Download Popular Titles Audiobooks in History, 20th Century

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Title: Blood, Money, and Power

Subtitle: How L.B.J. Killed J.F.K

Author: Barr McClellan

Narrator: David Drummond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-28-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

An insiders look at Americas greatest unsolved mystery.

Blood, Money, & Power exposes the secret, high-level conspiracy in Texas that led to President John F. Kennedys death and the succession of Lyndon B. Johnson as president in 1963. Attorney Barr McClellan, a former member of L.B.J.s legal team, uses hundreds of newly released documents, including insider interviews, court papers, and the Warren Commission, to illuminate the maneuvers, payoffs, and power plays that revolved around the assassination of Kennedy and to expose L.B.J.s involvement in the murder plot.

In addition to revealing new information, McClellan answers common questions surrounding the assassination of our 35th president. Who had the opportunity, motive, and means to assassinate J.F.K.? Who controlled the investigation and findings of the Warren Commission? This historically significant book is proof that absolute power, money, blood, corruption, and deception were at the heart of politics in the early 1960s, and it represents the very best investigative journalism has to offer.

Editorial Reviews:

Barr McClellan was a former partner at a law firm run by Edward Clark, who also served as Lyndon B. Johnson's lawyer. In Blood, Money, and Power, McClellan adds to the conspiracy theories surrounding the death of John F. Kennedy by pointing the finger at Johnson, who he claims was aided in the cover-up by Clark. David Drummond has a clinical style that recalls a broadcaster or documentarian, which aims to lend gravity to McClellan's bold assertions, and listeners intrigued by the conspiracies surrounding JFK's death will see Blood, Money, and Power as more evidence in the unending speculation.

Members Reviews:

The Closest We'll Get to a Texas Insider's Version

I suspect this is a book better read than listened to. In the Audible version the choppy, repetitive, disorganized aspects are very evident. This is partly because McClellan is more concerned with emphasizing central points than with providing a smooth-flowing narrative. The choppiness may also be due to a lawyer's cautiousness. If hazarding a guess, he tells you he's offering a possible theory; if constructing a persuasive brief, he reiterates the key events and background details to refresh our memory and keep us focused.

McClellan ties his themes together with dressy literary elements (epigraphs that open and close each chapter) but these are designed to work on the printed page, not in audio, where they trip up the listener like bollards in the pavement.

The latter part of the book is pure autobiographical narrative and flows smoothly. No plausible guesswork here; it's a true recollection and the best part of the book. McClellan worked for LBJ crony Edward Aubrey Clark in the Austin law firm that bought politicians, engaged hit men, and looked to profit enormously once they had Johnson in the White House.

Objection! Speculation...

I anticipated getting this book after seeing Barr's segment on the banned episode of the History Channel's "The Men Who Killed Kennedy".

I was disappointed in the end because of McClellen's speculation on what took place in key events in the assassination.

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Title: The Union of their Dreams

Subtitle: Power, Hope, and Struggle in Cesar Chavez's Farm Worker Movement

Author: Miriam Pawel

Narrator: Roxanne Hernandez

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-27-13

Publisher: Audible Studios for Bloomsbury

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

A generation of Americans came of age boycotting grapes, swept up in a movement that vanquished California's most powerful industry and accomplished the unthinkable: dignity and contracts for farm workers. Four decades later, Cesar Chavez's likeness graces postage stamps, and dozens of schools and streets have been renamed in his honor. But the real story of Chavez's farm workers' movement - both its historic triumphs and its tragic disintegration - has remained buried beneath the hagiography. Drawing on a rich trove of original documents, tapes, and interviews, Miriam Pawel chronicles the rise of the UFW during the heady days of civil rights struggles, the antiwar movement, and student activism in the 1960s and '70s. From the fields, the churches, and the classrooms, hundreds were drawn to la causa by the charismatic Chavez, a brilliant risk-taker who mobilized popular support for a noble cause. But as Miriam Pawel shows, the UFW was ripped apart by the same man who built it, as Chavez proved unable to make the transition from movement icon to union leader. Pawel traces the lives of several key members of the crusade, using their stories to weave together a powerful portrait of a movement and the people who made it. A tour de force of reporting and a spellbinding narrative, The Union of Their Dreams explores an important and untold chapter in the history of labor, civil rights, and immigration in modern America.

Critic Reviews:

A revealing celebration of activists in the glory days of a movement for change. (Kirkus)

Anyone interested in political idealism, trade unions, leadership, mass movements, and even the Barack Obama phenomenon will have much to think about after reading this enthralling account of great accomplishment gained and lost. (Nicholas von Hoffman, author of Hoax and Citizen Cohn)

Miriam Pawel combines the skills of an historian and an investigative reporter to tell the story of the remarkable people upon whose dreams the farm worker movement was established, moved forward, and forever changed the nation. (William Deverell, Director, Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West)

Members Reviews:

Four Decades of Struggle

Mr. Chavez will forever remain an iconic leader. From his activism timeline of 1952-1993 the struggle was on to raise the living statndards for so many. United Farm workers have a strong foundation today because Cesar and his leadership teams built the movement. Nothing good is ever done without adversity and reading this book you will find out about the barriers UFW had to deal with inside and outside the Union as the rising tide lifted all boats.

"Keep the children stupid and we will always have our cheap labor supply. Keep them stupid, and we will always have them for our needs."

Find out about the Mexican and Filipino merger on the prized commodity.

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Title: Disasters

Subtitle: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries

Author: Brenda Guiberson

Narrator: Nelson Runger

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-22-13

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Natural and man-made disasters have the power to destroy thousands of lives very quickly. Both as they unfold and in the aftermath, these forces of nature astonish the rest of the world with their incredible devastation and magnitude. In this collection of 10 well-known catastrophes such as the great Chicago fire, the sinking of the Titanic, and hurricane Katrina, Brenda Guiberson explores the causes and effects, as well as the local and global reverberations of these calamitous events. Each compelling account tells the story of destruction and devastation, and most especially, the power of mankind to persevere in the face of adversity.

Members Reviews:

Welcome to the 4th grade History class

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It's one thing to skim a topic but having in depth knowledge of more than one of the incidents cited in this book it left me questioning the validity of the rest. Loosely connected trivia doesn't do well to accentuate the disasters but they are included for someone's sake.

It read like my elementary school social studies book with text and descriptions that suits that age group. I was hoping for much more as an avid reader of 20th century history.

What was most disappointing about Brenda Guibersons story?

The descriptions

Would you be willing to try another one of Nelson Rungers performances?

No

You didnt love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

One of the disasters was accurately described in my opinion.

Any additional comments?

Recommended for anyone looking to learn enough about a disaster to discuss it briefly at a cocktail party.

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Title: The Greatest Speeches of President John F. Kennedy

Author: John F. Kennedy

Narrator: John F. Kennedy

Format: Original Recording

Length: 1 hr and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-17-13

Publisher: BN Publishing

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

We compiled the texts of JFK's most inspirational speeches so you can re-live the momentous era of the 1960s through the eloquent voice of America's most revered president! Included are these renowned speeches:

President Kennedy guided the United States through the most dangerous times since the Second World War. In his 1,000 days in office he led America through the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs Crisis, the Berlin blockade, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and through turbulent times in the cities - the Freedom Riders, segregation and integration, race riots, and lynchings.

But by instituting progressive policies of peace abroad and equality at home, President Kennedy made enemies of those who wished for the status quo. His death was a great loss - the loss of what could have been, the loss of a rare breed of politician who inspired people with a clear vision of the future.

Read The Greatest Speeches of President John F. Kennedy and be stimulated by his passion, encouraged by his hope, and inspired by his vision.

Members Reviews:

Incomplete and unorganized

Any additional comments?

The speeches are not complete. These are not full recordings. They are presented in part. Those parts repeat. There is no context given: dates, times, locations. It's all just a jumble of recordings at different pitches, tones, levels of loudness, etc. What a mess.

JFK Good, Book Not So

Great speeches in no order and with no introduction, no context. Poor job with a great subject.

Greatest speeches and then some

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

I would for any fans of Kennedy.

What other book might you compare The Greatest Speeches of President John F. Kennedy to and why?

A book of FDR's selected speeches. As good as that book was.

What about the narrators performance did you like?

I liked how they put alternate takes of some speeches in there.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

No.

many repeated

many of the speeches where repeated in this file, however it was great to listen to JFK speech style

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Title: World War I

Author: Ralph Raico

Narrator: George C. Scott

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-09-12

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

When World War I erupted, Americans fiercely debated US involvement; the nation had a deep tradition of avoiding foreign wars. But while the Spanish-American War had challenged this tradition, the First World War would shatter it.

Members Reviews:

Ralph Raico and the war that was the beginning of the end

I do not listen to many audiobooks, but this was one that I could not pass up. Ralph Raico and the veteran actor George C. Scott teamed up to present this brilliant summary of the folly that was World War I. With actors voicing dialog, I found it to be interesting and that it told well the financial and moral devastation that the war brought and still brings to this day. Some facts were mixed up such as Jeannette Rankin being from Idaho instead of Montana, but the audiobook was informative for the must part. If you have a Fire reader, I urge you to put this on your device. Five stars.

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Title: All the Missing Souls

Subtitle: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals

Author: David Scheffer

Narrator: Clinton Wade

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-21-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Within days of Madeleine Albright's confirmation as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 1993, she instructed David Scheffer to spearhead the historic mission to create a war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. As senior adviser to Albright and then as President Clinton's ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, Scheffer was at the forefront of the efforts that led to criminal tribunals for the Balkans, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia, and that resulted in the creation of the permanent International Criminal Court.

All the Missing Souls is Scheffer's gripping insider's account of the international gamble to prosecute those responsible for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, and to redress some of the bloodiest human rights atrocities in our time. Scheffer reveals the truth behind Washington's failures during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, the anemic hunt for notorious war criminals, how American exceptionalism undercut his diplomacy, and the perilous quests for accountability in Kosovo and Cambodia. He takes readers from the killing fields of Sierra Leone to the political back rooms of the U.N. Security Council, providing candid portraits of major figures such as Madeleine Albright, Anthony Lake, Richard Goldstone, Louise Arbour, Samuel "Sandy" Berger, Richard Holbrooke, and Wesley Clark, among others. A stirring personal account of an important historical chapter, All the Missing Souls provides new insights into the continuing struggle for international justice.

Members Reviews:

I didn't really enjoy this book and though this guy was a little ...

I didn't really enjoy this book and thought this guy was pretentious and self-serving. There is gold but you have to mine through a lot of minutiae. The audio book was horrible. It sounded like a computer read the book.

Great

Fantastic book. I love the political aspects brought to life. It brings a wonderful introduction to the need for international justice.

Disappointment

David Scheffer proves that it is indeed possible for a book concerning atrocities to be overly maudlin. It is disappointingly poor writing from one of the architects of modern international justice, even one who is as angry and resentful, as the editorial reviews label him. For want of a well-turned phrase, Scheffer is happy to string together several sloppy ones. The polemic is far more forgivable for its tone and vitriol than it is for its unrelenting inelegance. There was a truly good book to be written here, and Scheffer has failed far worse in that project than ever he did in the events that it attempts to frame.

An Iconic Work

All The Missing Souls by David Scheffer, offers itself as a personal history of the war crimes tribunals. Though it would be an invaluable contribution to the literature of international criminal justice if it were that alone, the work is much more, augmented by other discernible narratives that enrich the effort.

David Scheffer was Counsel to Madeleine Albright at the UN, and during her tenure as Secretary of State, served as the first United States War Crimes Ambassador.

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Title: 365 Days

Author: Ronald J. Glasser

Narrator: Dustin R. Ebaugh

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-17-12

Publisher: Glasser Group, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Over 200,000 copies sold in all editions. A new edition of Ron Glasser's classic account of the Vietnam War. 365 Days stands not only as a compelling account of this tragic conflict, but as a powerful antiwar statement. Nothing speaks so convincingly against the evils of war as the evils themselves.

In this gripping account of the human cost of the Vietnam War, Ron Glasser offers an unparalleled description of the horror endured daily by those on the front lines.

"The stories I have tried to tell here are true," says Glasser in his foreword. "Those that happened in Japan I was part of; the rest are from the boys I met. I would have liked to disbelieve some of them, and at first I did, but I was there long enough to hear the same stories again and again, and then to see part of it myself."

Assigned to Zama, an Army hospital in Japan in September 1968, Glasser arrived as a pediatrician in the U.S. Army Medical Corps to care for the children of officers and high-ranking government officials. The hospital's main mission, however, was to support the war and care for the wounded. At Zama, an average of six to eight thousand patients were attended to per month, and the death and suffering were staggering. The soldiers counted their days by the length of their tour - one year, or 365 days - and they knew, down to the day, how much time they had left. Glasser tells their stories - of lives shockingly interrupted by the tragedies of war - with moving, humane eloquence.

Critic Reviews:

"A moving account about tremendous courage and often immeasurable suffering...[A] valuable and redemptive work." William Styron, The Washington Monthly)

"Dr. Glasser's book is one of the most gripping accounts of the Vietnam tragedy in humane, personal terms that I have yet seen." (George McGovern)

"Its quiet eloquence, its factual precision, its emotional restraint braided into the horror and pain of the subject matter make it a book of great emotional impact." (Thomas Lask, The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Good Read

Having been a paramedic in civilian life I found the book to be informative and real. The author accurately portrayed war at it's worst and best. The brutal ness of this war and the political unrest of the time hits home with the manner in which these soldiers were treated. The author delivers on all these points and more.

Amazing book

I was unable and unwilling to put this book down and was sorry when I finished it. All the mind-numbing stupidity of the authorities in charge of this travesty; all the senseless waste of lives and fortune riled me up yet again. At least in our present wars we no longer blame the soldiers like we did the Vietnam vets - something has been learned, anyway.

this is a collection of short stories written by a ...

this is a collection of short stories written by a military doctor during the height of the Vietnam war. What's different is he brought the war home to you from the grunts perspective verses a strictly medical perspective.

Raw

The stories revealed a grim, raw picture of life as a soldier in Nam. I would recommend it to someone who wants to read about life in the jungle and the medical trauma and death the soldiers faced. Tragic.

Great book on war, written with sensitivity

Emotional, poignant stories make up this book. I cried through so much of it. I wish some were longer.

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Title: Hiroshima Nagasaki

Author: Paul Ham

Narrator: Robert Meldrum

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-17-12

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 65 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

"Nobody is more disturbed," said President Truman, three days after the destruction of Nagasaki in 1945, "over the use of the atomic bombs than I am, but I was greatly disturbed over the unwarranted attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor and their murder of our prisoners of war. The only language [the Japanese] seem to understand is the one we have been using to bombard them. When you have to deal with a beast you have to treat him as a beast. It is most regrettable but nevertheless true."

The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than 100,000 instantly, mostly women, children, and the elderly. Many hundreds of thousands more succumbed to their horrific injuries later, or slowly perished of radiation-related sickness. Yet the bombs were "our least abhorrent choice", American leaders claimed at the time - and still today most people believe they ended the Pacific War and saved millions of American and Japanese lives. Ham challenges this view, arguing that the bombings, when Japan was on its knees, were the culmination of a strategic Allied air war on enemy civilians that began in Germany and had till then exacted its most horrific death tolls in Dresden and Tokyo.

The war in Europe may have ended but it continued in the Pacific against a regime still looking to save face. Ham describes the political manoeuvring and the scientific race to build the new atomic weapon. He also gives powerful witness to its destruction through the eyes of 80 survivors, from 12-year-olds forced to work in war factories to wives and children who faced it alone, reminding us that these two cities were full of ordinary people who suddenly, out of a clear blue summer's sky, felt the sun fall on their heads.

Members Reviews:

While extraordinary, I can only give it 3 stars

This only rates a three because it drags, and it's so repetitive, I damned near cried a few times. It's a truly emotionally charged issue, and up front, let me just say it: I was one of those strident mouthy types who, without thought, pointed out that, after someone said, quite harshly, that the US was the only country to have used atomic weapons, we used them on a country, Japan, that was nowhere near the happy, pappy, anime loving people they are now. At the time of the use of atomic weaponry, there was some unspeakable brutality going on: in China, in the camps, in their very ideas on how life should be lived, in their code that it was better to spread death and die, than, well, here, suffice it to say: blah, blah, heinous, blah.

But Ham has made me rethink this with very indepth reporting of what was going on from all angles.

And therein lies the problem.

The humanity is lost.

You want the horror? You want to realize that what happened was wrong and that it happened to people who were just as misguided as any people who happened to follow leaders who led them astray? Read/listen to "Hiroshima Diary."

But skip the eeeeeeendlessssss politics that Ham wallows in. Brilliantly researched, yes. Well-narrated, without a doubt.

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Title: The Speckled Monster

Subtitle: A Historical Tale of Battling Smallpox

Author: Jennifer Lee Carrell

Narrator: Michael Prichard

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-22-12

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The Speckled Monster is both a hair-raising tale of courage in the face of the deadliest disease that has ever struck mankind, and a gripping account of the birth of modern immunology. Jennifer Lee Carrell's dramatic story follows two parents who, after barely surviving the agony of smallpox themselves, flouted 18th century European medical tradition by borrowing folk knowledge from African slaves and Eastern women in frantic bids to protect their children. Their heroic struggles gave rise to immunology, as well as the vaccinations that remain our only hope should the disease be unleashed again. Carrell transports readers back to the early 18th century to tell the tales of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Dr. Zabdiel Boylston: two iconoclastic figures who helped save London and Boston from this scourge.

Members Reviews:

Wish it was another 19 hours long!

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

Yes. The story brings home what a horrible disease smallpox was and the dangers faced by those who wanted to prevent the disease with inoculation. But it reads like a thriller -- you can't wait to find out what happened to this person or how that situation was resolved.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Speckled Monster?

The entire story of Zabdeal Boylston was entrancing. I had never heard of him, although I grew up near Boston. He comes alive in this book, not as a colonist, not as a historical character, but as a family man and conscientious doctor who has to fight on multiple fronts to do what he believes is right.

Which scene was your favorite?

No one scene sticks out. But I had never realized, as someone who received a routine vaccination as a baby, what a miracle it was that I was safe from what had been a common and devastating scourge. The descriptions of how people actually suffered and died from smallpox changes an abstract idea into a horrible, painful reality for so many generations of people.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Zabdeal Boylston's family's experience with the pox was absolutely wrenching.

Any additional comments?

I don't remember when I have enjoyed listening to a book so much. And the fact that, after 19 odd hours, I was disappointed to have it end -- well, I'm seriously considering going back to the beginning and listening again!

Heroic story about an absolutely terrible disease

Any additional comments?

I listened to this book because I was surprised to hear Rand Paul mentioned it in one of the presidential debates. I enjoyed it and found myself drawn in by the author's portrayal of the main historical characters. If it's hard to imagine what a monstrous killer small pox was, just google some photographs of it. The debt we all owe to the pioneers of the practice of inoculation cannot be overstated. Zabdiel Boylston reminded me of George Washington in terms of his courage and modesty. And I am glad the letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu still exist and look forward to reading them in current published volumes. What author Carrell does particularly well is to bring to life the hysteria that these first Western forays into vaccination stirred up.

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Title: The Liri Valley

Subtitle: Canada's World War II Breakthrough to Rome

Author: Mark Zuehlke

Narrator: William Dufris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-06-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

For the Allied armies fighting their way up the Italian boot in early 1944, Rome was the prize that could only be won through a massive offensive. Military historian Mark Zuehlke returns to the Mediterranean theater of World War II with this gripping tribute to the Canadians who opened the way for the Allies to take Rome. The book is a fitting testament to the bravery of soldiers like the badly wounded Captain Pierre Potvin, who survived more than 30 hours alone on the battlefield.

Editorial Reviews:

Perfect for dedicated beginner history buffs, Mark Zuehlkes The Liri Valley: Canadas World War II Breakthrough to Rome relays to listeners the story of those Canadian troops who preceded and paved the way for Allied forces into Rome, Italy, during World War II.

Zuehlkes straightforward storytelling is accentuated by actor William Dufris skillful performance, which is authoritative but certainly not devoid of excitement. Dufris doesnt shy away from moments of heightened tension and emotion, bringing these to the fore in perfect harmony with Zuehlkes own attempts to highlight the sometimes variable personal recollections of veterans.

Members Reviews:

Great content - fast speaker

The narration overall, more the tempo, was too fast to grasp each battle scenario. If it was read a bit slower, the story would have been easier to follow.