Download Top 100 Full Audiobooks in History, 20th Century

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Title: Boom!

Subtitle: Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today

Author: Tom Brokaw

Narrator: Robertson Dean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-06-07

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 101 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Boom! One minute it was Ike and the man in the grey flannel suit, and the next minute it was time to "turn on, tune in, drop out". While Americans were walking on the moon, Americans were dying in Vietnam. Nothing was beyond question, and there were far fewer answers than before.

Published as the 40th anniversary of 1968 approaches, Boom! gives us what Brokaw sees as a virtual reunion of some members of "the class of '68", offering wise and moving reflections and frank personal remembrances about people's lives during a time of high ideals and profound social, political, and individual change.

Remarkable in its insights, profoundly moving, wonderfully written and reported, this revealing portrait of a generation and of an era, and of the impact of the 1960s on our lives today, lets us be present at this reunion ourselves, and to join in these frank conversations about America then, now, and tomorrow.

Members Reviews:

Another Brokaw hit

I love the insight given by Tom Brokaw in his books. The Greatest Generation gave me a look in to what life was like for my parents. I am a Cusper, born in 1964 in between the Boomer generation and the Generation X'er's. In Boom, Tom gives me an overview of the lives of the news makers of the 60's. You can tell that Mr. Brokaw was very much a 60's child and I was rather shocked to find out that he even tried Marijuana :-) .

The book at times got long winded when it came to the political scene. Although those chapters were still interesting it just went a little more in depth than my own scant knowledge of the decade was willing to sit through.

I also wish that Tom would have narrated the book himself but Robertson Dean did an excellent narration.

I really enjoyed the book and look forward to listening to the next in Mr. Brokaw's line.

Nice!

It was cool to get perspectives of the 60's from someone who was there and is able to articulate the stories from that time. I have this strange feeling that the stories in this book are destined to repeat itself in the near future, stories of wrongful wars, uprisings, political mishaps, etc. Good audiobook.

Almost

The Greatest Generation was an outstanding book, thought this would be on the same level. Just did not have the same effect. With a voice as great as Tom Brokaw he should have been the voice of Boom. The overall book was interesting but diffenitely not the Greatest Generation.

Another Brokaw Work Falls Flat

In my humble opinion, if the guy wasn't a celebrity, he couldn't find a publisher for his work. This concept held unlimited potential for someone to hit it out of the park and Brokaw ends up with a weak bunt.

boring survey of a generation

This book was a relatively lifeless survey of the 60s and early 70s. While Brokaw picked out a handful of folks for their views on the generation, for the most part, there wasn't much of anything to learn from it.

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Title: The Siege of Mecca

Subtitle: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine & the Birth of Al-Qaeda

Author: Yaroslav Trofimov

Narrator: Todd McLaren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-19-07

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 232 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Despite U.S. assistance, the Saudi royal family proved haplessly incapable of dislodging the occupier, whose ranks included American converts to Islam. In Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini blamed the "Great Satan", the United States, for defiling the shrine, prompting mobs to storm and torch American embassies in Pakistan and Libya.

The desperate Saudis finally enlisted the help of French commandos led by Captain Paul Barril, who prepared the final assault and supplied the poison gas that knocked out the insurgents. Though most captured gunmen were quickly beheaded, the Saudi royal family responded to this unprecedented challenge by compromising with the rebels' supporters among the kingdom's most senior clerics, helping them nurture and export Juhayman's violent brand of Islam around the world.

Written with the pacing, detail, and suspense of a real-life thriller, The Siege of Mecca reveals how Saudi reaction to the uprising in Mecca set free the forces that produced the attacks of 9/11 and the harrowing circumstances that surround us today.

Critic Reviews:

"Solid journalistic and storytelling skills....Trofimov does excellent work in narrating [these events]." (Kirkus)

"A compelling historical narrative....Casual readers will be well served by this introduction to Muslim fundamentalist terrorism." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

"The Siege" - A Review

If you enjoy connecting the dots of past incidents in the Middle East and seeing their impact on today's world...A MUST "READ"! Fast paced, easily understood. Doesn't get into mundane minutia but flies at 30,000 feet. Fanatic zealots think their guy is the Machti (the prophet the returns to save the world and purge all infidels from the lands of Islam).

To prove their point they seize the grand temple in Mecca and kill hundreds of innocents. This causes the entangling of the House of Saud, the US, other Islamic countries, and France's elite anti-terrorism squadron.

CAUTION: you may miss work sitting in the parking lot, while waiting for the end!

An essential book

I was thoroughly enthralled listening to this untold story of an event that was somewhat overshadowed at the time and which turns out to have been something of a turning point in the radicalization of Islam.

Just Excellent

Complete and balanced. An essential read (Step NO. One in a process) for anyone really wanting to understand the relationship between the Saudi Arabia's leadership and U.S.A., between Al Qida and other Sunni Arabs; where America (and Russia) went wrong.

Absolutely excellent

This is a wonderful history of an event little known, yet so important to our world situation today. Trofimov did an excellent job of writing in a way that is both informative and gripping. The narration was excellent overall. In listening, I finally understood who the Islamic extremists are; their personalities, beliefs, and extremes to which they will go to deal with those they consider infidels.

Absolutely recommended!!!! Listen when you have plenty of time. I had a hard time switching it off!

Provides a better understanding

The events chronicled in this book helps one better understand the mind-set of radical Islam and how those thought processes influenced the relationships the US now has with various Middle Eastern countries.

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Title: Arsenals of Folly

Author: Richard Rhodes

Narrator: Robertson Dean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-26-07

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 117 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In a narrative that moves like a thriller, Rhodes sheds light on the Reagan administration's unprecedented arms buildup in the early 1980s, as well as the arms-reduction campaign that followed, and Reagan's famous 1986 summit meeting with Gorbachev. Rhodes' detailed exploration of events of this time constitutes a prehistory of the neoconservatives, demonstrating that the manipulation of government and public opinion with fake intelligence and threat inflation that the administration of George W. Bush has used to justify the current "war on terror" and the disastrous invasion of Iraq were developed and applied in the Reagan era and even before.

Drawing on personal interviews with both Soviet and U.S. participants, and on a wealth of new documentation, memoir literature, and oral history that has become available only in the past 10 years, Rhodes recounts what actually happened in the final years of the Cold War that led to its dramatic end. The story is new, compelling, and continually surprising - a revelatory re-creation of a hugely important era of our recent history.

Critic Reviews:

"The clarity of the historical record reinforces Rhodes' fiercely held political convictions." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

overall outstanding

this is a gripping book. I was a big fan of Rhodes' "Making of the Atomic Bomb". It should be noted that this book is both history mixed with a significant amount of 'editorial',i.e. it is much more biased. Instead of just focusing on facts, the author's deep seeded believe that the arms race was avoidable, tragic, and a huge waste of resources is more than evident. I would have preferred he let the reader come to his/her own conclusions.

that being said, the book starts with an unbelievable chapter about the Chernobyl disaster, setting the stage for the rest of the story. This is an incredible way to do this, becuase it makes the reader realize in real terms what nuclear war would have been like, given that Chernobyl would only be a taste of the devastation.

The middle sections of the book are a little dry, with long discussions about particulars of the gorbachov/Reagan summits the go one for lengthy periods. The West (and the Reagan administration in particular, although not necessarily Reagan himself) comes out of the book looking quite silly, while Gorbachev comes out looking quite heroic. i am not sure things are really that black and white.

In the end though, this was just an awesome look back at how isolated decisions look silly in a historical context, and makes you wonder what type of silly decisions we are making today. would recommend highly.

Narration is outstanding as well.

Nuanced look at the late years of the Cold War

This book is a detailed account of internal politics focusing on Gorbachev in the USSR and Reagan in the USA. In order to enjoy the book, I would say that some basic background in the earlier parts of the Cold War would help, but no background in the events of the 80s themselves are necessary (I didn't have any!). The book alludes to the events of 1989-1991, so to learn more about those, you would need another book.

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Title: The Battle of Britain (Dramatised)

Author: Anthony Burton

Narrator: Stephen Murray, Michael Burrell, John Graham, Gary Hope, Michael Kilgarriff, Sandra Frieze, Mandy More

Format: Original Recording

Length: 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-20-07

Publisher: Ivan and Inge Berg

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

France had fallen. All Britain waited for the inevitable German invasion. But first the Luftwaffe must destroy the Royal Air Force. It was the greatest air battle of all time against seemingly overwhelming odds. This programme follows the events of the epic weeks of the summer of 1940 and pays tribute to Winston Churchill's "Few" who saved Britain from the Nazi hordes.

© and (P)1980 Ivan and Inge Berg

Editorial Reviews:

The Battle of Britain marked a pivotal turning point in World War II, handing Hitler the first major defeat of his chancellorship. At a time when the supremacy of strategic bombing was widely assumed, Britain successfully withstood the Luftwaffe invasion, relying on its vast industrial capacity, the radar-based Fighter Command system of Stuffy Dowding, and - most of all - the insurmountable cunning and bravery of RAF airmen - Winston Churchills famous "few". Here, erudite BBC radio stalwart Stephen Murray tells the story of Britains "finest hour". An ensemble cast of classic radio voices provide riveting primary source reenactments. From the gun-smoked skies of Dunkirk, to dingy London bomb shelters, to the hallowed halls of Parliament, these performances highlight the courage and sacrifice of Britains greatest generation.

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Title: Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour

Subtitle: A Narrative History of Black Power in America

Author: Peniel E. Joseph

Narrator: Beresford Bennett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-07

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 65 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

An acclaimed chronicler of the Civil Rights Movement, Peniel Joseph presents this sweeping overview of a key component of the struggle for racial equality: the Black Power movement. This is the story of the men and women who sacrificed so much to begin a more vocal and radical push for social change in the 1960s and 1970s.

©2006 Peniel E. Joseph (P)2007 Recorded Books

Critic Reviews:

"Vividly illuminates the personalities and politics of a turbulent time." (

Kirkus Reviews) "Once in a while a book comes along that projects the spirit of an era; this is one of them....Vibrant and expressive....A well-researched and well-written work." (

The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Members Reviews:

Decent Introduction, not thorough at all

Is there anything you would change about this book?

A book about Black Power that spends hardly any time on George Padmore, James Boggs, Franz Fanon or the Revolutionary Action Movements is pretty surprising. On the whole, this book is just barely deeper than the last chapter of most books on the civil rights movement. For the most part, the book focused on the big luminaries and their personal political trajectory rather than the practical application of Black Power in communities across the country. Why dedicate a chapter to Huey P Newton's trial, while barely touching on the work done by the BPP in the community.

This book is a great introduction to the casual reader who has no knowledge of the Black Power movement, but will be a very unsatisfactory read for any student of Black Power, Civil Rights, or the era in general.

Missing key figures.

To write a book about the black power movement and not even mention Assata Shukur is mind boggling. How do you mention Tupac Shakur and not his Aunt Assata? And Mumia Abu-Jamal, also absent. A very brief mention of Fred Hampton in regards to his assassination is a disservice. The BPP's stance on capitalism and imperialism was not explored nearly enough. Much more attention to the tremendously successful social programs implemented by the BPP was necessary. Also, COINTELPRO and its pivotal role was glossed over. Not enough time was given to the misogyny and patriarchy the Black Power movement was steeped in, as well as homophobia. Elaine Brown deserved more attention and Eldridge Cleaver less. His unapologetic stance on the women he raped should never be overlooked. What about MOVE? The book started out on the right path but veered off around the Black Panthers. The book ended up being a disappointment.

bad editing. weak coverage

Is there anything you would change about this book?

There are audio mistakes left in the finished product. That's not the narrator's fault. The publisher shows a lack of professionalism here.

The author doesn't cover enough of the history of black power in America. A great deal is glossed over or simply missing.

Poor editing

Book is good, but the editing is pretty poor. There are moments when the narrator is trying to figure out how to say a phrase that should have been edited out, and chapters just bleed into each other without any sort of pause.

Wonderful at providing context

Fantastic historic timeline of the events and personalities of the Black Power Movement.

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Title: Conquering Gotham

Subtitle: The Construction of Penn Station and Its Tunnels

Author: Jill Jonnes

Narrator: David Drummond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-30-07

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 134 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Now, in this gripping narrative, Jill Jonnes tells this fascinating story - a high-stakes drama that pitted the money and will of the nation's mightiest railroad against the corruption of Tammany Hall, the unruly forces of nature, and the machinations of labor agitators.

In 1901, the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Alexander Cassatt, determined that it was technically feasible to build a system of tunnels connecting Manhattan to New Jersey and Long Island. Confronted by payoff-hungry politicians, brutal underground working conditions, and disastrous blowouts and explosions, it would take him nearly a decade to make Penn Station and its tunnels a reality.

Critic Reviews:

"An exemplary construction epic." (

Booklist) "An important addition to the popular literature of...New York." (

Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A good tale of the times

Being a fan of history and railroading, I chose this book on a whim because Audible doesn't have an enormous choice of books which cover both of those subject fields simultaneously: Beggars can't be choosers. Nonetheless... I got lucky. The writer tells a story that is informative and interesting. It is entertaining and educational. The descriptions of political and industrial scandal and achievement will cause you to draw comparisons between Andrew Carnegie and Bill Gates. Between Boss Tweed and Huey Long. Between Google and the PRR. The French have a phrase: "Plus ca change, plus c'est pareil" (The more things change, the more they stay the same).

This book describes the political and business atmosphere of the early 1900s in New York, and what it took physically, monetarily, politically, and socially, to build tunnels under New York's rivers that would allow the PRR's trains to come straight into Manhattan instead of having the passengers debark from their trains in New Jersey to take the ferry across. The entire exercise was a turning point in New York's coming of age in being the major metropolis of the United States and a global force to be reckoned with. The narrator blends into the background for the most part, leaving the story to tell itself. When you listen to a story and don't hear the telling, you know that it was well written, and that the story teller treated the material as superior to his or her ego.

There are some books that you will read (or listen to) many times because you like the tale, or the author, or because you want to pick up on the little bits that you missed the last time. I won't listen to this book a dozen times, but I will listen to it three or four more times because the tale is good. It speaks of courage and conviction and crime and corruption. The good people are inspiring and the sociopaths will make you wonder why we still have people like the Ken Lays and Jack Abramoffs of the world.

Everything but the pictures

I have been listening to books about the history of NYC and this was a great addition. The story is engaging and it was interesting to learn how a railroad centered in Philadelphia could have such an impact on Manhattan, but maybe not as much as it would have liked. I do wish the narrator had done a bit more homework on pronunciation of place names like Haverford and Bala Cynwyd. As a native of that area, I found the mispronunciations jarring.

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Title: Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism

Author: Bob Edwards

Narrator: Bob Edwards

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-10-04

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 109 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism, one of America's most celebrated broadcast journalists tells the dramatic and inspiring tale of how America's first and greatest newscaster changed the way we receive, understand, and respond to the news. Former NPR Morning Edition host, Bob Edwards, reveals how Murrow pioneered the concepts of radio reports from foreign correspondents, nightly news roundups, and live "you are there" broadcasts. He explains the impact of Murrow's London reports on public opinion, encouraging aid to Britain, and how the high standards that he lived by influenced an entire generation of broadcasters.

This brisk and incisive account tracks Murrow's postwar career from the revolutionary television programs See It Now and Person to Person through the legendary 1954 broadcast that helped bring down the Red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy, to his many run-ins with his boss, CBS founder and president William Paley. Once close friends, Murrow and Paley clashed repeatedly over the now-familiar conflict between journalistic integrity and corporate profits.

Critic Reviews:

"Edwards delineates a brief but striking portrait of a driven man, a fearless fighter who set such a high standard for himself and others that he became a legend, leaving a lasting impact in newsrooms even after his death in 1965." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Very interesting book, easy-listening

It is hard to beat a short biography, on an individual of great historical interest, someone who shaped the media as we experience it today, read by the author, and the author is a radio personality himself. That is the package we have with "Edward R Murrow ..." This audio book is a breezy biography, not an in-depth review of Murrow & his times, but neither does it drift downwards into the superficiality that is often found in books of this category. I completed the book knowing quite a bit more about Murrow & about his importance & his influence & his struggles. And I completed it wanting to know more about him. There are a number of good, lengthy biographies of Murrow & I plan to sample at least one of them. Now, this book does not get the full complement of 5 stars for two reasons. The first is my feeling, perhaps unfair, that the author could & should have written a book that was 50% or 100% longer, because this one simply does not satisfy sufficiently. It is good for the length it is, read well, well organized & so forth. The second is that at the very end it descends into a sort of fawning rhapsody, just the last 10-15 minutes, that was irritating. Nevertheless, given the subject matter, momentum & outstanding narration, I recommend the audio book very highly.

murrow- one of a kind

Let me start by agreeing with the that Murrow was one of a kind, arriving at a time that allowed his type of reportage and innovation,

neither of which would have flowered in today's media.

I found this book of great interest and it managed to whet my appetite for more. There can be no doubt from the book of the author's negative view of today's media, but this is limited to the last half-hour or so. I would have preferred a longer book that went

into more detail, including more on his life before radio, but generally I can heartily recommend this book on a man of more parts than I realized.

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Title: 3000 Degrees

Subtitle: The True Story of a Deadly Fire and the Men Who Fought It

Author: Sean Flynn

Narrator: Richard Rohan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-02-03

Publisher: Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 150 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Firefighters love the excitement of a "triple." But this was a different beast. Rollovers, flashovers, backdrafts, this one had it all. Once inside, they found themselves trapped in a snarling furnace of blazing orange heat as hot as a crematorium, with smoke so black and predatory they had to feel for their partners next to them. Swallowed deep in the building, with no way out, they struggled to survive an ill-fated ordeal that would push them to the very limits of loyalty and courage.

What happened next - and how their lives and community were changed forever - offers an unprecedented look at these heroic men whose job it is to rush into burning buildings when everyone else just wants out.

Critic Reviews:

"[Among] books appearing this year about fires and firefighting...the best of the lot is Sean Flynn's 3000 Degrees." (Newsweek)

"Gripping prose...With confident, deft description, Flynn brings to life this 3000-degree catastrophe with a crackling intensity." (Publishers Weekly)

"A miracle of reporting...This story has the emotional power of the best narrative art." (American Society of Magazine Editors

Members Reviews:

Take an adventure into an inferno

Sean Flynn's book 3000 Degree's, about the Worchester, Mass Firemen who fought a against an enemy that seemed to only feed grow on men's fears and thier emotions was amazing. This Esquire article turned book, brings the ture story of the men who went in this building but did not make it home.

This book, unlike other stories, helps to bring the reader deep into the lives of the men who and the circumstances that took their life. Flynn's ability to help the reader or listener enter in the belly of this beast through the last minutes of their lives yet not over dramatize it is is refreshing.

Richard Rohan's narration of this book helps to add the perfect amount of emotion to the books as needed.

Fascinating details

I was first introduced to this story in journalism school, when one of my favorite professors shared the magazine article that was the basis for this book as an example of tremendous reporting. I found the story so captivating, I just had to listen to this full-length version. This is top-notch narrative nonfiction, painting not just a picture of the horrific warehouse fire, but of the firemen who lost their lives and the families left behind in the aftermath of the tragedy. While the narration wasn't my favorite, it didn't detract from this compelling - and detailed - account.

Very realistic - unexpected

As a fire fighter, I expected this account to be a glorified account of another fire that took fire fighter lives. What I found was a captivating account that detailed the fire fighter lives at home and in the fire station, their attitudes, the excitement of the fire scene, the fire fight and the heartbreak of losing comrades and family. Although a fire fighter will understand exactly the descriptions of the fire and the fire scene, the author has described in detail so that the layman will also be able to paint the picture.

a book about a very heroic breed

This is more than the story of firefighters who lost their lives, it is a story about their lives.

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Title: Uneven Ground

Subtitle: Appalachia Since 1945

Author: Ronald D Eller Ph.D.

Narrator: Neil Holmes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-19-17

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Appalachia has played a complex and often contradictory role in the unfolding of American history. Created by urban journalists in the years following the Civil War, the idea of Appalachia provided a counterpoint to emerging definitions of progress. Early 20th-century critics of modernity saw the region as a remnant of frontier life, a reflection of simpler times that should be preserved and protected. However, supporters of development and of the growth of material production, consumption, and technology decried what they perceived as the isolation and backwardness of the place and sought to "uplift" the mountain people through education and industrialization.

Ronald D Eller has worked with local leaders, state policymakers, and national planners to translate the lessons of private industrial-development history into public policy affecting the region. In Uneven Ground: Appalachia Since 1945, Eller examines the politics of development in Appalachia since World War II with an eye toward exploring the idea of progress as it has evolved in modern America. Appalachia's struggle to overcome poverty, to live in harmony with the land, and to respect the diversity of cultures and the value of community is also an American story. In the end, Eller concludes, "Appalachia was not different from the rest of America; it was in fact a mirror of what the nation was becoming."

The book is published by University Press of Kentucky.

Members Reviews:

I thought it was EXCELLENT and a must-read for anyone interested in the subject ...

This book reminded me of the classic "Night Comes to the Cumberlands". It deals with the social and economic development of Appalachia in a very thorough, but very readable way. I thought it was EXCELLENT and a must-read for anyone interested in the subject of Appalachia from a social, economic and historical perspective. The afterword is particularly interesting, in that it discusses the critical question: "What's next"?

Five Stars

Good book

college text

served its purpose as a college textbook.

Best study oa modern Appalachia

Provides the rest of the social/economic history following his excellent first book. Well researched and full of local references. Offers explanations for questions I've had about the region. Glad I read it and wish more would.

Five Stars

Husband loves this this book.

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Title: The Age of Entanglement

Subtitle: When Quantum Physics was Reborn

Author: Louisa Gilder

Narrator: Walter Dixon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-30-09

Publisher: Gildan Media, LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 271 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In 1935, in what would become the most cited of all of his papers, Albert Einstein showed that quantum mechanics predicted such a correlation, which he dubbed "spooky action at a distance."

In that same year, Erwin Schrödinger christened this spooky correlation "entanglement." Yet its existence wasn't firmly established until 1964, in a groundbreaking paper by the Irish physicist John Bell. What happened during those years and what has happened since to refine the understanding of this phenomenon is the fascinating story told here.

We move from a coffee shop in Zurich, where Einstein and Max von Laue discuss the madness of quantum theory, to a bar in Brazil, as David Bohm and Richard Feynman chat over cervejas. We travel to the campuses of American universities - from J. Robert Oppenheimer's Berkeley to the Princeton of Einstein and Bohm to Bell's Stanford sabbatical - and we visit centers of European physics: Copenhagen, home to Bohr's famous institute, and Munich, where Werner Heisenberg and Wolfgang Pauli picnic on cheese and heady discussions of electron orbits.

Drawing on the papers, letters, and memoirs of the 20th century's greatest physicists, Louisa Gilder both humanizes and dramatizes the story by employing their own words in imagined face-to-face dialogues. Here are Bohr and Einstein clashing, and Heisenberg and Pauli deciding which mysteries to pursue. We see Schrödinger and Louis de Broglie pave the way for Bell, whose work here is given a long-overdue revisiting. And with his characteristic matter-of-fact eloquence, Richard Feynman challenges his contemporaries to make something of this entanglement.

In this stunning debut, Gilder has found a wholly original way of bringing to life a tale of physics in progress.

Critic Reviews:

"An admirable, unexpected audio book, historically sound and seamlessly constructed, that transports those of us who do not understand quantum mechanics into the lives and thoughts of those who did." (George Dyson, author of Darwin Among the Machines)

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