Listen to Best Sellers Audiobooks in History, 21st Century

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Title: To Hell and Back

Subtitle: Europe, 1914-1949

Author: Ian Kershaw

Narrator: Leighton Pugh

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: History, 21st Century

Publisher's Summary:

In the summer of 1914 most of Europe plunged into a war so catastrophic that it unhinged the continent's politics and beliefs in a way that took generations to recover from.

The disaster terrified its survivors, shocked that a civilization that had blandly assumed itself to be a model for the rest of the world had collapsed into a chaotic savagery beyond any comparison.

In 1939 Europeans would initiate a second conflict that managed to be even worse - a war in which the killing of civilians was central and which culminated in the Holocaust.

To Hell and Back tells this story with humanity, flair and originality. Kershaw gives a compelling narrative of events, but he also wrestles with the most difficult issues that the events raise - with what it meant for the Europeans who initiated and lived through such fearful times - and what this means for us.

Members Reviews:

Superb on all fronts.

Superb writing, superb narration. Bravo. Very much looking forward to the next volume on postwar Europe...

superb

A superbly crafted overview of the European journey. As you might gauge a maps usefulness by its accuracy of your locality I found Kershaws balanced view of Ireland in the story a good indicator of his overall ability to be fair and reasonable.

A possible criticism would be the length of time describing the World War itself . Initially i thought the book would use this seminal event as a foundation to explain where it's consequences took Europe but it became merely descriptive for a long while .

A small criticism in an otherwise excellent book.

If you only get one history book - make it this.

Would you consider the audio edition of To Hell and Back to be better than the print version?

Possibly not, simply because it is more difficult to refer backwards and forwards with an audiobook. Also, history books are made to dip into, which you can't really do with an audiobook.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it's a book to be digested.

Any additional comments?

This is a history book that covers the period in Europe between the beginning of the First World War to the aftermath of the second world war magnificently. it conveys a huge amount of information in an easy and interesting way. The narrator, too, was perfect.

Outstanding

A strong and compelling narrative marking the start and finish to the two world wars of the 20th century. It is hard to belief that a great civilisation like Europe would in the space of 20 years embark on two of the the most destructive events in the first half of a century. Told with precision, facts and an erudite compilation - to hell and back is easily one of the best books I have listened to on audible to date!

Can't wait for volume 2

More than a military history of 2 World Wars

Recently Ive listened to books about the two World Wars that focus on the precipitating factors that started the conflicts, the military strategies, key battles and the effects mainly on the combatants. The present book touches less on these aspects and instead focusses on the social, political and economic consequences before during and after the wars with particular emphasis on the impact on civilians.

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Title: Objective Troy

Subtitle: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone

Author: Scott Shane

Narrator: Fred Sanders

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-15-15

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 58 votes

Genres: History, 21st Century

Publisher's Summary:

Objective Troy tells the gripping and unsettling story of Anwar al-Awlaki, the once-celebrated American imam who called for moderation after 9/11, a man who ultimately directed his outsized talents to the mass murder of his fellow citizens. It follows Barack Obama's campaign against the excesses of the Bush counterterrorism programs and his eventual embrace of the targeted killing of suspected militants. And it recounts how the president directed the mammoth machinery of spy agencies to hunt Awlaki down in a frantic, multimillion-dollar pursuit that would end with the death of Awlaki by a bizarre, robotic technology that is changing warfare: the drone.

Scott Shane, who has covered terrorism for The New York Times over the last decade, weaves the clash between president and terrorist into both a riveting narrative and a deeply human account of the defining conflict of our era. Awlaki, who directed a plot that almost derailed Obama's presidency and then taunted him from his desert hideouts, will go down in history as the first United States citizen deliberately hunted and assassinated by his own government without trial. But his eloquent calls to jihad, amplified by YouTube, continue to lure young Westerners into terrorism - resulting in tragedies from the Boston marathon bombing to the murder of cartoonists at a Paris weekly. Awlaki's life and death show how profoundly America has been changed by the threat of terrorism and by our own fears.

Illuminating and provocative, and based on years of in-depth reporting, Objective Troy is a brilliant reckoning with the moral challenge of terrorism and a masterful chronicle of our times.

Critic Reviews:

"Scott Shane has done a masterful job of fleshing out the missing link in the evolution of Al Qaeda. The life of the American-born imam, Anwar al-Awlaki, serves as a cautionary tale about the conflict between Islam and the West, and about America's role in the Middle East. Years after his assassination by an American drone strike, Awlaki's voice continues to summon young Muslims to the fight." (Lawrence Wright)

"Scott Shane has written a bracing story about America's most notorious extra-judicial killing, the 2011 drone shot that took out the American-born terrorist preacher Anwar al Alwaki. Here is by far the best reporting on the subject, from Alwaki's gradual evolution into a violent extremist to the Obama administration's internal struggles - moral and legal - over how to use the drone, a troubling but undeniably effective new weapon. Thorough and exceedingly fair, chocked with surprising detail, Objective Troy asks all the right questions, and will leave any reader wondering whether the United States, just because it can remotely assassinate terror threats, should." (Mark Bowden)

"No one has written a better book about Obama's war against terrorists. Shane is a superb reporter and a wonderful story teller. I literally could not out this book down. It will join a short list of books that helps all of us to really understand the wars against terrorist groups that have defined US foreign policy since 9/11." (Peter Bergen)

Members Reviews:

not a happy ending

An unbiased statement on radical Islam's power and use of technology. We're not that smart.

Excellent story

this was a great listen.

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Title: Stranger Than We Can Imagine

Subtitle: Making Sense of the Twentieth Century

Author: John Higgs

Narrator: John Higgs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-27-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: History, 21st Century

Publisher's Summary:

The 20th-century should make sense. It's the period of history that we know the most about, an epic geo-political narrative that runs through World War One, the great depression, World War Two, the American century and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

But somehow that story doesn't quite lead into the world we find ourselves in now, this bewildering 21st-century, adrift in a network of constant surveillance, unsustainable competition, tsunamis of trivia and extraordinary opportunity.

Time, then, for a new perspective. With John Higgs as our guide, we step off the main path and wander through some of the more curious backwaters of the 20th-century, exploring familiar and unfamiliar territory alike, finding fresh insight on our journey to the present day. We travel in the company of some of the most radical artists, scientists, geniuses and crazies of their age.

They show us that great innovations such as relativity, cubism, quantum mechanics, postmodernism and chaos maths are not the incomprehensible, abstract horrors that we assume them to be, but signposts that bring us to the world we live in now.

John Higgs brings us an alternative history of the strangest of centuries. He shows us how the elegant, clockwork universe of the Victorians became increasingly woozy and uncertain; and how we discovered that our world is not just stranger than we imagine but, in the words of Sir Arthur Eddington, "stranger than we can imagine".

Critic Reviews:

"It was formerly held that a comprehensive history of the last century would never be written, by virtue of the fact that we knew too much about that frenetic and eventful period. Now, with the era's ink barely dry, John Higgs demolishes this assumption with a breathtakingly lucid and coherent map of the tectonic shifts which drastically reshaped the human psyche, and the human world, within a hundred thrilling, terrifying years... An illuminating work of massive insight, in Stranger Than We Can Imagine John Higgs informs us of exactly where we've been and, by extension, where we are. I cannot recommend this magnificent work too highly." (Alan Moore, author of V For Vendetta, Watchmen and Lost Girls)

Members Reviews:

Tour through our times.

Higgs has done an excellent job of making sense of the last Century from a Western perspective. Insightful, fun and thought provoking. I recommend you listen, learn and above all enjoy.

Fascinating, clear and amusing

The interaction among science, culture and the arts. I have read much of his source material but it was very useful to have it all brought together in one book with all the parallels and interactions pointed out.

Not to be missed

I loved this book from start to finish. It's educational and thought provoking. By providing a comprehensive account of significant changes in politics, economics, science, power, philosophy, music and more during the twentieth century, the reader is provided with new perspectives and a fascinating insight into our own place on the planet and in the timeline of recent human history during a period of strange and significant change.

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Title: 1995

Subtitle: The Year the Future Began

Author: W. Joseph Campbell

Narrator: David Ledoux

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-23-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: History, 21st Century

Publisher's Summary:

A hinge moment in recent American history, 1995 was an exceptional year. Drawing on interviews, oral histories, memoirs, archival collections, and news reports, W. Joseph Campbell presents a vivid, detail-rich portrait of those memorable 12 months.

This book offers fresh interpretations of the decisive moments of 1995, including the emergence of the Internet in mainstream American life; the bombing at Oklahoma City, the deadliest attack of domestic terrorism in US history; the sensational "trial of the century", at which O. J. Simpson faced charges of double murder; the US-brokered negotiations at Dayton, Ohio, which ended the Bosnian War, Europe's most vicious conflict since the Nazi era; and the first encounters at the White House between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, a liaison that culminated in a stunning scandal and the spectacle of the president's impeachment and trial.

As Campbell demonstrates in this absorbing chronicle, 1995 was a year of extraordinary events: a watershed at the turn of the millennium. The effects of that pivotal year reverberate still, marking the close of one century and the dawning of another.

Members Reviews:

Terrible

This isn't a book, just an academic dumping out research unfiltered. A very boring blow by blow narrated by a robot.

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Title: Encounters at the Heart of the World

Subtitle: A History of the Mandan People

Author: Elizabeth A. Fenn

Narrator: Christine Marshall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-18-15

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 33 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for History.

Encounters at the Heart of the World concerns the Mandan Indians, iconic Plains people whose teeming, busy towns on the upper Missouri River were, for centuries, at the center of the North American universe. We know of them mostly because Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1804-1805 with them, but why don't we know more? Who were they really? In this extraordinary book, Elizabeth A. Fenn retrieves their history by piecing together important new discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, geology, climatology, epidemiology, and nutritional science. Her boldly original interpretation of these diverse research findings offers us a new perspective on early American history, a new interpretation of the American past.

A riveting account of Mandan history, landscapes, and people, Fenn's narrative is enriched and enlivened not only by science and research, but by her own encounters at the heart of the world.

Members Reviews:

A worthy Pulitzer winner!

Fenn's book kicks off a real understanding of the history of the Northern Plains and even adds helpful illumination to all of early American history.

Just okay

Lots of buzz on this book prior to reading it. It turns out to be, in my view, a day in the life chronology of the Mandan tribe. Of course, that's not a bad thing but it doesn't make for a truly scintillating read.

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Title: The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami

Subtitle: The Story of the Deadliest Natural Disaster of the 21st Century

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Kevin Zerbe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, 21st Century

Publisher's Summary:

"Whenever an earthquake or tsunami takes thousands of innocent lives, a shocked world talks of little else." (Anne M. Mulcahy)

In the Christian world, December 25 is a time of great rejoicing and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is by far the most festive time of year, marked by parties, church services, and giving gifts. It is also a popular vacation time, as families use the breaks given by offices and schools to travel, often to exotic destinations. That is why so many of those who witnessed the great tsunami of 2004 were not native to the areas struck, but had traveled to enjoy the sun during the dead of winter. Most of them slept soundly on Christmas night and woke up the following morning with plans to enjoy a fun day of playing along white beaches or exploring dense jungles. For many, it was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime, but for everyone in the region, it would instead become a fight for survival.

Around 8:00 a.m. on December 26, a massive earthquake registering 9.1-9.3 on the Richter Scale struck off of Sumatra, Indonesia, making it the third strongest earthquake ever recorded by seismographs. On top of that, the earthquake shook for nearly 10 minutes and generated incredibly strong tsunami waves, some of which topped out at over 100 feet, as they crashed inland in places like Thailand, India, and Indonesia. Given the great distances traveled, some of the tsunami waves didn't reach shore until seven hours after the earthquake, but thanks to the element of surprise, people in the region had virtually no warning of what was coming. With more energy than that generated by every weapon and bomb used during World War II combined, the tsunami waves pulverized entire towns and swept away hundreds of thousands of people across Southeast Asia.

Members Reviews:

Outstanding Brief Coverage, with Eyewitness Accounts, of one of the Worst Natural Disasters in History

Length: 42 pages.

Just as do many people, I have an insatiable appetite for knowledge in a lot of topics. Because I am aging and because I want to know about so many different topics, I choose not to get into too much detail on most of those subjects. Therefore, the booklets published by Charles Rivers Editors are of great use to be. Many of them that I've read thus far have quenched my thirst quite well.

The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami is one of their better booklets. There are a number photographs, but, alas, they are not as impressive as many pics I've seen. Still, they do help augment the eyewitness accounts that are included.

For anyone interested in reading the eyewitness accounts of one of the most horrific natural disasters in our history, this is an outstanding starting point.

Well done historical report!

I picked this up from Amazon when it was on free promotion to feed my morbid fascination for human misery. That is sad self statement--yet true; stories of this sort reaffirm the idea that hope may persevere tragic times. Why I need the reminder probably says something âtragicâ about myself.

I like the Charles River Editors books a great deal for the context and information presented in each of their topical documentaries.

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Title: The Presidents and UFOs

Subtitle: A Secret History from FDR to Obama

Author: Larry Holcombe

Narrator: Oliver Wyman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-17-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 191 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

The UFO enigma has been part of our culture since the 1940s and is building to a worldwide explosion of acceptance today. Now, as governments around the world open their files and records on internal UFO investigations, the US remains steadfast in its denial of interest in the UFO issue. As more of the world's population accepts the possibility of an extraterrestrial presence, the demand is building for disclosure from the United States.

Using newly declassified and Freedom of Information Act documents, eyewitness accounts, interviews, and leaked documents being authenticated, The Presidents and UFOs details the secret history of UFOs and the corresponding presidential administrations. Starting in 1941 with the Roosevelt administration, author Larry Holcombe examines the startling discoveries facing a president preoccupied by WWII, the explosion of UFO sightings during the Truman years, first contact during the Eisenhower administration, and the possibility of a UFO connection to the Kennedy assassination. In 1975, the Nixon administration came very close to admitting that UFOs exist by funding a documentary by Robert Emenegger. Almost 40 years later, this book will examine Emenegger's findings. For the first time, the involvement of all of the modern presidents up to and including President Obama, and the rise and then fall of their influence on UFO issues, are told in one story that is an integral part of the fascinating UFO tapestry.

Members Reviews:

tons of good research and storytelling

this book had a great pace and kept me very interested in the subject matter. It is full of solid research and will keep your wanting more

Informational and entertaining

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

I would recommend this book to anyone fascinated by this phenomenon

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the framework of the history with Presidential relationship

Good but not great

The book is narrated well and well written but the facts and case studies are old and already quite well known. Unless you are a die-hard conspiracy fan, this book will disappoint you.

Very informative!

Enjoyed this book tremendously. It gave me insight and other views.

Narrator wasn't monotone lol

Inside track , very informative and frightening.

Hard to stop. A very disturbing tale to be sure. Not sure if people could handle disclosure.

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Title: Rescue of the Bounty

Subtitle: Disaster and Survival in Superstorm Sandy

Author: Michael J. Tougias, Douglas A. Campbell

Narrator: Tom Weiner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-06-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: History, 21st Century

Publisher's Summary:

Rescue of the Bounty is the harrowing story of the sinking and rescue of Bounty - the tall ship used in the classic 1962 film Mutiny on the Bounty - which was caught in the path of Hurricane Sandy with 16 aboard.

On Thursday, October 25, 2012, Captain Robin Walbridge made the fateful decision to sail Bounty from New London, Connecticut, to St. Petersburg, Florida. Walbridge was well aware that a hurricane was forecast to travel north from the Caribbean toward the Eastern Seaboard. Yet the captain was determined to sail. As he explained to his crew of 15: A ship is always safer at sea than in port. He intended to sail around the hurricane and told the crew that anyone who did not want to come on the voyage could leave the ship - there would be no hard feelings. As fate would have it, no one took the captain up on his offer.

Four days into the voyage, Superstorm Sandy made an almost direct hit on Bounty. The vessel's failing pumps could not keep up with the incoming water. The ship began to lose power as it was beaten and rocked by hurricane winds that spanned 800 miles. A few hours later, in the dark of night, the ship suddenly overturned 90 miles off the North Carolina coast, in the "Graveyard of the Atlantic", sending the crew tumbling into an ocean filled with towering 30-foot waves. The Coast Guard then launched one of the most complex and massive rescues in its history, flying two Jayhawk helicopter crews into the hurricane and lowering rescue swimmers into the raging seas again and again, despite the danger to their own lives.

In the uproar heard across American media in the days following, a single question persisted: Why did the captain decide to sail?

Members Reviews:

Much heavier focus on sailing than rescue

Any additional comments?

I read this book expected to hear mostly about the storm and the subsequent rescue, but the first 2/3 of the book was about the crew and their background and the ship's history. A little bit of this info is fine, however it felt incredibly dragged out. The section about the storm and rescue was fast paced and exciting to listen to, but I really had to force myself to listen to the first 2/3.

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Title: Paris Terrorist Attack: Why the Terrorists Terrorized Charlie Hebdo Magazine

Subtitle: Burning Reports: Topics, Issues, Current Events & More

Author: Burning Reports

Narrator: Claton Butcher

Format: Unabridged

Length: 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-24-15

Publisher: Burning Reports / AJK Publishers

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, 21st Century

Publisher's Summary:

The attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris shocked the world, with many governments coming out strongly to condemn it. There are many people who did not know the events that led to this attack and what followed.

This Burning Report contains information that explains the reasons that could have led to the Paris shooting, what happened during the attack and the subsequent attacks, the reaction of the citizens of France and the world at large, the steps taken to bring the perpetrators to justice, the population of Muslims in France and Europe, how Muslims are viewed in these areas, if there were any clues that the police and government could have used to prevent the attack, other attacks that have happened in France and on the Charlie Hebdo news magazine in the previous years, and how the people of France treated the attack.

This Burning Report will enlighten you on the Paris shooting and the war against terror in Europe, and you will be in a position to understand what happened and the reasons behind them.

Members Reviews:

Save your money.

If you read the newspapers, you do not need to see this. Not worth the money.

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Title: The Hunt for Bin Laden

Author: Tom Shroder - editor, The Washington Post

Narrator: Peter Ganim

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-13-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: History, 21st Century

Publisher's Summary:

The long and secret effort to track down Osama bin Laden has been called the biggest, costliest manhunt in history. This reconstruction, compiled from reporting from more than two-dozen Washington Post correspondents and staffers over more than 15 years, traces the hunt from its beginnings in 1997, during the Clinton administration. The Hunt for bin Laden is a behind-the-scenes narrative revealing the 14-year, billion-dollar effort that brought the hunt to a swift and conclusive end, including:

Members Reviews:

A great Kindle Single!

This is a short summary of The Washington Post coverage of the Capture of Bin Laden. I found out some things I didn't know before and read again the exciting tale of capture. Zero Dark Thirty gave me a very good image of the raid. What I read very clearly here and still am wondering about is something the assassinated Moussoud asked the American troops under Clinton and still haven't been answered in my opinion, the Taliban, Pakistani intelligence and financiers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates? I think the US has worked on all three since then but a war stirs them up. How do we make peace without creating continual conflict that harms us all?

Interesting

I did not like the last chapter. Much more details have been provided in the press, especially about how Bin. Lace n was captured.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I only read this a few weeks ago, and already I've almost forgotten most of it. How can anyone turn what must have been an adrenaline filled event into something so snooze-inducing? My kid sister used to beg me for a bed time story when she was little. When not in the mood, I told her the shortest one I knew: "Once upon a time, there was a man. He lived. He died. The end." This is not much different.

I CAN reccomend it highly enough

Overall, Shroder does a good job in "the Hunt for Bin Laden," writing objectively and with authority but perhaps most importantly, omitting much of the "rah-rah," that some writers have put into the subject; giving the reader the facts in a nutshell without rushing through or becoming nakedly partisan when questions of politics and political will are in question. His approach seems to be "just the facts"--even when telling the reader of the Bush administration's refocusing our military's mission on the war in Iraq which drew personnel and resources away from the search for America's deadliest and most successful enemy since the second World War. One thing that is especially good about Shroder's narrative is that he accomplishes all that he does without resorting to bursts of cheerleader subjectivity and the too-friendly colloquialism that can be found in other books on the topic.

Tom Shroder's "The Hunt for Bin Laden," is obviously high-speed writing, but it is also high-quality, high-speed writing.