Download the Popular Authors Audiobooks in History, 20th Century

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Title: The Persian Empire

Author: The Great Courses

Narrator: Professor John W. Lee

Format: Original Recording

Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-08-13

Publisher: The Great Courses

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 402 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

For the past 2,500 years, we've heard about the Persian Empire as a decadent civilization run by despots, the villains who lost the Battle of Marathon and supplied the fodder for bad guys in literature and film. But it turns out this image is inaccurate. As recent scholarship shows, the Persian Empire was arguably the world's first global power- a diverse, multicultural empire with flourishing businesses and people on the move. The key is to look at the Persian Empire from the Persian's perspective. Over the span of 24 fascinating lectures, you'll take on the role of a history detective to discover the truth about this grand civilization.

You'll discover the key to the empire's success lay in its greatest rulers, each of whom played a critical role in shaping and strengthening a civilization we still remember today. But while the great kings were administering justice or waging wars, everyday Persians were just as important to the success of the empire.

Professor Lee shows you a whole new history of the ancient world - a perspective largely unknown even by students of history. These lectures capture the people, the strength, the rise and the downfall of this great empire, revealing the complexity behind centuries of a previously one-sided history. Take this opportunity to complete your understanding of the ancient world and discover the humanity of the ancient Persians.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Members Reviews:

Ancient History Does Not Get Much Better Than This

Would you consider the audio edition of The Persian Empire to be better than the print version?

Not sure. I do not have the print version of any of the Great Courses. This category of Audible products is unique.

Have you listened to any of Professor John W. Lees other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not yet but if he has any others available I definitely will consider purchasing them.

Any additional comments?

John Lee really made the history of the Persian Empire come alive for me. This is a difficult subject to teach because so much of the evidence was destroyed by Alexander the Great--and then buried under so many later layers of history. However, John Lee did a fantastic job of putting all of the evidence in context (in a manner that did not require one to have a PHD in Archaeology to understand) which allowed listeners to form more complex conclusions about the ancient Persians than the remaining biased sources state.

Fantastic thematic historical exploration

As a student of history, I found this exploration to be filled with both crucial details that made me re-think ancient times and anecdotal cultural cues that wove a fascinating tale in my mind. Great balance of archaeological historical evidence, secondary sources and myth debunking!

Completely worthwhile!

I never really gave the Persians too much thought, and certainly almost no credit in terms of their success. Professor Lee frames the entire course in a more balanced perspective of the Persian empire than is typical.

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Title: The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism: A History of 20th-Century Russia

Author: The Great Courses

Narrator: Professor Gary Hamburg

Format: Original Recording

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-08-13

Publisher: The Great Courses

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 235 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

From the Oval Office to the streets of Moscow, world leaders and ordinary citizens alike share interest and concerns about Russia. Can democracy survive there? What does the future hold for the once expansive and still powerful Russian nation? Is Soviet Communism truly dead?

These are the kinds of questions diplomats struggle with every day. And now, through this series of 16 incisive lectures by an acclaimed scholar of Russian history, you can begin investigating them for yourself as you take a probing historical journey through the recent history and near future of a key world power. Whether your chief interest is Russian or world history, political theory, or international relations, you'll take away fresh knowledge and insight as Professor Hamburg examines the improbable origins of Communist rule in Russia, the ascent of the Red Star to its zenith, and its decline and apparent end in the wake of 1989's events.

Using new material from previously sealed Soviet archives and covering recent controversial findings by both Russian and Western scholars, he begins with the failures of the czarist regime and the horrors of the First World War, then takes you through the bloody era of Josef Stalin's purges and beyond to Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika to offer you a thoroughgoing analysis of the Soviet experiment.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Members Reviews:

Prof. Hamburg Randomly Picked Topics

Would you try another book from The Great Courses and/or Professor Gary Hamburg?

I may pick other Great Courses but I will be more careful to see when the actual date that the lectures were taped. Bill Clinton was still president of the United States and Yeltsin was President of Russia when these lectures were taped. Professor Hamburg was given his predictions on what would happen in Russia after the fall of Communism. More than 14 years have gone by since they lecture were taped and much has happen. As a result, the last lecture was very out of date and gave no preceptive what Russia has actually become under Putin. The "release date" stated 2013 but this is obviously meaningless because it has no relation to when the lectures was actually taped.

What could The Great Courses have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Discussed the date that the lectures were given.

What character would you cut from The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism: A History of 20th-Century Russia?

N/A

Any additional comments?

It does not appear that the professor actually tried to explain why the USSR fell. He randomly picked topics to include but skipped crucial events. He did not include Poland and East Germany's efforts and final success in breaking away from the USSR and the USSR's decision not to send in troops to stop them from breaking away as a prellude to the USSR republics also seeking to break with it. He did not even discuss the USSR's defeat in Afghanistan as a factor in the eventual breakup of the USSR. Not really a good effort.

Great introduction but leaves lots of questions

I really enjoyed the professor and the course.

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Title: The History of White People

Author: Nell Irvin Painter

Narrator: Allyson Johnson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-04-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 393 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

A mind-expanding and myth-destroying exploration of notions of white racenot merely a skin color but also a signal of power, prestige, and beauty to be withheld and granted selectively. Ever since the Enlightenment, race theory and its inevitable partner, racism, have followed a crooked road, constructed by dominant peoples to justify their domination of others. Filling a huge gap in historical literature that long focused on the non-white, eminent historian Nell Irvin Painter guides us through more than two thousand years of Western civilization, tracing not only the invention of the idea of race but also the frequent worship of whiteness for economic, social, scientific, and political ends.

Our story begins in Greek and Roman antiquity, where the concept of race did not exist, only geography and the opportunity to conquer and enslave others. Not until the eighteenth century did an obsession with whiteness flourish, with the German invention of the notion of Caucasian beauty. This theory made northern Europeans into Saxons, Anglo-Saxons, and Teutons, envisioned as uniquely handsome natural rulers. Here was a worldview congenial to northern Europeans bent on empire. There followed an explosion of theories of race, now focusing on racial temperament as well as skin color. Spread by such intellectuals as Madame de Stael and Thomas Carlyle, white race theory soon reached North America with a vengeance.

Its chief spokesman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, did the most to label Anglo-Saxonsicons of beauty and virtueas the only true Americans. It was an ideal that excluded not only blacks but also all ethnic groups not of Protestant, northern European background. The Irish and Native Americans were out and, later, so were the Chinese, Jews, Italians, Slavs, and Greeksall deemed racially alien. Did immigrations threaten the very existence of America? Americans were assumed to be white, but who among poor immigrants could become truly American?

A tortured and convoluted series of scientific explorations developedtheories intended to keep Anglo-Saxons at the top: the ever-popular measurement of skulls, the powerful eugenics movement, and highly biased intelligence testsall designed to keep working people out and down. As Painter reveals, powersupported by economics, science, and politicscontinued to drive exclusionary notions of whiteness until, deep into the twentieth century, political realities enlarged the category of truly American.

A story filled with towering historical figures, The History of White People forcefully reminds us that the concept of one white race is a recent invention. The meaning, importance, and realty of this all-too-human thesis of race have buckled under the weight of a long and rich unfolding of events.

Members Reviews:

Destroys the myth that race is about skin color

What made the experience of listening to The History of White People the most enjoyable?

I found this book to be enlightening and even though it contains a huge amount of information it is still bearable. The presentation of illogical, contradictory race theory about different European races really revealed how the concept of race in general is a social construct.

Which scene was your favorite?

I was surprised to learn about 1920's eugenics and the campaign against "degenerate" families...meaning poor whites...

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Title: The War Below

Subtitle: The Story of Three Submarines That Battled Japan

Author: James Scott

Narrator: Donald Corren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-14-13

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 684 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The riveting story of the submarine force that helped win World War II by ravaging Japans merchant fleet and destroying its economy.

The War Below is a dramatic account of extraordinary heroism, ingenuity, and perseveranceand the vital role American submarines played in winning the Pacific War. Focusing on the unique stories of the submarines Silversides, Drum, and Tangand the men who skippered and crewed themJames Scott takes readers beneath the waves to experience the thrill of a direct hit on a merchant ship and the terror of depth charge attacks. Its a story filled with incredible feats of courage, including an emergency appendectomy performed with spoons by an inexperienced medic and the desperate struggle of sailors to escape from a flooded submarine stuck on the bottom, as well as tragic moments such as American submarines sinking an unmarked enemy ship carrying some 1,800 American POWs.

The casualty rate among submariners topped that of all military branches, a staggering six times higher than the surface navy. The war claimed almost one out of every five boats. But Japan was so ravaged by the loss of precious fuel and supplies that by wars end, Japanese warships lay at anchor while hungry civilians ate sawdust. Scott paints an unforgettable picture of the dangerous life submariners endured, including the atrocious prison camps where the Japanese beat, tortured, and starved captured Allied troops. Based on more than one hundred interviews with submarine veterans and a review of more than three thousand pages of previously unpublished letters, diaries, and personal writings, The War Below allows readers to experience the Pacific War as never before.

Critic Reviews:

Using voluminous official records plus interviews and an amazing number of unpublished diaries and letters, formerCharleston Post and Courierinvestigative reporter Scott delivers a gripping, almost day-by-day account of the actions of three submarinesMilitary buffs will lap it up, but general readers may find it difficult to resist the tension, drama, and fireworks of this underappreciated but dazzlingly destructive American weapon of World War II. (Kirkus Reviews)

This is the most absorbing narrative of submarine warfare that Ive read in years. The research is so deep, and the writing so vivid, I could practically feel the vast ocean closing over me as these three boats ranged the Pacific looking for the kill. (James D. Hornfischer,New York Timesbestselling author)

Beautifully researched and masterfully told, James Scotts book is an enthralling and important addition to the story of undersea warfare. (Alex Kershaw,New York Timesbestselling author ofEscape from the Deep)

Members Reviews:

Outstanding work so well researched.

My review may be biased as I am the daughter of a WWII submarine skipper. I knew only one of the men but I knew their children. The traits shared by these men come through in the details of this chronicle. It is these details that make this so riveting. A must read (or listen) for those interested in the submarine aspect of WWII. I wish the narrator had put in a little research before he read the script....he mispronounced naval terms and even the name of one of the subs.

Unique. Engaging. Worth your credit.

Any additional comments?

Shortly after the incidents of Dec.

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Title: The Guns at Last Light

Subtitle: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945

Author: Rick Atkinson

Narrator: L. J. Ganser

Format: Unabridged

Length: 32 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-14-13

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 748 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The eagerly awaited final volume in Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Atkinson's New York Times best-selling Liberation Trilogy.

It is the 20th century's unrivaled epic: At a staggering price, the United States and its allies liberated Europe and vanquished Hitler. In the first two volumes of his best-selling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted the history of how the American-led coalition fought its way from North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now he tells the most dramatic story of all - the titanic battle in Western Europe.

With the stirring final volume of this monumental trilogy, Rick Atkinson's remarkable accomplishment is manifest. He has produced the definitive chronicle of the war that restored freedom to the West. His lively, occasionally lyric prose brings the vast theater of battle, from the beaches of Normandy deep into Germany, brilliantly alive. It is hard to imagine a better history of the western front's final phase.

Critic Reviews:

"Superb The book is distinguished by its astonishing range of coverage [Atkinsons] lively, occasionally lyric prose brings the vast theater of battle, from the beaches of Normandy deep into Germany, brilliantly alive. It is hard to imagine a better history of the western fronts final phase." (

Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"Superb The book is distinguished by its astonishing range of coverage [Atkinsons] lively, occasionally lyric prose brings the vast theater of battle, from the beaches of Normandy deep into Germany, brilliantly alive. It is hard to imagine a better history of the western fronts final phase." (

Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"[An] extraordinary accomplishment. This is a beautifully written, moving account of one of the most bittersweet chapters in modern history The details build a stunning and precise account of major movementsfrom Normandy to Paris, from the South of France to Grenobleand close-up portraits of famous figures that make them living, breathing beings." (

Smithsonian Magazine)

Members Reviews:

Well Written Overview

It seems that we will never run out of new books about World War II. That is not a bad thing. World War II saw more combatants than any other war in history. It affected a large percentage of the worlds population. Much of the war was fought between literate soldiers, officers, and civilians on both sides. This has left us with a mountain of material. Every author has his own reading and prejudices that he brings to the study. This means that we will receive many different views of the same subject. Rick Atkinsons The Guns At Last Light: The War In Western Europe, 1944-1945, brings us his view of the war. The book starts with the invasion plans for Normandy. Atkinson goes in to a lot of detail about the logistical troubles that the allies had to prepare for what would be the largest amphibious assault in history. The information on D-Day itself and the Normandy campaign is very comprehensive, but not overwhelming with minutiae. The author points out the successes and failures of the campaign. One of the great failures was the lack of preparation by the commanders for dealing with the hedgerow country.

Many books on the campaign in France tend to focus on the Normandy campaign and the subsequent breakout. There was a subsequent invasion of the south of France known as Operation Dragoon.

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Title: Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Speech

Author: Martin Luther King Jr.

Narrator: Martin Luther King Jr.

Format: Original Recording

Length: 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-03-13

Publisher: BN Publishing

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 79 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

"I have a dream today." On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King spoke these words as he addressed a crowd of more than 200,000 civil rights protesters gathered at The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Two months earlier, President John Kennedy had sent a civil rights bill to Congress, but it was struck down. Although Kennedy was concerned about the possibility of widespread violence during this protest, he realized he was powerless to stop it and embraced the movement instead.

Known as the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom," the country expected to hear King deliver strong words to his opponents. Instead, his "I Have a Dream" speech was one of heartfelt passion and poetic eloquence that still echoes in our memory.

Members Reviews:

Fills My Heart

Martin Luther King,Jr. was a prophet sent by God. This truth is known ever more clearly as time goes by.

I was born in 1960 and have seen the progression of phenomenal change in America and the world.

I listen to Dr. King today with new wisdom and insight gained from maturity. I encourage others of my generation to listen to Dr. King's speeches through new ears, seasoned with maturity.

With this faith we will be able to transform

I was born after the 1963 Washington D.C. March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. I don't remember ever not knowing about Martin Luther King, Jr's August 28, 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. Until I heard an NPR interview of Dustin Volz, who had written a story for The National Journal, I didn't realize that I hadn't ever heard the entire speech.

The "I Have a Dream" speech is under copyright protection until 2038. The Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr. Inc. holds the copyright, and enforces it vigorously. Legally, it's entitled to, but there's a huge debate about whether morally, it should, given its historical importance. I'll leave that debate to others - I was more than happy to pay for this Audible to hear the entire speech.

King, delivering the speech at the Lincoln Memorial 100 years after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, gives the famous words "I Have a Dream" historic context, including the 1963 reality of segregation. He builds to a crescendo, with the encouragement of Mahalia Jackson, who can be heard on the Audible.

There is so much more to this speech than the common excerpts we see and hear.

It is the best speech I've ever listened to.

[The title of this review is from a portion of the "I Have a Dream" speech.]

Still moving

Still moves me and eye opening how relevant it remains in 2017. SAD for USA

Truly Inspirational!!

Sadly, as relevant today as fifty years ago. Dr. King's speech continues to inspire as we are reminded of the debt owed to the brave workers in the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Their successes serve as inspiration not to be discouraged and continue to work for equality and justice for all.

Historic Speech

I believe everyone should listen to these words by Dr.. Martin Luther King. I listened today in memory of this great Christian leader.

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Title: Frozen in Time

Subtitle: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II

Author: Mitchell Zuckoff

Narrator: Mitchell Zuckoff

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-23-13

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 463 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Audie Award Finalist, History, 2014

On November 5, 1942, a U.S. cargo plane slammed into the Greenland ice cap. Four days later, a B-17 on the search-and-rescue mission also crashed. Miraculously, all nine men on the B-17 survived. The U.S. military launched a second daring rescue operation, but the Grumman Duck amphibious plane sent to find the men vanished.

In this thrilling adventure, Mitchell Zuckoff offers a spellbinding account of these harrowing crashes and the fate of the survivors and their would-be saviors. Frozen in Time places us at the center of a group of valiant airmen fighting to stay alive through 148 days of a brutal Arctic winter until an expedition attempts to bring them to safety. But that is only part of the story. In present-day Greenland, Zuckoff joins the Coast Guard and North South Polar Inc. on a dangerous expedition to recover the remains of the lost plane's crew.

Frozen in Time is a breathtaking blend of mystery, adventure, heroism, and survival. It is also a poignant reminder of the sacrifices of our military personnel and their families - and a tribute to the important, perilous, and often overlooked work of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Members Reviews:

Best book I've read in a long time!

This is a must read. Gripping, emotional and true. Makes you appreciate Zuckoff's brilliant writing, research and his dedication to getting the story right complete with helping us to know these heros. Thanks for a super book.

Interesting Survival Story

This is an interesting non-fiction account of the loss of several planes carrying American military officers in Greenland during WWII and of the attempts to rescue the survivors. As it's non-fiction, not all the characters survive.

The historical tale from November 1942 to April 1943 is intertwined with the modern tale of the attempt to pull together a team to search for the lost Grummond Duck in 2012.

It is always clear which time frame is being referred to. The stories are different, and the contemporary tale is told from the author's first person perspective and is told in the present tense.

The WWII story is interesting and is brought to life fairly well. This is a good fast listen and will appeal to history buffs. For those itnerested in travel, particularly in the Arctic, it's full of interesting factual tidbits. Zuckoff does a good job of turning the frozen and unforgiving landscape into a central character.

Having said that, I think that Mitchell Zuckoff was not the best choice to narrate the story. He's a good writer but not a good reader. There's a difference between someone who tells a story and someone who reads a story. Zuckoff mispronounces several words -- after about the 30th instance of pronouncing ration as RAY-tion, I wanted to scream. He also has a tendency to slur his words and this affects his reading and the story. There were a couple of times when I wanted to turn the whole thing off and find another book to listen to, but the story kept me going.

I'd say the story is very good, but the narration is only fair. I'd probably give this about a 3.5 stars overall.

Sounds like a recent graduate's first book.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I was disappointed with this book.

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Title: An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa (1942-1943)

Subtitle: The Liberation Trilogy, Volume 1

Author: Rick Atkinson

Narrator: George Guidall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 26 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-16-13

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 809 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Pulitzer Prize, History, 2003

The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern learner can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. That first year of the Allied war was a pivotal point in American history, the moment when the United States began to act like a great power.

Beginning with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, An Army at Dawn follows the American and British armies as they fight the French in Morocco and Algeria, and then take on the Germans and Italians in Tunisia. Battle by battle, an inexperienced and sometimes poorly led army gradually becomes a superb fighting force. Central to the tale are the extraordinary but fallible commanders who come to dominate the battlefield: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, and Rommel.

Brilliantly researched, rich with new material and vivid insights, Atkinson's narrative provides the definitive history of the war in North Africa.

An Army at Dawn is the winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for History.

Members Reviews:

What war movies didn't tell you

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

Yes, because it tells the truth and strips the BS away from the history we were taught. We watched movies like Patton and thought the US was amazing in WW2. The reality is that, like in the build up to Iraq, the Americans were naïve. To me, it was stunning to see how ill prepared and clueless we were going into WW2. Thank god we went to Africa first and got our asses kicked, otherwise we would have gone straight to Normandy, lost, and Germany would control Europe still today.

What about George Guidalls performance did you like?

I will listen to any thing he narrates. He is the best!

The Africa campaign was Real War!

What did you love best about An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa (1942-1943)?

I loved that, for once, The Africa Campaign was shown for what it was: Intense, gruesome struggles, replete with all the terror and drama that illuminates battles like those on the islands of the Pacific in WWII.

I must deduct a star, because this book requires frequent consulting of maps, and I lost a lot by listening, instead of buying hard copy. (To be fair, even hardcopy books often provide sorry maps, tossed in as an afterthought, without serious effort at illustrating towns or topography described in the text.)

I wish Audible, or the publisher, or the author, or somebody would supply a web site that contains maps that one could follow. What a difference that would make!

Any additional comments?

Rick Atkinson's WWII trilogy has been hailed for the superb way it describes WWII. This praise is deserved. But may I also recommend Michael Shaara's four WWII novels, which I consider as enjoyable and informative as Atkinson's, and less map-dependent? Yes, read Atkinson, but also read Shaara.

Couldn't Finish It

I really wanted to soak up this book, I'd never studied WWII in Africa in detail and I was itching to learn about it. But listening to a detailed book about it was not the right approach for me.

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Title: The Day of Battle

Subtitle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944

Author: Rick Atkinson

Narrator: Jonathan Davis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 32 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-16-13

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 589 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In An Army at Dawn - winner of the Pulitzer Prize - Rick Atkinson provided a dramatic and authoritative history of the Allied triumph in North Africa. Now, in The Day of Battle, he follows the American and British armies as they invade Sicily in July 1943, attack Italy two months later, and then fight their way, mile by bloody mile, north toward Rome.

The Italian campaign's outcome was never certain; in fact, President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill, and their military advisors bitterly debated whether an invasion of the so-called soft underbelly of Europe was even wise. But once underway, the commitment to liberate Italy from the Nazis never wavered, despite the agonizing price. The battles at Salerno, Anzio, the Rapido River, and Cassino were particularly ferocious and lethal, yet as the months passed, the Allied forces continued to drive the Germans up the Italian peninsula. Led by Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, among the war's most complex and controversial commanders, American troops became increasingly determined and proficient. With the liberation of Rome in June 1944, ultimate victory in Europe at last began to seem inevitable.

Drawing on extensive new material from a wide array of primary sources, and written with great drama and flair, The Day of Battle is narrative history of the first rank.

Members Reviews:

Hard to Listen to, but Very Worthwhile

I needed to read this book. None of the history classes I took in high school or college ever discussed World War II; Ive had to learn everything about it on my own over the years. After retiring for good five years ago, I decided to focus heavily on this major 20th century event through biographies, histories, and well-researched historical fiction. I also watched a number of documentaries which included "The War," "Band of Brothers," "The World at War," and "The Pacific" as well as all of the Extras found on the DVD sets. However, nothing I had previously seen, listened to, or read adequately covered the Italian theater. It appeared to be a rather neglected aspect of World War II, or at least it seemed so to me.

When Rick Atkinson completed his The Liberation Trilogy on the war in Europe, I knew I had to read them all in order to piece together the European aspect of World War II. I discovered from "An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943" just how totally unprepared the United States had been when we entered this ongoing conflict--how we sent untrained troops and officers into the fray, and how much we learned through fighting with the British, against the Germans. But what of Sicily and Italy? What of the Italian Campaign?

In this second volume, "The Day of Battle: the War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1945" I found out more than I had expected. The arrogance, huge tactical errors, and misjudgments of many of the generals caused unbelievable suffering and unnecessary death for our troops and those of our allies in this corner of the war. I knew it had been bad, but its hard to conceive just how horrendous it really was. No wonder this isnt the part of WWII we hear much about! Of course we trumpet the successful landings at Normandy in 1944 rather than those that were so nearly repelled with terrible losses at Salerno in 1943.

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Title: The Marines of Montford Point

Subtitle: Americas First Black Marines

Author: Melton A. McLaurin

Narrator: Adam Lazzare White, JD Jackson, Karole Foreman, William Harper, Daxton Edwards, David Carpenter

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-11-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 61 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

With an executive order from President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, the United States Marine Corps - the last all-white branch of the U.S. military - was forced to begin recruiting and enlisting African Americans. The first black recruits received basic training at the segregated Camp Montford Point, adjacent to Camp Lejeune, near Jacksonville, North Carolina. Between 1942 and 1949 (when the base was closed as a result of President Truman's 1948 order fully desegregating all military forces) more than 20,000 men trained at Montford Point, most of them going on to serve in the Pacific Theatre in World War II as members of support units. This book, in conjunction with the documentary film of the same name, tells the story of these Marines for the first time.

Drawing from interviews with 60 veterans, The Marines of Montford Point relates the experiences of these pioneers in their own words. From their stories, we learn about their reasons for enlisting; their arrival at Montford Point and the training they received there; their lives in a segregated military and in the Jim Crow South; their experiences of combat and service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; and their legacy. The Marines speak with flashes of anger and humor, sometimes with sorrow, sometimes with great wisdom, and always with a pride fostered by incredible accomplishment in the face of adversity. This book serves to recognize and to honor the men who desegregated the Marine Corps and loyally served their country in three major wars.

Members Reviews:

Well done

What a testament to the values that the corps instills in it's recruits, draftees, and volunteers, where in the last chapters none of the gentlemen who endured so much hatred, and unfairness harbor any I'll will to the body they served.

Wow. Just wow!

I felt like I was in the room with these men. Every story, each voice, I could feel the emotions of the men being interviewed. Well done!

Great narrative to put contributions of the first black Marines in perspective.

I greatly enjoy d this book. I'm a history buff by heart and a retired Marine. I would recommend this to any person looking to further their knowledge of the military, the Marines and the sacrifices that these Marines made. Semper Fi

Outstanding Book!

I learned so much from this book. So glad they were interviewed these heroes before their story is lost or forgotten by the general public. Even as a 20 year USAF veteran, these interviews are eye opening.

Semper Fi

Very informative

Personal story narrative kept me engaged... It was as if the I was being told the story in person.