Discover the Best Sellers Audiobooks in History, 20th Century

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Title: Stalin and the Scientists

Subtitle: A History of Triumph and Tragedy, 1905-1953

Author: Simon Ings

Narrator: Tim Bruce

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-21-17

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

An epic history of science in the Soviet Union, following the scientists who survived Stalin's rule and helped to reshape the world.

Scientists throughout history, from Galileo to today's experts on climate change, have often had to contend with politics in their pursuit of knowledge. But in the Soviet Union, where the ruling elites embraced, patronized, and even fetishized science like never before, scientists lived their lives on a knife edge. The Soviet Union had the best-funded scientific establishment in history. Scientists were elevated as popular heroes and lavished with awards and privileges. But if their ideas or their field of study lost favor with the elites, they could be exiled, imprisoned, or murdered. And yet they persisted, making major contributions to 20th century science.

Stalin and the Scientists tells the story of the many gifted scientists who worked in Russia from the years leading up to the Revolution through the death of the "Great Scientist" himself, Joseph Stalin. It weaves together the stories of scientists, politicians, and ideologues into an intimate and sometimes horrifying portrait of a state determined to remake the world. They often wreaked great harm. Stalin was himself an amateur botanist, and by falling under the sway of dangerous charlatans like Trofim Lysenko (who denied the existence of genes), and by relying on antiquated ideas of biology, he not only destroyed the lives of hundreds of brilliant scientists, he caused the death of millions through famine.

But from atomic physics to management theory, and from radiation biology to neuroscience and psychology, these Soviet experts also made breakthroughs that forever changed agriculture, education, and medicine. A masterful book that deepens our understanding of Russian history, Stalin and the Scientists is a great achievement of research and storytelling, and a gripping look at what happens when science falls prey to politics.

Members Reviews:

Never Judge and Book by its cover!

You have heard it said many time before, "never judge a book by its cover". When selecting this book, that is exactly what I did. I have been very interested in subjects such as the Cold War.

I have always been interested in learning as much as I can about the the development of nuclear research and the building of atomic weapons. I have also been very interested in the the developments both the US and the Soviet Union space programs. Well, this is NOT that book. There is an honorable mention with regard to Stalin's scientists with regard to the two topics mentioned above, but not much at all.

Simon Ings managed to write a book that covered Soviet genetics, more than anything. He describes how Trofim Lysenko completely denied fact, such as the existence of genes. Lysenko was a complete crackpot when it comes to genetics. This turned out to be a dangerous situation because millions starved in the Soviet Union due to crop failures based on Lysenko's belief that he somehow created better crops that could withstand some of the worst weather.

Ings explains when Stalin and Khrushchev loved what Lysenko's work was all about. The fact that there is nothing genetic about plants, they just need a good environment. That really supports the communist platform. Ings covers Pavlov and his experiments in great detail about social behavior.

Pure and simple.

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Title: The Vaccine Race

Subtitle: Science, Politics, and the Human Costs of Defeating Disease

Author: Meredith Wadman

Narrator: Nancy Linari

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-07-17

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The epic and controversial story of a major breakthrough in cell biology that led to the conquest of rubella and other devastating diseases.

Until the late 1960s, tens of thousands of American children suffered crippling birth defects if their mothers had been exposed to rubella, popularly known as German measles, while pregnant; there was no vaccine and little understanding of how the disease devastated fetuses. In June 1962, a young biologist in Philadelphia, using tissue extracted from an aborted fetus from Sweden, produced safe, clean cells that allowed the creation of vaccines against rubella and other common childhood diseases. Two years later, in the midst of a devastating German measles epidemic, his colleague developed the vaccine that would one day wipe out homegrown rubella. The rubella vaccine and others made with those fetal cells have protected more than 150 million people in the United States, the vast majority of them preschoolers. The new cells and the method of making them also led to vaccines that have protected billions of people around the world from polio, rabies, chicken pox, measles, hepatitis A, shingles and adenovirus.

Meredith Wadman's masterful account recovers not only the science of this urgent race, but also the political roadblocks that nearly stopped the scientists. She describes the terrible dilemmas of pregnant women exposed to German measles and recounts testing on infants, prisoners, orphans, and the intellectually disabled, which was common in the era. These events take place at the dawn of the battle over using human fetal tissue in research, during the arrival of big commerce in campus labs, and as huge changes take place in the laws and practices governing who "owns" research cells and the profits made from biological inventions. It is also the story of yet one more unrecognized woman whose cells have been used to save countless lives.

With another frightening virus imperiling pregnant women on the rise today, no medical story could have more human drama, impact, or urgency today than The Vaccine Race.

Critic Reviews:

"This is a story about the war against disease - a war without end - and the development of enormously important vaccines, but in telling that story, in showing how science works, Meredith Wadman reveals much more. I loved this book." (John M. Barry,

New York Times best-selling author of

The Great Influenza)

Members Reviews:

Great information

Wonderful read and very insightful. Provides rarely known details about the way science works and also helps everyone understand the necessity of some choices.

Fantastic book and excellent reader

Would you consider the audio edition of The Vaccine Race to be better than the print version?

no

What about Nancy Linaris performance did you like?

The performance was excellent. It wasn't flat but also didn't distract from the book. Just the right amount of emotion. The reader's voice is pleasant and enjoyable to listen to.

Any additional comments?

I don't typically read books that have a big science component because, although I believe in the importance of science, I have little background in it and my lazy brain usually has a hard time paying attention and following what's being discussed. I'm glad I made an exception with this fantastic book, however.

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Title: Bold They Rise

Subtitle: The Space Shuttle Early Years, 1972-1986

Author: David Hitt, Heather R. Smith

Narrator: Gary L Willprecht

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-07-17

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 29 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

After the Apollo program put 12 men on the moon and safely brought them home, anything seemed possible. In this spirit, the team at NASA set about developing the space shuttle, arguably the most complex piece of machinery ever created. The world's first reusable spacecraft, it launched like a rocket, landed like a glider, and carried out complicated missions in between. Bold They Rise tells the story of the space shuttle through the personal experiences of the astronauts, engineers, and scientists who made it happen - in space and on the ground, from the days of research and design through the heroic accomplishments of the program to the tragic last minutes of the Challenger disaster. In the participants' own voices, we learn what so few are privy to: what it was like to create a new form of spacecraft, to risk one's life testing that craft, to float freely in the vacuum of space as a one-man satellite, to witness a friend's death. A "guided tour" of the shuttle - in historical, scientific, and personal terms - this book provides a fascinating, richly informed, and deeply personal view of a feat without parallel in the human story.

Members Reviews:

good

would have preferred a more technical explanation of designing the shuttle. most of the book focused on the missions.

Fantastic and interesting, start to finish

Essential read/listen for any Shuttle die hard. It ends very abruptly and I wish it had been more technical about the STS early concepts and design process. I'm still hoping for a book that dives even deeper than Bold They Rise. Regardless of what it is not, it IS excellent for people hoping to learn about the more human aspects of creating and operating the now-sadly-retired Space Shuttle Transport System.

The first years of the shuttle in a nice format

Any additional comments?

I have received a copy of this book in audio format by the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

This book narrates the first years of the Space Shuttle program from the point of view of the astronauts.

The program was launched by Nixon wanting to have a different approach to traveling to space, more on a budget and with reusable space crafts. One of the program's goals was to have quite an amount of missions per year, which would reduce the per-mission cost. In the end this cost was not reduced as much as it was expected due to parts that could not be reused. Primarily the space shuttle missions were related to satellite launching and investigation in zero G, but then the intention was making it accessible to people not related to the program. The last part of the book is dedicated to the Challenger, what caused the accident, and how this changed the vision of the shuttle program. The missions were maybe overlooked and lightly taken, and from then onwards things needed to be taken more strictly to avoid future disasters. The story continues in 'Wheels Stop:The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011', which also promises to be an interesting read.

This is quite a long book, over thirteen hours, but it is really amazing. I knew about the shuttle program but I ignored some of the historical details. Here they are all compiled in a nice format that will delight everybody. The book is full of anecdotes told by the astronauts and technicians.

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Title: The Book Thieves

Subtitle: The Nazi Looting of Europe's Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance

Author: Anders Rydell

Narrator: Kaleo Griffith

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-07-17

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

For fans of The Monuments Men and The Hare with Amber Eyes, the story of the Nazis' systematic pillaging of Europe's libraries and the small team of heroic librarians now working to return the stolen books to their rightful owners.

While the Nazi party was being condemned by much of the world for burning books, they were already hard at work perpetrating an even greater literary crime. Through extensive new research that included records saved by the Monuments Men themselves, Anders Rydell tells the untold story of Nazi book theft, as he himself joins the effort to return the stolen books. When the Nazi soldiers ransacked Europe's libraries and bookshops, large and small, the books they stole were not burned. Instead, the Nazis began to compile a library of their own that they could use to wage an intellectual war on literature and history. In this secret war, the libraries of Jews, communists, liberal politicians, LGBT activists, Catholics, Freemasons, and many other opposition groups were appropriated for Nazi research and used as an intellectual weapon against their owners. But when the war was over, most of the books were never returned. Instead many found their way into the public library system, where they remain to this day.

Now, Rydell finds himself entrusted with one of these stolen volumes, setting out to return it to its rightful owner. It was passed to him by the small team of heroic librarians who have begun the monumental task of combing through Berlin's public libraries to identify the looted books and reunite them with the families of their original owners. For those who lost relatives in the Holocaust, these books are often the only remaining possession of their relatives they have ever held. And as Rydell travels to return the volume he was given, he shows just how much a single book can mean to those who own it.

Members Reviews:

An interesting topic but an incredibly dull story.

It was such an interesting topic. After three hours of listening I tired of hearing the same information being repeated from a slightly different angle.

The forward held so much promise and there were brief glimpses of a story that could have been truely interesting but alas after three hours I was too bored to keep listening.

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Title: Lost in Outer Space

Subtitle: The Incredible Journey of Apollo 13

Author: Tod Olson

Narrator: George Newbern

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-17

Publisher: Scholastic Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

This exciting second book in the Lost series tells the incredible true story of the doomed Apollo 13 moon mission that nearly ended in disaster.

On April 11, 1970, the Apollo 13 space shuttle set off for the third intended American moon landing. Two days later and 200,000 miles from Earth, disaster struck when an oxygen tank exploded onboard the spacecraft, leaving three astronauts with only one goal: to make it home alive.

From "Houston, we've had a problem" to the final tense moments at Mission Control, Lost in Outer Space takes listeners along on the unbelievable journey of Apollo 13 and inside the minds of its famous and heroic astronauts, including legendary Commander Jim Lovell. This is an up close and personal look at one of the most thrilling survival stories of all time.

Members Reviews:

lost

No matter how many times I listen to Apollo 13 journey, I have enjoyed it. This book is just as good and enjoyed each moment.

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Title: The Holocaust

Subtitle: A New History

Author: Laurence Rees

Narrator: Jonathan Keeble

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-26-17

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

This landmark work answers two of the most fundamental questions in history: how and why did the Holocaust happen?

Laurence Rees has spent 25 years meeting survivors and perpetrators of the Third Reich and the Holocaust. Now, in his magnum opus, he combines largely unpublished testimony with the latest academic research to create the first accessible and authoritative account of the Holocaust in over three decades. Rees argues that whilst hatred of the Jews was always at the epicentre of Nazi thinking - and the Holocaust was the most appalling crime in history - what happened cannot be fully understood without considering the murder of the Jews alongside other Nazi plans to kill millions of non-Jews as well. He also reveals the inner machinations of the Nazi state and shows how there was no single decision to start the Holocaust; instead, a series of escalations cumulatively created the horror.

Through a chronological, intensely gripping narrative featuring the latest historical research and enthralling eyewitness testimony, this is the compelling story of humanity's lowest point.

Members Reviews:

Holocaust - A masterly telling

Where does The Holocaust rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

One of the finest audio history books I have listened to. Totally engaging. A clear and measured account of the darkest error of western European history.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Holocaust?

This does not really apply. The whole book is a highlight.

What does Jonathan Keeble bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you had only read the book?

Mr Keeble is a masterly narrater. Vocally clear and engaged with the text, a model of the professional readers art. Quotes from holocaust survivors are read with character, without a trace of caricature.

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

No. The text is too long and the subject matter means that I for one needed some respite.

Any additional comments?

No

History Repeats Itself ?

As I enjoy history books, there isn't anything in particular I dislike about the book. It is a timely reminder of how human beings can allow themselves to believe demagoguery when they benefit from it at someone else's expense ( Jews, Poles, everyone not considered racially superior). It is an extremely well researched book, with accounts from individuals who were there. Even though everyone knows about the extermination of European Jewry, the level of Nazi anti Jewish sentiment made me feel physically sick. The level of collusion

To formulate extermination very frightening indeed. In current times we need to remember for evil to succeed all it takes is people doing nothing.

wow

Amazing. Terrifying. An insight like none I've read or watched before.

The narrator is, I feel, a good choice. He brings a level of intensity and care to a telling of this history that is respectful.

The book itself is well paced, indepth and compelling to listen to.

The author presents the research, backed up by citing documents and interviews, in a chronological way.

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Title: Summary & Analysis: The Boys in the Boat

Subtitle: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Author: Book Junkie

Narrator: Todd Eflin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-26-17

Publisher: S&S Publishing

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

You need to listen to this book if you want to dive deeper into the world of Daniel James Brown. This is a summary and analysis and not the original book.

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics is written by best-selling author Daniel James Brown, the author of two riveting historical novels The Indifferent Stars Above and Under a Flaming Sky.

The Boys in the Boat is a gripping story about American Olympic glory in Nazi Germany from unlikely heroes: sons of farmers, loggers, and shipyard workers, specifically Joe Rantz, a young man abandoned by his family at the age of 15.

The story is built from interviews with Joe and his family in addition to excerpts from journals from the young men who made history in the Olympics, primarily known for Jesse Owens victory in Berlin.

Inside, you'll find:

Members Reviews:

Inspiring narration

I love stories that depict underdogs and misfits overcoming the predictions of the masses. On the other hand I would like to see narrators do their homework especially in the area of pronunciation. In this book the town of Sequim is not a two syllable word and should be pronounced skwim.

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Title: The Battle of the Coral Sea

Subtitle: The History and Legacy of World War II's First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Ken Teutsch

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-05-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The growing buzz of aircraft engines disturbed the Japanese military construction personnel hauling equipment ashore on the beige coral sand of Tulagi Island at 8:20 AM on May 4, 1942. Offshore, the large IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) minelayer Okinoshima, flagship of Admiral Shima Kiyohide, lay at anchor, along with two destroyers, Kikuzuki and Yutsuki, and transport ships. Six Japanese Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplanes also rested on the gentle, deep blue swell, marking Tulagi's future as an IJN floatplane base. The men on the beach, at inland construction sites, or aboard the Japanese ships, looked up towards the huge white cumulus clouds sailing on the ocean wind. Taken completely by surprise, the Japanese stood and stared as 13 sturdy-looking dive bombers dropped through the cumulus layer at 6,000 feet, plunging towards the IJN ships. As they streaked lower, the white star on a black disc insignia of American aircraft grew visible on the underside of each wing. As the dive bombers roared low, drowning out the soft clacking of palm-fronds agitated by the steady sea breeze, the dark capsule shapes of 1,000-lb bombs broke away from their undersides and hurtled towards the anchored ships. Amid the sudden thunder of explosions, huge fountains of white foam gushed upward, sparkling in the tropical sunlight before collapsing back into the sea. Only as the American Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers began climbing out of their attack did the Japanese finally open fire with the four anti-aircraft guns set up on the Tulagi shore.

Members Reviews:

Concise history of the Battle of the Coral Sea

I really enjoyed The Battle of the Coral Sea: The History and Legacy of World War II's First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers. The e-book provided a short description of the events leading to the Battle of the Coral Sea, the battle itself, and how this battle helped us in the later Battle of Midway. The book is very detailed but concise. There are pictures of all the major personalities, and aircraft carriers. I highly recommend this book.

The forgotten battle that made the success at Midway possible!

Even after watching several documentaries of the early days of the war in the Pacific, the Battle of the Coral Sea never seems to get the same level of scrutiny and analysis as Midway does. Without the strategic success at Coral Sea, Midway may not have been the all-important game changer that it turned out to be for the U.S. and our allies.

but I was a bit disappointed that didn't carry through (I'm mainly a fiction reader ...

From the introduction I was expecting a more poetic narrative about this little-talked about battle, but I was a bit disappointed that didn't carry through (I'm mainly a fiction reader so I appreciated the more literary approach). There were more flowery flourishes interspersed, but for the most part it was more dry. All that being said, while I may have scored this a bit lower for readability, overall incredibly factual and a lot learned after reading it.

An under-appreciated moment in the Pacific campaign. While most ...

An under-appreciated moment in the Pacific campaign.

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Title: World War 2: Waffen SS Soldiers

Subtitle: Testimonies of German SS Soldiers - 2nd Edition

Author: Oliver Mayer

Narrator: Doug Greene

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-02-17

Publisher: Oliver Mayer

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In this book, you'll learn the stories of six different SS soldiers who fought for the German Army during World War II. These six soldiers all had different roles to play, and all look back at their experiences, sharing them to make amends for the cruel times that they lived in. Learn about what it was like to be in a concentration camp, and how a soldier managed when they were at the front. You will discover:

The experiences that you will discover are bound to leave you with a range of emotions. You may have feelings of anger, remorse, shame or even mercy. At the end of this book, you will have connected with these SS soldiers as well as the plight of those under their power. Learn about the life of an Ayran soldier, and those at Treblinka. Also discover the female SS soldiers and a driver of the gas truck. The gas chambers are explained as well as the ominous special action.

Members Reviews:

Not worth your time.

I chose this book based on the title about "Waffen SS Soldiers" but what I got was a book about concentration camp guards and malingerers. If you are looking for stories of Waffen SS fighting men then DO NOT CHOOSE THIS BOOK. I am somewhat suspect about the accounts and the "translations" of the individual's accounts because, among other things, they use the terms Waffen SS and Army soldier interchangeably. As a former US Marine I know I would never use the terms Marine and soldier interchangeably and I find it hard to believe that other actual elite troops like the Waffen SS would allow themselves to be confused with regular German Army troops. Overall a very poor experience from an Audible book. Buyer beware.

False Advertising

This book is about SS concentration camp guards not Waffen SS soldiers. The book is not about combat at all but concentration camp goings on.

White wash

A complete waste of time. Of the 7-10 ex SS soldiers not one was genuinely contrite ...their days in the SS were the best days of their lives and they cannot hide that fact...

Rubbish

Nothing to do with the Waffen SS, just total drivel, same old myths and fables.

Oh dear

Oh dear a really disappointing book in all aspects. will not recommend to anyone. extremely brief in content and details and a poor narration makes it not worth bothering with.

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Title: The Mighty Endeavor

Subtitle: American Armed Forces in the European Theater in World War II

Author: Charles B. MacDonald

Narrator: Traber Burns

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-16

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 40 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

From the first landings at Casablanca straight through to the crossing of the Elbe River and V-E Day, this book tells the gripping story of the European theater of operations battles of World War II that American soldiers, sailors, and airmen took part in and of the strategy behind them.

The book's core is its account of such famous and dramatic episodes as the landings in North Africa, Kasserine Pass, Salerno and Anzio; D-day; the liberation of Paris; the Battle of the Bulge; the crossing of the Rhine; and the race across Germany.

It also tells the story of the conflicts between American and other Allied leaders over how to pursue the war and of convoys, U-boat wolf packs, the aerial war over Germany, the bombing of Dresden, and the final surrender of the Nazis.

MacDonald takes the listener back to the build-up to war, looking at the circumstances of the American decision during the early 1930s to concentrate, if war should come, on victory in Europe first; and he describes in detail the ways that America forged a disciplined fighting force when war broke out.

MacDonald's portrayal of major military figures - George S. Patton Jr., Mark W. Clark, and J. Lawton Collins, among others - is both fair and penetrating, and he pays particular attention to other leaders whose accomplishments are not as well known.

His sources include official US Army records and direct interviews with noncommissioned officers, privates, and top-level participants such as Generals Eisenhower and Bradley. His account also reflects intensive work with original documents and with many newly available sources as well as his own experiences in the war as the commander of an infantry rifle company.

The Mighty Endeavor is a thoroughly researched history.

Members Reviews:

Great background on US Armed Forces in the ETO and MTO

I am a big fan of Charles McDonald and read this book years ago it is dated but still a great overall view of the war in Europe and Africa.