what took place and you fully understand the implications - look at this book again.

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Title: Colossus

Subtitle: Hoover Dam and the Making of the American Century

Author: Michael Hiltzik

Narrator: Norman Dietz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-01-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 127 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

As breathtaking today as when it was completed, Hoover Dam ranks among America's greatest achievements. The story of its conception, design, and construction is the story of the United States at a unique moment in history: when facing both a global economic crisis and the implacable elements of nature, we prevailed.

The United States after Hoover Dam was a different country from the one that began to build it, going from the glorification of individual effort to the value of shared enterprise and communal support. The dam became the physical embodiment of this change. A remote regional construction project was transformed from a Republican afterthought into a New Deal symbol of national pride. Hoover Dam went on to shape not only the American West but the American century.

Michael Hiltzik populates the epic tale of the dam's construction with larger-than-life characters, such as Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, William Mulholland, and the dam's egomaniacal architect, Frank Crowe. Shedding real light on a one-of-a-kind moment in 20th-century American history, Hiltzik combines exhaustive research, trenchant observation, and a gift for unforgettable storytelling in a book that is bound to become a classic in its genre.

Critic Reviews:

"Astutely conveying the characters of its creators, Hiltzik marvelously captures the times of the Hoover Dam." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

A Political Biography of the Dam

"Colossus" is Michael Hiltzik's contribution to the public works literature including - for example - David McCullough's "The Great Bridge" and "The Path Between the Seas" along with "Golden Gate" by Kevin Star. In this volume Hiltzik details the history of the taming of the Colorado River during the Western Expansion to the building of the Hoover Dam. The political horse trading, engineering, labor problems, and more other surprises than can be listed here are presented. The book offers an amazing window onto the sacrifices made by those who physically built the dam with their sweat, muscle, and sometimes their lives. Desperate men in desperate economic times. This book focuses on the political economic issues to the exclusion of engineering details. So readers expecting another "The Path Between the Seas" might be a little disappointed. This is more a political biography than an engineering biography of the dam. Otherwise, the prose keeps the listener's attention and the reading of Norman Dietz is excellent.

Good, but far from great

Mr. Hiltzik could have used a really aggressive editor on this one. I love a good backstory, but I have a limit when it comes to running down so many rabbit trails. Also, Norman Dietz's narration is--and I hate to be harsh, but this is the truth--somewhat grandfatherly sounding. A subject matter this interesting should have made for a real "page-turner." As it is, I literally have to listen in short bursts to keep from becoming too frustrated.

Detialed but interesting. a good listen.

I had this in my wish list for almost a year before downloading it, I should have done it sooner. This was a detailed account of not only the building of the dam but of the reasons for it. A history of the imperial valley of California starts the book out and then the appropriation of money that took years in Congress.

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Title: Hunting Evil

Subtitle: The Nazi War Criminals Who Escaped and the Quest to Bring Them to Justice

Author: Guy Walters

Narrator: Jonathan Cowley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-04-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 71 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Already acclaimed in England as "first-rate" (The Sunday Times); a model of meticulous, courageous and path-breaking scholarship"(Literary Review); and "absorbing and thoroughly gripping; deserves a lasting place among histories of the war" (The Sunday Telegraph), Hunting Evil is the first complete and definitive account of how the Nazis escaped and were pursued and captured - or managed to live long lives as fugitives.

At the end of the Second World War, an estimated 30,000 Nazi war criminals fled from justice, including some of the highest ranking members of the Nazi Party. Many of them have names that resonate deeply in 20th-century history -- Eichmann, Mengele, Martin Bormann, and Klaus Barbie -- not just for the monstrosity of their crimes, but also because of the shadowy nature of their post-war existence, holed up in the depths of Latin America, always one step ahead of their pursuers. Aided and abetted by prominent people throughout Europe, they hid in foreboding castles high in the Austrian alps, and were taken in by shady Argentine secret agents. The attempts to bring them to justice are no less dramatic, featuring vengeful Holocaust survivors, inept politicians, and daring plots to kidnap or assassinate the fugitives.

From its haunting chronicle of the monstrous mass murders the Nazis perpetrated and the murky details of their postwar existence to the challenges of hunting them down, Hunting Evil is a monumental work of nonfiction written with the pacing and intrigue of a thriller.

Members Reviews:

Eye-opening and riveting

This book clears up some widespread misconceptions--for example, he makes the case that ODESSA never existed. However, they didn't need one large organization to help Nazis get away--there were several smaller operations that did the job. "Hunting Eichmann" hints at one of the "ratlines" but this book goes into much more detail about who was running the several "ratlines" and why so many Nazis ended up in the countries they did--including right back in Europe. An important part of the book concerns why the West was more interested in working with ex-Nazis to fight Communism than in seeking justice.

I absolutely love this narrator. Just the right pace, and his pronunciation and voice are wonderful. I wish they would use him more often instead of some of the Brits who are harder for me to understand for some reason.

Outstanding..!

If you could sum up Hunting Evil in three words, what would they be?

Comprehensive...Objective...Courageous...

What about Jonathan Cowleys performance did you like?

Clear and Concise.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Wanted to but due to its scope, I don't see how someone could.

Any additional comments?

This is not an opinion piece... It is a precise and totally comprehensive history of the subject, covering aspects that I never imagined - The heroes, the villains, the profiteers and glory searchers, and revelations I was not expecting. This book exposed just how little I knew on the subject. I highly recommend it to anyone who is remotely interested in this aspect of 20th century history.

Interesting but unnecessarily judgemental

A well researched but overly judgemental, particularly with regard to Simon Wiesenthal, review of the efforts to bring Nazi war criminals to justice.

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Title: Hellhound on His Trail

Subtitle: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin

Author: Hampton Sides

Narrator: Hampton Sides

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-27-10

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 657 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

From the acclaimed best-selling author of Ghost Soldiers and Blood and Thunder, a taut, intense narrative about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the largest manhunt in American history.

On April 23, 1967, Prisoner #416J, an inmate at the notorious Missouri State Penitentiary, escaped in a breadbox. Fashioning himself Eric Galt, this nondescript thief and con man - whose real name was James Earl Ray - drifted through the South, into Mexico, and then Los Angeles, where he was galvanized by George Wallace's racist presidential campaign.

On February 1, 1968, two Memphis garbage men were crushed to death in their hydraulic truck, provoking the exclusively African American workforce to go on strike. Hoping to resuscitate his faltering crusade, King joined the sanitation workers cause, but their march down Beale Street, the historic avenue of the blues, turned violent. Humiliated, King fatefully vowed to return to Memphis in April.

With relentless storytelling drive, Sides follows Galt and King as they crisscross the country, one stalking the other, until the crushing moment at the Lorraine Motel when the drifter catches up with his prey.

Against the backdrop of the resulting nationwide riots and the pathos of Kings funeral, Sides gives us a riveting cross-cut narrative of the assassins flight and the 65-day search that led investigators to Canada, Portugal, and England - a massive manhunt ironically led by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI.

Magnificent in scope, drawing on a wealth of previously unpublished material, this nonfiction thriller illuminates one of the darkest hours in American life - an example of how history is so often a matter of the petty bringing down the great.

Critic Reviews:

"Sides's storytelling packs a visceral punch, and in Hellhound on His Trail, he crafts an authoritative and riveting account of two intersecting lives that altered the course of American history." (Amazon.com review)

Members Reviews:

History Comes Alive

I remember the final tumultuous years of the 60's as a televised tableau of rioting and demonstrations capped by the horrific nightmare of back to back assassinations. Hampton Sides examines the people and motives behind the events. Be prepared for new perspectives on the familiar characters of the headlines. Martin Luther King can't give up his mistresses, LBJ can't fathom why his War on Poverty doesn't prevent a demonstration on his doorstep, and J. Edgar Hoover does the right thing in the end. The pathos of the widow's walk -Coretta Scott King, Jackie and Ethel Kennedy- is masterfully retold. I sympathized with Ralph Abernathy as he surveyed the muddy wreck that once was the Poor People's March and is forced to come to terms that he will never be the leader that MLK was. By far, however, the most complex character was James Earl Ray, the product of a dismally poor, dysfunctional family of many generation's duration, cunning yet clueless, and so unremarkable that most acquaintances describe him as ordinary, if they are able to remember him at all. Thousands of lawmen in five countries bring to a successful conclusion one of the most extensive and successful manhunts of the twentieth century. The re-telling of the story is fast paced enough to read like a thriller, yet detailed enough for fresh insight into the era.

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Title: Islands of the Damned

Subtitle: A Marine at War in the Pacific

Author: R. V. Burgin, Bill Marvel

Narrator: Sean Runnette

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-02-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 188 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

This is an eyewitness - and eye-opening - account of some of the most savage and brutal fighting in the war against Japan, told from the perspective of a young Texan who volunteered for the Marine Corps to escape a life as a traveling salesman.

R. V. Burgin enlisted at the age of 20 and, with his sharp intelligence and earnest work ethic, climbed the ranks from a green private to a seasoned sergeant. Along the way, he shouldered a rifle as a member of a mortar squad. He saw friends die and enemies killed. He saw scenes he wanted to forget but never did - from enemy snipers who tied themselves to branches in the highest trees, to ambushes along narrow jungle trails, to the abandoned corpses of hara kiri victims, to the final howling banzai attacks as the Japanese embraced their inevitable defeat.

An unforgettable narrative of a young Marine in combat, Islands of the Damned brings to life the hell that was the Pacific War.

Members Reviews:

Sledge's Squad Leader

If you appreciated "With the Old Breed" by E.B.Sledge, this Book is an essential read to flesh out the same story from a related perspective. This is the understated story of a Marine mortar man fighting through a Pacific hell that we today can only dimly imagine. Well Done!

island of the damned. the untild story

great first hand experience. goes along with history books. RV Burgin is an exampke for all Marines.

Jerry

I am sooo disappointed with this book. I have great respect for all of the troops that have served and will serve. But Burgin seems to have a very self-centered and high opinion of himself. He spends a lot of time telling the listener how great he was. Burgin seems to have a deep seated dislike for Sledge due to the number of negative comments he makes about Sledge.

Remembering my Dad

It was like listening to my Dad tell some of his war stories. He fought with the 1st Marine. He couldn't talk about the war until just before his death in 1997 I miss him every day. Thank you for this book. I wanted him to put his experiences, In a book but he died before we could.

loved it

loved it...easy read extremely encompassing simply told as if burgin was a friend of yours sipping on tea on a southern front porch on an amicable afternoon...amazingly told