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Title: Fighting for Glory

Subtitle: The History and Legacy of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Kelly Rhodes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-19-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

"A deserted homestead is always a sad sight, but here in the South we must look a little deeper than the surface, and then we see that every such overgrown plantation and empty house is a harbinger of freedom to the slaves, and every lover of his country, even if he have no feeling for the slaves themselves, should rejoice." (Robert Gould Shaw)

From the Stonewall Brigade to the Iron Brigade, Americans have long been fascinated by the Civil War's most famous and legendary units, and many are familiar with the 20th Maine's defense of Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg. But ironically, today, the most famous regiment of the entire war is perhaps the 54th Massachusetts, which was one of the first and ultimately the best known regiment that consisted of black soldiers.

Like most black soldiers, the 54th received discriminatory treatment from the army, as white men on both sides were wary of trusting black soldiers in heavy combat situations, despite the fact that the 54th acquitted itself well in a nearly suicidal attack at Fort Wagner. As a result the 54th fought in several battles of lesser note, and they might have faded into obscurity if not for the critically acclaimed movie Glory, which looked at the lives of its commander, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, and its soldiers. Ironically, though it was unknown at the time of the movie, one of the soldiers in the regiment told his captors he had fought for glory.

The movie made the 54th famous, and those who are familiar with the regiment are also familiar with its attack on Fort Wagner, but the story of its creation and its entire service during the Civil War is remarkable from start to finish.

Members Reviews:

When I see something like this misrepresented

I have Luis Emilio's book and read this before I read this version and he refers to Emilio's book one too many times. Plus, the statement about the training camp was incorrect - especially about the living conditions. If they would have read further in Emilio's book, they would have read that the barracks were kept warm during the winters with fires. In stormy weather the drills were done in vacant barracks. I had the opportunity to visit the only Civil War barracks in California - not very fancy. In fact, Mr. Emilio really did not represent dissatisfaction about the living conditions at all, except for the mud during rainy times. When I see something like this misrepresented, it makes me question the rest of the book.

Two Stars

booklet form, not a book

Awesome short story

This book lays out a great detail of the 54th Massachusetts lineage and encounter at Fort Wagner. Good job and great read.

SHORT BUT GOOD

SHORT BUT ACCURATE HISTORY OF 54TH BLACK INF (MOVIE "GLORY"), NOT FOOTNOTED MORE DETAILED BOOKS ON THE 54TH BIT PRICEY FOR BEING SO SHORT CAME FAST EXCELLENT CONDITION

Great Book!!

I bought this book to use for a research paper on African American troops in the Civil War and it was very helpful in my research. I love the movie Glory, and this book was so interesting, and really made me feel like I was part of the training and fighting of the 54th Massachusetts.

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Title: Lincoln and the Jews

Subtitle: A History

Author: Benjamin Shapell, Jonathan D. Sarna

Narrator: David Colacci

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-09-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

One hundred and fifty years after Abraham Lincoln's death, the full story of his extraordinary relationship with Jews is told here for the first time. Lincoln and the Jews: A History provides listeners both with a captivating narrative of his interactions with Jews and the opportunity to immerse themselves in rare manuscripts. Lincoln's lifetime coincided with the emergence of Jews on the national scene in the United States. When he was born, in 1809, scarcely 3,000 Jews lived in the entire country. By the time of his assassination in 1865, large-scale immigration had brought that number up to more than 150,000.

Many Americans were alarmed by this development and treated Jews as second-class citizens and religious outsiders. Lincoln exhibited precisely the opposite tendency. He befriended Jews from a young age, promoted Jewish equality, appointed numerous Jews to public office, had Jewish advisers and supporters starting already from the early 1850s, as well as later during his two presidential campaigns. Through his actions and his rhetoric - replacing "Christian nation," for example, with "this nation under God" - he embraced Jews as insiders. The volume uncovers a new and previously unknown feature of Abraham Lincoln's life, one that broadened him, and, as a result, broadened America.

Critic Reviews:

"Sarna and manuscript collector Shapell offer a vivid, fresh perspective on Lincoln's life and times." (

Kirkus)

Members Reviews:

Excellent information, repeats annoying

The story is mostly chronological, the only detract ion is that some stories are repeated several times. I listened to it as an Audible book so this maybe due to multiple documents on the same incident/ relationship. This a continual issue with audio books, that they ignore photographs, illustrations and other supporting material. The lack of inclusion of this material elsewhere is telling.

Repetitive

Great Subject . Looked forward to learning a lot. Material is presented in a repetitive manner . Colacci presents the material Well but the same quotations are presented throughout the book . It's ok, but I expected more.

Very well written!

The narrator did a very good job reading the book and the content was interesting.

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Title: Baptists in America

Subtitle: A History

Author: Thomas S. Kidd, Barry Hankins

Narrator: Jonathan Walker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-01-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 39 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

The Puritans called Baptists "the troublers of churches in all places" and hounded them out of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Four hundred years later, Baptists are the second-largest religious group in America, and their influence matches their numbers. They have built strong institutions, from megachurches to publishing houses to charities to mission organizations, and have firmly established themselves in the mainstream of American culture. Yet the historical legacy of outsider status lingers, and the inherently fractured nature of their faith makes Baptists ever wary of threats from within as well as without.

In Baptists in America, Thomas S. Kidd and Barry Hankins explore the long-running tensions between church, state, and culture that Baptists have shaped and navigated. Despite the moment of unity that their early persecution provided, their history has been marked by internal battles and schisms that were microcosms of national events, from the conflict over slavery that divided North from South to the conservative revolution of the 1970s and '80s.

Baptists have made an indelible impact on American religious and cultural history, from their early insistence that America should have no established church to their place in the modern-day culture wars, where they frequently advocate greater religious involvement in politics. Yet the more mainstream they have become, the more they have been pressured to conform to the mainstream, a paradox that defines - and is essential to understanding - the Baptist experience in America.

Kidd and Hankins, both practicing Baptists, weave the threads of Baptist history alongside those of American history. Baptists in America is a remarkable story of how one religious denomination was transformed from persecuted minority into a leading actor on the national stage, with profound implications for American society and culture.

Members Reviews:

Essential

Essential history for Baptists and theologians alike. Tackles questions of racism dilligently. Explains sweepingly without being drab.

Baptist critics

Seems like they looked for the bad stories of Baptist history to tell. They probably have a personal issue with traditional Baptist.

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Title: Native American Tribes: The History of the Blackfeet and the Blackfoot Confederacy

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Jack Chekijian

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-15-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

They call themselves "Niitsitapi" ("Original People"), but in the United States, they are known as the Blackfeet. In Canada, they are known by their more particular band names, one of which is Blackfoot, but regardless of the name, they are a tribe of Native American peoples ("First Nations" in Canada) who, until the modern time period, lived in small, decentralized bands and hunted the bison on the northern Great Plains. Stories vary, but the name "Blackfeet" or "Blackfoot," applied to them by others, may have come originally from their practice of dying their moccasin soles black. That said, their use of an Algonquian language group may indicate that they were relatively recent newcomers to the region from somewhere in the Northeast.

The territory of the Blackfeet, at its greatest extent, encompassed a vast area from the eastern Rocky Mountains of Alberta and Montana and extending several hundred miles out onto the Great Plains, around the upper reaches of the Saskatchewan River and its tributaries in Alberta and the upper reaches of the Missouri River and its tributaries in Montana. The area of the land most sacred to the Blackfeet is the Sweet Grass Hills, which are located just south of the Canadian border in the central part of Montana. These are a group of buttes forested with balsam firs rising several thousand feet above the surrounding plains and which can be seen for a considerable distance. This was also Napi's favorite resting place in the mythology of the Blackfeet. Young Blackfeet went up into the Hills on their vision quests and, as their predecessors had done for several thousands of years, left inscriptions and petroglyphs on the surface of the tall sandstone cliffs. Many of the stories told by the Blackfeet take place there.

Members Reviews:

Worth the time

tool a chance on this one based on reviews and am glad I did, the only complaint I have is that the end seems to be done with little thought of how rushed it seemed.

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Title: American Legends: The Life of Nat Turner

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Kila Kitu

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-15-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

In American history, there are few people as controversial or consequential as Nat Turner, who was one of millions of slaves in the South before the Civil War but ultimately led the nation's most notorious slave uprising. In August 1831, Turner led a rebellion that terrorized Virginia for several days, killing dozens of whites and freeing slaves as his band moved from plantation to plantation. The Richmond Enquirer reported, "A fanatic preacher by the name of Nat Turner (Gen. Nat Turner) who had been taught to read and write, and permitted to go about preaching in the country, was at the bottom of this infernal brigandage. He was artful, impudent and vindicative, without any cause or provocation, that could be assigned." Even after the uprising was put down, Turner evaded capture for a few months, and after he was captured, his "confessions" were taken down and published before he was executed. Virginia would put a total of 56 slaves to death for the uprising.

The repercussions of Nat Turner's rebellion across the South cannot be overstated. The fear imposed by the uprising led states across the South to enforce even tougher codes on slaves; since Turner had been taught to read and write, states forbade slaves from being taught to read or assemble, and in the aftermath, whites also treated blacks even worse, with an estimated 200 blacks being killed in an outbreak of violence. But while Turner was demonized by whites and held out as a stereotype of what a typical slave might do if given the chance, he was lionized among other slaves and free blacks as providing an example "when the first should be last and the last should be first." The polarization helped harden opinions on both sides, paving the way for future events like John Brown's attempted rebellion at Harpers Ferry in 1859.

American Legends: The Life of Nat Turner examines the life of one of America's most famous slaves.

Members Reviews:

Nat Turner, Religious Fanatic or Martyr? Defeated by Barbarians or Tyrannical Slaveowners? Judge for Yourself...

Charles Rivers Editors has proven once again that, sometimes, less is more.

In just 41 pages I found that I was impressed by Nat Turner's intelligence, especially considering his lack of opportunity, yet, learn just how twisted his thought process became, precisely because of the imbalance inherent in his lack of opportunity.

What I mean is that the system in place squelched any reasonable intellectual progress he might have had.

But, then, as we see him mature into a dastardly killer, we lose all empathy for the brutal killer he became.

To a great extent, however, we see his treatment following execution as evidence that even the so-called enlightened class of the South were about as morally bankrupt as was Turner. Because I hate spoilers, though, I will refrain from discussion of the specific shortcomings of humanity in the early 1800s. To learn more, read American Legends: The Life of Nat Turner.

True Story

Not like the move it's more factual its dealt a thrill to read a must for all to learn about slavery not what movies tellus

Good Book

Very informative and brief description of History. A look into the tragedy of the slavery years. I recommend it for american history buffs

Interesting piece of history

I recall hearing about the rebellion in history class but did not hear the details listed in this book.

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Title: Native American Tribes: The History and Culture of the Chickasaw

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Robert Fox

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-08-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

"Neither the Choctaws nor Chickasaws ever engaged in war against the American people, but always stood as their faithful allies." (Horatio Cushman)

From the Trail of Tears to Wounded Knee and Little Bighorn, the narrative of American history is incomplete without the inclusion of the Native Americans who lived on the continent before European settlers arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the first contact between natives and settlers, tribes like the Sioux, Cherokee, and Navajo have both fascinated and perplexed outsiders with their history, language, and culture. In Charles River Editors' Native American Tribes series, listeners can get caught up on the history and culture of North America's most famous native tribes in the time it takes to finish a commute. And they can do so while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

The Five Civilized Tribes are among the best known Native American groups in American history, and they were even celebrated by contemporary Americans for their abilities to adapt to white culture. But tragically they are also well known tribes due to the trials and tribulations they suffered by being forcibly moved west along the Trail of Tears.

Though not as well known as the Cherokee, one of the Five Civilized Tribes was the Chickasaw. With roots that tie them to the Ancient Moundbuilders, the Chickasaw were one of the most established groups in the Southeastern United States, and they were among the first natives encountered by Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto's historic expedition in the mid-16th century.

Members Reviews:

Even Though They Were Quick to Adapt to the Europeans, They were Decimated, Just Like the Other Tribes:

`Neither the Choctaws nor Chickasaws ever engaged in war against the American people, but always stood as their faithful allies.' - Horatio Cushman

However, their alliance with the Americans did not help when Americans wanted their lands. They were driven along the Trail of Tears, just like other Indian tribes.

The authors promise to educate the reader about the subject at hand (the Choctaw) in only a few minutes. What a clever plan; I believe anyone can absorb history in small sips.

I'd always heard of the Five Civilized Tribes and wondered what that meant. The Five Civilized Tribes included:

* Cherokee,

* Choctaw,

* Seminole,

* Creek and

* Chickasaw Indians.

The title refers to the fact that they quickly assimilated certain aspects of European culture into their own. When conflict came with the Europeans, they were the strongest confederation around. If the other Indian tribes had been able to get past their ancient rivalries to form confederations, US history might have been very different.

The Choctaws came from the Ancient Moundbuilders (b & w + color photos), groups of indigenous peoples who roamed North America in the mists of time.

Using photos and color drawings, this booklet shows as well as tells about the Choctaw's origins, their history, and their lasting legacy.

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Title: The Explosion of the USS Maine: The Controversial Event That Led to the Spanish-American War

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: James McSorley

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-06-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

"Remember the Maine, to hell with Spain!"

The USS Maine is one of the most famous ships in American history but for all the wrong reasons. A symbol of naval strength in the late 19th century, the Maine's tragic fate is taught to students across the nation not just because it was a disaster but because it is associated with the most notorious examples of yellow journalism in the country's history and ultimately brought about a war, despite the fact it's still unclear what caused the ship's explosion.

In 1898 one of Spain's last possessions in the New World, Cuba, was waging a war for independence against Spain. Though Cuba was technically exempted from the United States' Monroe Doctrine, since Cuba was already a possession of Spain when the Monroe Doctrine was issued, many Americans believed that the United States should side with Cuba against Spain. At the same time, however, President William McKinley wanted to avoid getting entangled in a war between outsiders while Spain also wanted to avoid any conflict with the United States and its powerful navy.

Despite leaders hoping to stay above the fray, American economic interests were being harmed by the ongoing conflict between Cuban nationalists and Spain, as merchants' trading with Cuba was suffering now that the island was undergoing conflict. Furthermore the American press capitalized on the ongoing Cuban struggle for independence, which had been flaring up time and again since 1868. In an effort to sell papers, the press frequently sensationalized stories, which came to be known as yellow journalism, and during the run-up to war, yellow journalism spread false stories about the Cuban conflict in order to sell newspapers in the competitive New York City market.

Members Reviews:

goof factual info

I like these books they take about an hour and are very factual in nature

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Title: The Greatest Show on Earth

Subtitle: The History of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Johanna Oosterwyk

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-24-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Americans have loved traveling circuses for generations, and none represent the country's love for entertainment quite like the most famous of them all, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. The five brothers who started a circus in Wisconsin, as well as P.T. Barnum, have had their names become synonymous with the circus, so it's only fitting that the manner in which these men entered the business and the merging of their traveling circuses together also make for great stories.

Circus promoters have long been viewed as somewhat shady hucksters, but none could top P.T. Barnum, who used a blend of traditional circus entertainment, freak show exhibits, and outright hoaxes to create "The Greatest Show on Earth".

Around the same time that Barnum was operating the Barnum and Bailey's circus, the Ringling Brothers were engaging in more traditional circus activities in Wisconsin. As their traveling circus became better known in the late 1880s, it was advertised as the "Ringling Brothers United Monster Shows, Great Double Circus, Royal European Menagerie, Museum, Caravan, and Congress of Trained Animals". The Ringling Brothers were eventually successful enough that they were able to buy Barnum's circus after Barnum had already died, and they merged the traveling circuses together in 1919.

The Greatest Show on Earth: The History of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus examines the origins of the famous circuses, the background of the important individuals involved, and their merger into the most famous circus of all. You will learn about "The Greatest Show on Earth" like never before, in no time at all.

Members Reviews:

A good but too brief history!

This is a very good summary of the life of PT Barnum with a short section on the evolution of the circus. As a Kindle Single type read (and price) it is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in this slice of history. Just be warned that the section on the circus itself is very short and somewhat academic.

A Fraud, a Salesman & a Fraud, but Not a Crook. I greatly enjoyed this booklet.

Going by the title, you'd be excused for thinking this is mostly about the Baileys.

Even so, this is a terrific 69 pages about a salesman, scheister and fraud who got filthy rich by tapping into the public's darker side that greatly desires the chance to be able to see what everyone is talking about.

But, Barnum used his wealth to try buying respect.

This is well worth the cost. Read The Greatest Show on Earth.

Good read

Had a lot of very good information I have always been interested in the circus. This book tells the beginnings of the circus as we know it today. A very easy read

Waste of money

This is a pamphlet at best, or a short story, nothing remotely akin to a book.

WOW

ENJOY THE BOOK. THE HISTORY IS PHENOMENAL. P T BARNUM IS AN AMERICAN TREASURE. FAST READ AND FULL OF WONDER.

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Title: The Third Degree in Freemasonry Its Ornaments and Emblems

Subtitle: Foundations of Freemasonry Series

Author: William Harvey

Narrator: Troy McElfresh

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-16-15

Publisher: Lamp of Trismegistus

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

William Harvey was a prolific masonic scholar of his day. In this poetical piece from 1917, he writes about the culmination of the masonic journey by the candidate's arrival at the third degree, or that of Master Mason. He discusses the movement of time in a mason's life, the symbols of the hourglass and scythe, and the dual aspects of the checkered tile, among other symbols.

Members Reviews:

Let us meditate for a moment upon Death...

Let us meditate, therefore, upon our days and the swiftness of their passing. Even now as we linger, the running sands are carrying with them the moments of our lives into the eternity of the past, each with its tale of good or evil, its record of things done or undone. And no moment ever returns.

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Title: Yellowstone National Park: The History of America's Most Famous Park

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Diane Lehman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-13-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

"Judge, then, what must have been our astonishment, as we entered the basin at mid-afternoon of our second day's travel, to see in the clear sunlight, at no great distance, an immense volume of clear, sparkling water projected into the air to the height of one hundred and twenty-five feet. 'Geysers! geysers!' exclaimed one of our company, and, spurring our jaded horses, we soon gathered around this wonderful phenomenon. It was indeed a perfect geyser. The aperture through which the jet was projected was an irregular oval, three feet by seven in diameter. The margin of sinter was curiously piled up, and the exterior crust was filled with little hollows full of water, in which were small globules of sediment, some having gathered around bits of wood and other nuclei. This geyser is elevated thirty feet above the level of the surrounding plain, and the crater rises five or six feet above the mound. It spouted at regular intervals nine times during our stay, the columns of boiling water being thrown from ninety to one hundred and twenty-five feet at each discharge, which lasted from fifteen to twenty minutes. We gave it the name of 'Old Faithful.'" (Nathaniel P. Langford)

The United States is full of natural wonders, but few rival Yellowstone National Park, which is full of features that led Native Americans to believe the land was possessed by spirits and compelled people who heard accounts from white explorers to assume the explorers had suffered hallucinations. Today, of course, all Americans are instantly familiar with the name Old Faithful, and even among those who have never visited the park, Yellowstone is practically synonymous with its geysers.

Members Reviews:

Rekindled My Fascination of the Park!

One of the better if not best National Park books by Charles River Editors. Great narrative including historical aspects of the parks' creation and its' founders together with 3 dozen photos demonstrating the diversity found within the borders such as several geysers (with Old Faithful, of course!), Bunsen Peak, Tower Falls, Morning Glory Pool, Mirror Lake and more. Wish they were all put together this well!

Sites at Yellowstone

it was rather slow and had good detail about early travelers to the par but the detail was more than I wanted and I lost interest. Those that like descriptive writing would appreciate the author's presentation.

Four Stars

Excellent history of the park. Also covered some of the geology.

good read

Very well written history / documentary.

EXCELLENT

This story of our most popular National Park is published by CHARLES RIVER EDITORS. This publisher is; building a library available to all, at a very good price.