Download Top 100 Full Audiobooks in History, 20th Century

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Title: Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs

Subtitle: The Controversial Trials of the Alleged Soviet Spies at the Height of the Red Scare

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Scott Clem

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-12-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Shortly after World War II, Congress' House Committee on Un-American Activities began investigating Americans across the country for suspected ties to communism. Among the people called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, none are as controversial as Alger Hiss. Hiss had graduated from Harvard Law, after which he worked as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, worked in the Roosevelt administration for the Agricultural Adjustment Association, and was Head of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. That background didn't exactly sound like one held by a Soviet spy, let alone a communist, but Elizabeth Bentley, a former communist, notified the committee about a suspected spy ring and named several names, including Hiss. More notably, Hiss was also accused of being a communist and Soviet spy by an admitted communist, Whittaker Chambers. The Hiss case came at a time when the committee was populated by right-wing zealots, including a young congressman from California named Richard Nixon.

Members Reviews:

Embarrassing conclusions

The author(s) behind the collective name Charles River Editors had a hard time with this one. It is obvious that he despises all those who investigated Hiss and the Rosenbergs, prominently mentioning Joe McCarthy though he had nothing to do with either investigation. When the end of this little summary is reached, though, he has little choice but to admit that, er, yes, there is excellent evidence that they were, indeed, Soviet spies, particularly information from Soviet archives which became available in the 1990s. The reader might prefer a history that is less embarrassed to admit the truth.

Spies

An interesting account of spying in American. I'm a little confused I thought that after the fall of Russia papers were found that proved that the Rosenbergs were spies for the Soviet Union. I didn't discount the rating because i'm not sure of my memory and I don't know if this book was written prior to the release of the Soviet papers.

A. horrific time in history.

A true moment in history. Really a horrific time in history. May it never be repeated again. This was a very well written book which covered every angle. As much of the atrocities that happened, it was. covered very tastefully.A riveting read.

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Title: Alger Hiss

Subtitle: The History of the Case Against One of America's Most Notorious Alleged Spies

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Scott Clem

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-12-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Shortly after World War II, Congress' House Committee on Un-American Activities began investigating Americans across the country for suspected ties to communism. The most famous victims of these witch hunts were Hollywood actors, such as Charlie Chaplin, whose "un-American activity" was being neutral at the beginning of World War II, but at the beginning of the Cold War, many Americans had the Red Scare, and Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy would make waves in 1950 by telling the Republican Women's Club in Wheeling, West Virginia, that he had a list of dozens of known communists working in the State Department. The political theater helped Senator McCarthy become the prominent anti-communist crusader in the government, and McCarthy continued to claim he held evidence suggesting communist infiltration throughout the government, but anytime he was pressed to produce his evidence, McCarthy would not name names. Instead, he'd accuse those who questioned his evidence of being communists themselves.

Members Reviews:

Good discussion of a still controversial topic

Shortly after World War II at the beginning of the Cold War, many Americans were fearful that Communists were conducting subversive activities throughout the U.S. government. It was a situation that Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy would fully exploit. Among the people called before Congress was a most unlikely individual, Alger Hiss. Hiss had an outstanding acedemic and professional record. Incredibly, Hiss was accused of being a Communist and Soviet spy by an admitted Communist, Whittaker Chambers.

This book tells the story of the Hiss case which became an unbelievable, celebrated, and riveting series of hearings and trials that were followed by millions of Americans. Ultimately found guilty, Hiss claimed he was innocent of the charges his entire life. Some strongly assert Hiss was actually a spy, others have cited lack of hard evidence and available Soviet documents to make definitive conclusions.

The author presents a balanced overview of the details of the charges, the hearings and the courtroom drama. The straightforward narrative is supported by extensive quotations from the leading characters along with wonderful pictures. The book provides context, perspective and thoughtful insight which both informs and entertains the reader. Well worth the price and reader's time!

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Title: War Against War

Subtitle: The American Fight for Peace, 1914-1918

Author: Michael Kazin

Narrator: Tom Zingarelli

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-03-17

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

This book is about the Americans who tried to stop their nation from fighting in one of history's most destructive wars and then were hounded by the government when they refused to back down. In the riveting War Against War, Michael Kazin brings us into the ranks of the largest, most diverse, and most sophisticated peace coalition up to that point in US history.

They came from a variety of backgrounds: wealthy and middle and working class, urban and rural, white and black, Christian and Jewish and atheist. They mounted street demonstrations and popular exhibitions, attracted prominent leaders from the labor and suffrage movements, ran peace candidates for local and federal office, and founded new organizations that endured beyond the cause. For almost three years, they helped prevent Congress from authorizing a massive increase in the size of the US army - a step advocated by ex-president Theodore Roosevelt.

Soon after the end of the Great War, most Americans believed it had not been worth fighting. And when its bitter legacy led to the next world war, the warnings of these peace activists turned into a tragic prophecy - and the beginning of a surveillance state that still endures today.

Critic Reviews:

"Smoothly written and solidly researchedKazin's book fills in gaps of knowledge surrounding the peace movement that took place prior to the Vietnam War, offering an excellent introduction to domestic politics during World War I." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Americans could do a good business with one or both sides while the killing ...

War Against War is the story of a peace movement that almost kept the US out of World War One. It is filled with little known and long forgotten actions of the American government and its citizens.

Americaâs entry into the war foreclosed the possibility of a negotiated peace among the belligerents, who were exhausted by three years of fighting. In another year or two, the warring nations would have been forced to reach a settlement. There would have been no punitive peace treaty, no reparations, no Nazis and World War Two.

Four very different individualsâSocialist Morris Hillquit, liberal feminist Crystal Eastman, House Majority Leader Claude Kitchin, and Senator Bob LaFolletteâall believed industrial corporations wielded too much sway, eager for war to increase their profits. Americans could do a good business with one or both sides while the killing lasted. A Nashville headline: âLet âem shoot! It makes good business for us!â

The Progressives argued that all munitions be produced by the federal government to take the profits out of war. If that happened, the millionaire patriots agitating for ever increasing armaments would instead complain about the tax money being spent to prepare for war in time of peace. LaFollette insisted the âtrade in munitions had but one purpose, and that is to sacrifice human life for private gain.â

Peace advocates had grand conventions, but little came of them. They were praised for their efforts, but belligerents were firm about the war ending their way. The warring nations wanted decisive victory for their armies.

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Title: A Square Meal

Subtitle: A Culinary History of the Great Depression

Author: Jane Ziegelman, Andrew Coe

Narrator: Susan Ericksen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-20-16

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The decade-long Great Depression, a period of shifts in the country's political and social landscape, forever changed the way America eats. Before 1929, America's relationship with food was defined by abundance. But the collapse of the economy, in both urban and rural America, left a quarter of all Americans out of work and undernourished - shattering long-held assumptions about the limitlessness of the national larder.

In 1933, as women struggled to feed their families, President Roosevelt reversed long-standing biases toward government-sponsored "food charity". For the first time in American history, the federal government assumed, for a while, responsibility for feeding its citizens. The effects were widespread. Championed by Eleanor Roosevelt, "home economists" who had long fought to bring science into the kitchen rose to national stature. Through the Bureau of Home Economics, these women led a sweeping campaign to instill dietary recommendations, the forerunners of today's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

At the same time, expanding conglomerates introduced packaged and processed foods, which led to a new American cuisine based on speed and convenience. This movement toward a homogenized national diet sparked a revival of American regional cooking that continues to this day.

Critic Reviews:

"A highly readable, illuminating look at the many ramifications of feeding the hungry in hard times." (Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

Disjointed, Repetitive & Rambling

I started this book with high hopes. The beginning was excellent and the early stories were fascinating. This area of history is important and has much to offer to the understanding of current day approaches to food, assistance and hunger in America.

My problem rests in the nonlinear approach to the writing. Rather than start at the earliest date--the late 1890s and work forward through WWI and into the 1930s in a systematic way--the book jumps randomly through history. We hear about 1918, then 1930, then 1895, then it's back to 1917, then 1931. The authors circle around repeatedly in time and this becomes frustrating and irritating to follow.

What's more perplexing is that there seems to be no reason for this scattered approach. The stories are often repeated and characters reintroduced as new--as if we have not just spent an hour hearing about these events and people already. Odd. This may be due to two authors with differing styles not reading clearly what the other has already written? I will never know. After almost six hours of listening I threw in the towel.

The narration while clear was really too slow. I increased the speed to 1.25 and that was enough to make the reading sound almost normal. Not perfect, but tolerable.

What I would like is that both of the authors and all the editors, publishers and production people involved sit in a room together and be forced to listen to the book. I have a strong feeling that there might be many red faces in the room. Hearing the book read aloud would make very clear the extreme level of rambling and general disorganization present in the writing.

Overall, disappointing for what should have been a scholarly and important entry in the American History genre. If you can stand the nonlinear approach and repetition there are some interesting parts.

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Title: Our House Divided

Subtitle: Seven Japanese American Families in World War II

Author: T K Knaefler

Narrator: Francie Wyck

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-16

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

How does a man serving in the Imperial Japanese Army feel when he suddenly sees his brother in the uniform of the enemy United States? How does a Japanese mother, surrounded by barbed wire in an American internment camp for enemy aliens, feel when her only son writes: "I am now an American soldier. I must fight and, if necessary, die for my country"? How does a Hawaiian-born youth feel as he lies near death in Hiroshima, a victim of history's first nuclear attack, launched by the United States? Or a 12-year-old girl on a sugar plantation, whose ailing father returned to the place of his birth just a month earlier, on the morning she hears that "yellow Japs" have attacked? These are among the moments of excruciating confrontation experienced by Japanese American families, divided geographically and politically between Japan and Hawaii when the Pacific War exploded at Pearl Harbor.

Our House Divided focuses on seven personal stories of such families as they struggled with the emotions and events brought on by the war - stories of the dilemma of first-generation Japanese Americans who were strongly attached both to the country of their birth, and to the land where they had spent most of their lives and raised children in communities they had helped to build; and stories of the dilemma of second-generation Japanese Americans, whose loyalty to the United States was questioned even though they were American citizens. That these citizens turned that distrust into national respect through their celebrated achievements is also part of the poignant story.

Our House Divided, an inward journey for the author, will open the eyes and hearts of many listeners who have roots in more than one country and culture.

Members Reviews:

7 little families in a big war

For the Japanese in Hawaii, confusion and resentment were common reactions on Dec. 7, 1941. But for a few, there was extra anguish -- they had immediate family members in Japan or they were targeted as dangerous aliens by the FBI and by evening they were being arrested.

Sixty-five years later, there is a great deal of confusion and mythologizing about this, because two separate issues are conflated. First is loyalty. Second is treatment of a suspect group.

Despite shameful treatment, the Japanese in America were overwhelmingly loyal to the United States. For many, this required a split personality. Tomi Knaefler presents the example of a Japanese immigrant, denied citizenship in Hawaii, who remained loyal to Japan but admonished her sons, born in Hawaii and American citizens, to be loyal to the United States.

In an immigrant nation, the problem of divided loyalties was, and still is, usual; but, perhaps because only Japan attacked American territory, the situation of the Japanese Americans is treated as odd or unique.

In order to understand the situation of the Japanese, it is useful to recall that Irish-Americans commonly supported Germany and Austria-Hungary against Britain in World War I. Or that the most opinionated journalist in our history, H.L. Mencken, never had a word to say about World War I or II, evidently because his sentimental ties to Germany were too strong.

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Title: First Over There

Subtitle: The Attack on Cantigny, America's First Battle of World War I

Author: Matthew J. Davenport

Narrator: Mel Foster

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-29-16

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

At first light on Tuesday, May 28th, 1918, waves of American riflemen from the US Army's First Division climbed from their trenches, charged across the shell-scarred French dirt of no-man's-land, and captured the hilltop village of Cantigny from the grip of the German Army. Those who survived the enemy machine-gun fire and hand-to-hand fighting held on for the next two days and nights in shallow foxholes under the sting of mustard gas and crushing steel of artillery fire.

Thirteen months after the United States entered World War I, these 3,500 soldiers became the first "doughboys" to enter the fight. The operation, the first American attack ever supported by tanks, airplanes, and modern artillery, was ordered by the leader of America's forces in Europe, General John "Black Jack" Pershing, and planned by a young staff officer, Lieutenant Colonel George C. Marshall, who would fill the lead role in World War II 26 years later.

Drawing on the letters, diaries, and reports by the men themselves, Matthew J. Davenport's First Over There tells the inspiring, untold story of these soldiers and their journey to victory on the Western Front in the Battle of Cantigny.

Critic Reviews:

"From the 'creeping barrage' of artillery to the eventual American victory, the reader will hear every explosion, feel each bullet whiz past, and sometimes cry at the loss of a comrade. This is brilliant work for every library." (

Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Over and over and over.................

Would you try another book from Matthew J. Davenport and/or Mel Foster?

Yes to both

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I don't know - stopped reading just over half way.Grew weary of "he fell dead" etc etc etc....

What does Mel Foster bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

I don't know.

Was First Over There worth the listening time?

Sort of.

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed parts about Senator Sam Ervin D NC.His taking a demotion from commissioned officer to PFC just to remain in the war was remarkable.This after he was cleared of a dereliction of duty charge.

Major account of a historic minor battle

Davenport does an excellent job intertwining into his narrative first hand accounts of young doughboys and their officers tasked with taking an insignificant town on the Western front in the Spring of 1918. While the strategic value of the town was limited, the resolve and effectiveness of the American troops showed the world the United States was an emerging power. The show of force and resolve was carefully planned by senior officers in the 1st Army but only possible through the leadership of young captains, lieutenants NCOS and individual soldiers. Their tales of duty, fear, pain, suffering and the death of themselves and their fellow soldiers reminds readers causality reports during this great conflict were not just numbers, but stories of the men and their families.

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Title: As Good as Dead

Subtitle: The Daring Escape of American POWs from a Japanese Death Camp

Author: Stephen L. Moore

Narrator: Tim Campbell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-22-16

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 32 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In the tradition of Unbroken, a dramatic story of American POWs in the Pacific and their incredible escape from a Japanese labor camp.

In late 1944 the Allies invaded the Japanese-held Philippines, and soon the end of the Pacific War was within reach. But for the last 150 American prisoners of war still held on the island of Palawan, there would be no salvation. As soldiers, sailors, and marines were herded into shallow air raid shelters, Japanese soldiers doused them with gasoline and set them on fire. By the next morning, only 11 men were left alive - but their desperate journey to freedom had just begun.

As Good as Dead is one of the greatest escape stories of World War II. Endurance, determination, and courage in the face of death make this a gripping and inspiring saga of survival.

Members Reviews:

What a powerful story!

What a powerful story patriotism and survival! hide cringed throughout this story as I heard the details of these men's pain and torment endured. How could I have not known anything about this story? I feel a little shame for that, but I'll do what I can to tell others so these men are remembered.

A question of compassion.

Makes me wonder how hateful a group of people could be even in combat and now our favorite trading partner.

What a story

Great book about the men of WWII. These men deserve our respect are true heroes.

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Title: The Assassination of Heydrich

Subtitle: Hitler's Hangman and the Czech Resistance

Author: Jan G. Wiener

Narrator: Mark Kamish

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-24-16

Publisher: Irie Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

If you only listen to one book about what it felt like to be present during the worst time in modern human history, a time when your life could be snuffed out for having the mere thought of opposition against the Nazi regime, this should be the book. It is told by survivors and by one of the greatest survivors of them all, Jan Wiener.

Critic Reviews:

"Jan Wiener's fascinating, well-documented book tells of the heroic exploits of various Czech men and women, most of whom paid for their resistance with their lives. Above all it gives a detailed, documented account of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the most gruesome of the Nazi murderers, by Czech resisters parachuted from London but aided in their task by the Czech underground." (William L. Shirer, author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich)

Members Reviews:

"Red posters on the walls ..."

Any additional comments?

A truly remarkable book.

There is everything here - a story far more suspenseful than most fictional thrillers, political intrigue, courage of a type almost unknowable not just by a few but a whole city, compassion and kindness, raw emotion told from the outside and spoken from the heart, and cruelty, evil and so many deaths. I have known the story of Heydrich's death and the terrible aftermath for a long time now despite the reticence of the history books to focus on this cruelly oppressed and neglected area. The dreadful retributions following the assassination had been carefully documented in my previous readings and yes, the story affected me deeply. But, dare I say it? - it was only numbers and happening at a time of so much other violence and death. By his thorough descriptions of the people themselves, the author brings them powerfully alive again so the stories are told of people we have grown to know, making their deaths personal and so, so much more dreadful. Sometimes told through the archived writings of participants, these true recollections as well as official documents, also bring all that happens into an immediacy rarely felt in an history book.

The personal intimacy of the Czech story is further enhanced by the interweaving of Jan Wiener's own experiences as the Heydrich story evolves. The courage of his mother, the desperation of his father and his own attempt to leave the country.. His fear echoing the fear that must have been present throughout Prague. And the feeling of isolation, also, both individually and as a nation. And yet, and yet ...

And all narrated in a style which follows the text of the book, perfectly paced and beautifully read with just a touch of emotion entering into an occasional recollection where such feelings were obviously appropriate. Mark Kamish was a pleasure to hear and, although I cannot comment on his pronunciations, seemed fully capable in tackling the often challenging names of both people and places, thus making them feel familiar.

World War II is a long time ago now and soon there will be no one remaining who remembers it first hand. Other wars and tragedies take precedence in our minds then. But some stories should live on, ones which give insight into the baseness of what can happen and the simple courage to resist evil at any cost. This is one of those stories and so well told that it touches our humanity. with it's excellent telling.

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Title: Honor Before Glory

Subtitle: The Epic World War II Story of the Japanese American GIs Who Rescued the Lost Battalion

Author: Scott McGaugh

Narrator: Traber Burns

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-11-16

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The gritty and inspiring story of the Japanese American "Go for Broke" regiment that rescued - against all odds - a trapped American battalion and went on to become the most decorated unit of its size in World War II.

On October 24, 1944, more than 200 American soldiers were surrounded by German infantry deep in the Vosges Mountains of Eastern France. When their food, ammunition, and medical supplies ran out, the area's army headquarters turned to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit of Japanese American soldiers, to achieve what other units had failed to do: rescue the "lost battalion".

In this riveting narrative, New York Times best-selling historian Scott McGaugh tells the story of the famous soldiers who had volunteered for combat from within America's internment camps. It is a story of a young generation's fight against both the enemy and American prejudice - a story of heroism, sacrifice, and the best America has to offer.

Members Reviews:

Terrific book

Wow what incredible courage. They took a tremendous amount of casualties and just kept going. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in World War 2.

Real Fighters!

Every real American should read this book!

Mountain Combat...Not for the weak.

I liked the toughness of the Japanese soldiers. Those who fought in the Voges

mountains should all receive The Medal of Honor

Four Stars

Tells it the way it happened. New and interesting information.

Five Stars

good accurate history book

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Title: A History of Modern Britain

Author: Andrew Marr

Narrator: David Timson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 30 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-07-16

Publisher: Macmillan Digital Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

A History of Modern Britain confronts head-on the victory of shopping over politics. It tells the story of how the great political visions of New Jerusalem or a second Elizabethan Age, rival idealisms, came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism, celebrity and self-gratification.

In each decade political leaders think they know what they are doing but find themselves confounded. Every time the British people turn out to be stroppier and harder to herd than predicted.

Throughout, Britain is a country on the edge - first of invasion, then of bankruptcy, then on the vulnerable front line of the Cold War and later in the forefront of the great opening up of capital and migration now reshaping the world.

This history follows all the political and economic stories but deals too with comedy, cars, the war against homosexuals, '60s anarchists, oil men and punks, Margaret Thatcher's wonderful good luck, political lies and the true heroes of British theatre.

Critic Reviews:

"Superb, colourful, outspoken, fresh and richly entertaining. Don't miss." (The Times)

"Lively, full of rich anecdotes and sparkling pen portraits. He has the rare gift of being able to explain complex issues in a few crisp sentences." (Sunday Telegraph)

Members Reviews:

Masterful in focus, pace, content, performance

I have gone back over postwar USA history lately through several books, and this British one is a great match. In audio, I always look for a balance between good sharp telling detail, listenable pace and style, well-etched personality portraits, and good narrator performance. This one hit the mark perfectly, all the way through. The narrator has a great gift (at the top of any I've ever heard) for lending enough clarity, unflagging energy and punch to keep the listener's attention bright. I feel most all the gaps in my sketchy knowledge are filled, and I feel as if I was living through each phase of these times. The experiences of all members of society are touched on when fitting, though the focus is naturally much more on the top political decision makers. Of the latter, the portrayals are fantastic. Foibles and scandals are explained, though not for voyeurism's sake, and only when they count for something. There is enough popular culture to lend color to it all -- just enough to enrich, to add dimensions, and not distract. The publisher's blurb hardly does justice to the wide sweep and discipline of the storytelling. Yes, a transition toward a "shopping"-biased political economy is one thread here, but there is a vastly rich tapestry besides. For its length, this one has held my attention best of any I can recall. And I listen to hundreds. For the most recent Brit story, I see other titles I will now pursue confidently, with the very solid background I gained here.

fantastic listen

this was a very entertaining interesting and educational listen. great insight into the recent past..well read excellent

Fascinating and well researched

A rewarding run through the history of Britain. Well narrated and continuously interesting. Was a fan of Andrew Marr as a journalist, now know he makes a great author as well.

Engrossing account of Modern Britain.

This is the story of my life. After listening I understand much more what was going on. Familiar names and events are put into perspective; surprising revelations abound. Humorous and deadly serious.