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Title: Ernie Pyle: The Life and Legacy of the Most Famous Journalist Killed in Battle during World War II

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Scott Clem

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-14-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

"Their life consisted wholly and solely of war, for they were and always had been front-line infantrymen. They survived because the fates were kind to them, certainly - but also because they had become hard and immensely wise in animal-like ways of self-preservation." - Ernie Pyle

"No man in this war has so well told the story of the American fighting man as American fighting men wanted it told. He deserves the gratitude of all his countrymen." - President Harry Truman

Ernie Pyle's life is like a 1950s movie script. Born the beloved and only child of hardscrabble American farmers, he made good grades in school, graduated, and went off to college at "State", in his case the University of Indiana. Overcoming his shyness, he studied journalism and wrote stories for the school paper that earned him a position of esteem among his fellow students. He partied hard but kept his grades up, and then married a girl as high spirited as he was. Together, they left school early and made their way to the nation's capital, where the farm boy got a job with a big city paper. In the years that followed, they traveled the country, meeting the great and the simple alike, and writing stories that made them the envy of the common man.

Underneath the veneer, there was a dark side to Pyle's life, one that made his story, if the whole truth were to be told, more suitable for a cable television miniseries. First, the girl he married grew into a woman with severe mental illness that broke their relationship and opened the door to multiple extramarital affairs. Pyle himself seems to have battled depression and had trouble living in anything less than an exciting, constantly changing environment.

Members Reviews:

The Hell of War seen through the eyes of one man! Or was it his HELL?

Ernie Pyle by Charles River Editors Review

Ernie Pyleâs life reads like a 1950s movie script. Born the beloved and only child of hardscrabble American farmers, he made good grades in school, graduated, and went off to college at âState,â in this case the University of Indiana. Overcoming his shyness, he studied journalism and wrote stories for the school paper that earned him a position of esteem among his fellow students. He partied hard but kept his grades up, and then married a girl as high spirited as he was. Together, they left school early and made their way to the nationâs capital, where the farm boy got a job with a big city paper. In the years that followed, they traveled the country, meeting the great and the simple alike, and writing stories that made them the envy of the common man.

What did I like? Growing up in Albuquerque, you know all the heroâs and Ernie Pyle was one of them. Even though he was our hero, we shared him with the world and yet there were so many things that never made the light during those years. I read this with interest because it has been many years since Albuquerque and during that time we all forget a little. I visited his grave site in Honolulu and was amazed at the tributes that were left for him. It was beautiful though looking out and seeing the beauty that he has missed.

What will you like? Photos, quotes and Pyle's accounts of the war, plus online resources and a bibliography for further reading.

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Title: Simply Napoleon

Author: J. David Markham, Matthew Zarzeczny

Narrator: Jack Wynters

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-10-17

Publisher: Simply Charly

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

The first emperor of France and one of the shrewdest military leaders of all time, Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821) eventually came to control much of Europe. In Simply Napoleon, authors J. David Markham and Matthew Zarzeczny tell Napoleon's story, from his birth on the island of Corsica to his eventual imprisonment and death on the island of Saint Helena.

They explain how the famed military commander's unique combination of determination, intellect, and personal charisma allowed him to rise from a provincial village to become a powerful and authoritative ruler. While taking an overall positive view of Napoleon, Markham and Zarzeczny also make it a point to draw attention to his mistakes and their consequences, providing a balanced picture of this complicated figure who was both a product of his times and a man pointing the way to the future.

Marked by first-rate scholarship, as well as a highly listenable and accessible style, Simply Napoleon is an exceptional introduction to Napoleon and his times - a study that not only illuminates a key personality and period in modern history, but also helps us understand how modern Europe took shape.

Members Reviews:

'Simply Napoleon' provides the quick and easy introduction regardless of background

If you have ever wondered why Napoleon inspires interest not just in France but around the world even to this day, 'Simply Napoleon' provides the quick and easy introduction regardless of background. This blitz through the storied life of the man himself nevertheless still finds time to connect larger international currents from the Society of United Irishmen to the Haitian Revolution. While the authors admire Napoleon, their subject remains human, and great efforts are made to present a rounded figure for the reader to judge, including a useful annotated guide for further reading. However one views the French general and emperor, the bookâs central point is achieved with abundant clarity: an understanding of the modern world is incomplete without Napoleon.

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Title: Ulysses S. Grant: The War Years

Author: Michael W. Simmons

Narrator: Alan Munro

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-17

Publisher: Make Profits Easy LLC

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

Apart from Abraham Lincoln the most famous name of the Civil War is undoubtedly that of Ulysses S. Grant. He was the first Lieutenant General created by the American army since George Washington. After the war, he was the only president between Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson to be elected to two successive terms in office. His legacy as a military strategist is unparalleled to this day: American victory in the first and second World Wars was achieved by upholding the strategic doctrine of overwhelming force that Grant established in his relentless pursuit of Robert E. Lee during the Overland campaign.

In this book, which focuses exclusively on Grant's military career, you will hear about the young infantry officer and quartermaster who served in the Mexican-American War under Zachary Taylor, whose common-sense approach to leadership would serve as a role model for Grant's own command style.

You will also hear the highlights of every major battle Grant fought during the Civil War, including his great victories at Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, and Chattanooga, his near disastrous failure at Cold Harbor, and at last the long campaign through a Wilderness and beyond that ended in Lee's surrender at Appomattox in 1865.

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Title: History in 30: The Life of Ulysses S. Grant

Author: Percy Bennington

Narrator: Scott Clem

Format: Unabridged

Length: 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-09-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

When one thinks of true American heroes, many names come to mind. American schoolchildren are quickly taught about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and a number of other important figures through the ages of American history. But one often overlooked president held the fate of the entire North American continent in his hands.

In the 19th century, one of the surest ways to rise to prominence in American society was to be a war hero, like Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison. But few would have predicted such a destiny for Hiram Ulysses Grant, who had been a career soldier with little experience in combat and a failed businessman when the Civil War broke out in 1861.

However, while all eyes were fixed on the Eastern theater at places like Manassas, Richmond, the Shenandoah Valley and Antietam, Grant went about a steady rise up the ranks through a series of successes in the West. His victory at Fort Donelson, in which his terms to the doomed Confederate garrison earned him the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant, could be considered the first major Union victory of the war, and Grant's fame and rank only grew after that at battlefields like Shiloh and Vicksburg. Along the way, Grant nearly fell prey to military politics and the belief that he was at fault for the near defeat at Shiloh, but President Lincoln famously defended him, remarking, "I can't spare this man. He fights." Lincoln's steadfastness ensured that Grant's victories out West continued to pile up.

Despite being the best known Union general of the Civil War and a former president of the United States, Grant was penniless after being swindled by a fraudulent business deal when he learned that he had terminal cancer in the mid-1880s. Facing death, and with his family suffering financial difficulties, Grant set about writing personal memoirs that would not only secure his legacy but also provide for his family. Grant finished his memoirs just a few days before his death, but he wrote what is almost universally considered to be the best memoirs of the Civil War and one of the best personal memoirs ever written. Grant's memoirs, published by Mark Twain, sold over 300,000 copies, earning the Grant family over $450,000.

Although Grant was instrumental in winning the war and eventually parlayed his fame into two terms in the White House, his legacy and accomplishments are still the subjects of heavy debate today. His presidency is remembered mostly due to rampant fraud within his Administration, although he was never personally accused of wrongdoing, and even his victories in the Civil War have been countered by charges that he was a butcher. That said, without Ulysses S. Grant, it's possible the Confederacy may have won the Civil War.

History in 30: The Life of Ulysses S. Grant provides a quick but comprehensive look at the life of the 18th president.

Members Reviews:

Short book but captures the essential Grant. Like Carter a great man but could have been a better president.

Story I read was Grant did not like the initials H U G so before he began West Point he changed his name and initials to U S Grant.

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Title: The Times Great Scottish Lives

Subtitle: Obituaries of Scotland's Finest

Author: Magnus Linklater - editor

Narrator: Angus King

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-05-17

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

Discover the fascinating lives of the iconic figures that have shaped Scotland from the early 19th century to the present day.

Explore the rich history of Scotland's cultural, social and political landscape, with more than 100 obituaries carefully curated from The Times archive.

The Scots have contributed richly to the world, most notably in literature and science, but also in the arts, law, politics, religion, scholarship and sport. In this volume, The Times brings together a unique and fascinating collection of obituaries. The list includes people who have made the greatest impact in their fields, others who have led particularly interesting or influential lives, and a selection of notable Scottish figures in the history of The Times.

This audiobook features the major Scottish figures of influence from the last 200 years and includes a diverse range of people, including Sir Walter Scott, Sir David Livingstone, Thomas Carlyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, Keir Hardie, Alexander Graham Bell, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Phoebe Traquair, James Ramsay MacDonald, John Logie Baird, Mary Somerville, Jim Clark, John Smith, Donald Dewar, Eugenie Fraser, Robin Cook, Jock Stein, R. D. Laing, Margo MacDonald, William McIlvanney, Tam Dalyell and Ronnie Corbett.

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Title: Summary, Analysis, and Review of Al Franken's Al Franken: Giant of the Senate

Author: Start Publishing Notes

Narrator: Michael Gilboe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-04-17

Publisher: Start Publishing Notes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

Please note: This is an analysis and key takeaways of the book and not the original book.

Start Publishing Notes' Summary, Analysis, and Review of Al Franken's Al Franken: Giant of the Senate includes a summary of the book, review, analysis and key takeaways, and detailed "About the Author" section.

Preview: Al Franken: Giant of the Senate is an autobiography written by Minnesota Senator Al Franken. It gives background on Franken's career as a comedy writer, on his campaigns for office, and on the workings of the Senate.

Franken's father was the child of German Jewish immigrants. He moved from New York to Minnesota to start a quilting factory, which quickly failed. He then became a printing salesman, and Franken, who was born in 1951, grew up in middle class suburbs. His family became Democrats during the Civil Rights era, in part because, as Jews, they identified with marginalized people and believed in equality for all.

Franken's family wanted him to be a scientist. However, Franken discovered from an early age that he loved comedy, and he and a friend, Tom Davis, who was a year behind him at a private school, began to write skits and comedy for the school. When they became older they performed regularly at the local comedy club. Franken went to Harvard, where he met his wife, Franni, who came from a poor family. Franni was able to go to college thanks to government assistance. Franken sees the Democrats as the party of civil rights and of economic opportunity, giving people like Franni a chance to succeed.

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Title: Judy

Subtitle: The Unforgettable Story of the Dog Who Went to War and Became a True Hero

Author: Damien Lewis

Narrator: Ben Addis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-20-17

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

After being bombed and shipwrecked repeatedly while serving for several wild and war-torn years as a mascot of the World War II Royal Navy Yangtze river gunboats the Gnat and the Grasshopper, Judy ended up in Japanese prisoner of war camps in North Sumatra. Along with locals as slave labor, the American, Australian, and British POWs were forced to build a 1,200-mile single-track railroad through the most horrifying jungles and treacherous mountain passes. Like the one immortalized in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai, this was the other death-railroad building project where POWs slaved under subhuman conditions.

In the midst of this living hell was a beautiful and regal-looking liver and white English pointer named Judy. Whether she was scavenging food to help feed the starving inmates of a hellish Japanese POW camp or by her presence alone bringing inspiration and hope to men, she was cherished and adored by the Allied servicemen who fought to survive alongside her. From the author of The Dog Who Could Fly and the coauthor of Sergeant Rex and It's All About Treo comes one of the most heartwarming and inspiring tales you will ever hear.

Critic Reviews:

"Marrying a thrilling real-life plot with evocative writing...[this will be] appreciated by dog lovers, military history enthusiasts, and those who enjoy a solid adventure/survival story." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Amazing story of a faithful dog

Loved it!!

What a story!

Utterly amazing. If you love dogs or any animal you should read this.

Wonderful true story about a dog who saved POW's during ...

I had read this book and bought 2 more for friends. Wonderful true story about a dog who saved POW's during WW II.

What a story!

This book was excellent, and very informative. What an amazing dog she was and so intelligent. I always share my books with other readers and can hardly wait to hear how this person enjoyed the book.

Loved it. Well written

Loved it. Well written.

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Title: History in 30: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt

Author: Percy Bennington

Narrator: Scott Clem

Format: Unabridged

Length: 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-19-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

For a man who grew up to become the "Bull Moose", Theodore Roosevelt was a sickly child, suffering from asthma and other maladies. But his physical weakness actually drove him to be more active, which also fostered an interest in nature. It also helped that Teddy's family was wealthy, allowing him privileges including home school and the ability to attend Harvard, where he was an athlete and took an interest in naval affairs. After finishing at Harvard, Teddy entered politics, but it didn't stop him from writing The Naval War of 1812 in 1882, establishing himself as a professional writer and historian.

In the 1890s, it was Teddy's turn to make history, leading the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War and being decorated for his service with a Medal of Honor. He parlayed his glory into the governorship of New York and then the Vice Presidency under William McKinley. When McKinley was assassinated in 1901, young Teddy was thrust into the presidency, one that would earn him a place on Mount Rushmore. Roosevelt's "Square Deal" domestic policies favored average citizens while busting trusts and monopolies. Roosevelt also promoted conservation as an environmental stance, while his "speak softly and carry a big stick" foreign policy is still an oft used phrase today. Roosevelt even earned a Nobel Prize during his presidency.

By the time Roosevelt died in 1919, he was an American icon. Today, Teddy is remembered for being an explorer, hunter, author, soldier, president, and safari adventurer, all of which combine into one unique reputation. As with all legends, Roosevelt is often portrayed more as a quintessential man's man, to the point that the legend obscures the actual man.

History in 30: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt provides a quick but comprehensive look at the life of the famous president.

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Title: American Legends: The Life of General Douglas MacArthur

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Mark Norman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-12-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

Includes MacArthur's most colorful and inspiring quotes, including his Victory Broadcast after Japan's surrender and his Farewell Address to Congress.

"There is no substitute for victory." - Douglas MacArthur

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

Of all the military men America produced during the 19th and 20th centuries, it's hard to find one as important, successful and controversial as General Douglas MacArthur. The son of a Civil War veteran, MacArthur rose to become the most instrumental commander in the Pacific Theater during World War II. His legendary return to the Philippines in 1944 made good on one of the war's most famous vows, and it was MacArthur who fittingly who oversaw the occupation and reconstruction of Japan following the war.

Given his long and celebrated career, MacArthur was the obvious choice to lead the newly created United Nations' troops during the Korean War, but his arguments over war strategy and policy eventually led to his controversial firing by President Harry Truman in 1951.

Members Reviews:

This book presented him brilliantly, foibles and all

Gen. MacArthur is one of the true American heroes of our time. This book presented him brilliantly, foibles and all. If we had listened to him it would have been no Soviet Union. Unfortunately the politicians treated him the same way they treated General Patton and we are the worse off for it. This is a great book. I can recommend it highly without reservation.

The life of General Douglas MacArthur

This is a quick read and informative narrative of the General's activities during WW11 and Korea concluding with his retirement. I recommend it. For a more extensive coverage I recommend AMERICAN CAESAR.

Quick, but shallow view of Doug MacArthur

This is an ok cliff notes type of analysis. I don't think it accurately represents the complex individual that Macarthur was. It's a quick read but if you're really interested there are other biographies that better serve your interests.

WOW, seems that all blondes die young in Hollywood!

She seemed not to be able to deal with a lot of things that stardom had to offer. It is a shame that she had to die young and her background is even more scary. No child should have to go through what she did. I like the summation of the whole book of the history of her life. I didn't know some things and I'm glad I read the book.

The history of World War II in the Pacific islands

Great book and easy reading about the life and Times of General Douglas MacArthur. I would recommend the book for anyone interested in The history of World War II in the Pacific islands

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Title: History in 30: The Life of George Washington

Author: Percy Bennington

Narrator: Scott Clem

Format: Unabridged

Length: 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-30-17

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Political Figures

Publisher's Summary:

The United States is the land of opportunity, and this was no truer than during the late-Colonial phase in North America. The men and women who came to the 13 colonies worked for everything they had and eventually broke away from the British when the colonists grew unhappy with the governance. Without the "Founding Fathers," this would not have been possible; the men who declared independence, ran the war effort, and created the government were exceptional individuals. Many of the "Founding Fathers" were self-made men who rose through the ranks and made something out of themselves during the Revolution. Some had nothing to lose when they declared their independence, but others had everything to lose, and George Washington risked it all to gain the mantle of "Father of America" with his successes.

Today, his legacy is mythologized so often that it's hard to ascertain the truth from the fairy tales. With such a renowned figure as Washington, it is important for historians and those interested in history to dig deeper and actually understand the man. Washington was not perfect; he was known to have a terrifying temper during the war that left many of his subordinates genuinely scared of the man. Washington did more than any other man to ensure the success of the American Revolution and the safe passage of the new United States from fledgling nation to budding power, but underneath his steel surface burned an almost insatiable political ambition, and a man who was acutely self-conscious of himself.