Listen to New Releases Audiobooks in Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Never Say Die

Subtitle: The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age

Author: Susan Jacoby

Narrator: Laural Merlington

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-14-11

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

In a narrative that combines the intensely personal with social, economic, and historical analysis, Susan Jacoby turns an unsparing eye on the marketers of longevity - pharmaceutical companies, lifestyle gurus, and scientific businessmen who suggest that there will soon be a "cure" for the "disease" of aging. She separates wishful hype from realistic hope in a wide-ranging appraisal of subjects that include the explosion of Alzheimers cases, the impact of possible cuts in Social Security on the economic future of aging boomers, and the fact that women make up most of the "oldest old." Finally, Jacoby raises the fundamental question of whether living longer is a desirable thing unless it means living better, and she considers the profound moral and ethical concerns raised by increasing longevity. Never Say Die is a lucid, provocative, and powerful argument that Americans, no matter their age, are doing themselves no favor by buying into the myth that they can stay "forever young."

Critic Reviews:

"Drawing on research, personal experience, and anecdotes, [Jacoby] offers an important reality check for Americans enamored of the images of healthy, active seniors featured in advertisements." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

mixture of interesting info and liberal ideology

I ended up giving this 2 stars based on my view that the first half rates a 3 because it primarily deals with interesting information on aging, but the last half rates a 1 (or less) because it is little more than blatant liberal propaganda and demonizsation of all other viewpoints.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Shock of Gray

Subtitle: The Aging of the World's Population and How It Pits Young Against Old, Child Against Parent, Worker Against Boss

Author: Ted C. Fishman

Narrator: Kerin McCue

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-24-11

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

New York Times best-selling author Ted C. Fishman reveals the stunning challenges of a world awash with seasoned citizens. By 2030 those over 50 will outnumber people under 17 for the first time in history. Fishman explores the resulting impact on families, businesses, nations, and medical care.

With vivid and witty reporting from American cities and around the world, and through compelling interviews with families, employers, workers, economists, gerontologists, government officials, health-care professionals, corporate executives, and small business owners, Fishman reveals the astonishing and interconnected effects of global aging, and why nations, cultures, and crucial human relationships are changing in this timely, brilliant, and important book.

Critic Reviews:

"A timely wake-up call." (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Higher Ed and 'Shock of Gray'

How old will you be in 2050? I will be 81. At 81 I plan to be still working in higher ed, still running, still writing, still teaching, still contributing. What about you?

We are not alone. As Ted Fishman describes in his wonderful new book, Shock of Gray: The Aging of the World's Population and How It Pits Young Against Old, Child Against Parent, Worker Against Boss, Company Against Rival, and Nation Against Nation, the gifts and challenges of an aging world will define both our individual and our societal narratives over the next 40 years.

Fishman takes us on a tour of what an aging population means to places (cities and whole countries), companies, families, and individuals. He spends time in the Sarasota Florida (where my parents are as I write this), a city that has built its economy on and culture around the idea of active and healthy aging. We learn about Rockford Illinois, and the challenges that older industrial cities face as the economy transitions from manufacturing to service while a population ages in place.

The aging challenges of the U.S., however, seem manageable compared to what is in store

for Europe of much of East Asia. Fishman's portrait of Spain, the lowest fertility and longest lived country in Europe, will make you relieved for American fertility (and immigration). By 2050, Japan's population may decrease 25%, with close to 4-in-10 Japanese being 65 or older. The question for China will be if the country can grow rich before it grows too old, as the one child policy has insured that Chinese society will be amongst the most rapidly aging, with over 400 million elderly by 2050.

Fishman investigates the causes and consequences of aging for all these places, as well as delving in to the reasons behind the great increase in lifespans, the declines in fertility, and the science of aging.

I came away from Shock of Gray convinced that we need to think about what an aging American will mean for our institutions of higher learning.

Today, we have about 30 million people between the ages of 18 and 24, and about 40 million people 65 and over (out of a total of 310 million). By 2050, the number of 18 to 24 year olds is expected to grow to about 40 million, but the people 65 and over to almost 90 million (out of about 440 million).

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Dead Beat

Author: Marilyn Johnson

Narrator: Marilyn Johnson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-05-10

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

Marilyn Johnson was enthralled by the remarkable lives that were marching out of this world - so she sought out the best obits in the English language and the people who spent their lives writing about the dead. She surveyed the darkest corners of Internet chat rooms and made a pilgrimage to London to savor the most caustic and literate obits of all. Now she leads us on a compelling journey into the cult and culture behind the obituary page and the unusual lives we don't quite appreciate until they're gone.

Members Reviews:

A Thorough Pleasure

I've subscribed to the Economist for years and stumbled onto their obituaries column and it quickly became a section I would regularily read, a little guiltily though. But for those of us who love reading it makes sense why the obits would be so rewarding: They attempt to communicate something of the expanse of the stary skies of a lived life onto the circumscribed canvass of a few paragraphs. Marilyn Johnson does an admirable job of sharing this interest and her audiobook is peppered with lively examples of traditional biographies filled with the highlights of inspiring triumphs and the abject turpitude of personal failings of notable personages and the everyday greatness of simple and well-lived lives of ordinary people; the various trends in obits over the years; and Johnson's own personal wit and humor in sifting through it all. I found her abook an unqualified delight to listen to!

MARILYN JOHNSON IS THE DEBRA WINGER OF AUDIO BOOKS

I read Marilyn Johnson's Dead Beat when it came out. And now I am enjoying listening to her reading it.

It is FASCINATING subject---and told brilliantly.

Death turns out to be highly comical and always, always has a scary, entertaining story to tell.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Public Domain

Subtitle: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind

Author: James Boyle

Narrator: David Stampone

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-10-10

Publisher: Caravan

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

Our failure to appreciate the importance of the public domainthe realm of material that is free for anyone to use without permission or feelimits free speech, digital creativity, and scientific innovation, argues the author of this book. The public domain is under siege, and James Boyle explains why and how we must protect it.

Members Reviews:

Great Book, Unpracticed Narrator

This creative commons book is best read, and not listened to. The narrator is not bad overall - his voice has clarity, maturity, warmth and character - but he inserts strange-sounding pauses here and there, which is distracting. You can tell when he's reached the end of a particular line, but not the end of the sentence, which introduces discordance into the listening experience.

The best everyman's book on Intellectual Property

If you could sum up The Public Domain in three words, what would they be?

brilliant, balanced, accurate

What other book might you compare The Public Domain to and why?

FREE: The Future of a Radical Price, by Chris Anderson talks about today's digital "free" market, how it is possible, and how it works. This overlaps greatly on the topic of the Public Domain.

Against Intellectual Property, by N. Stephan Kinsella gives a more negative view about the benefits of Intellectual Property and proposes that most or all IP rights should be either eliminated or severely culled.

Everything is a Remix, by Kirby Ferguson, is a video series outlining some of the very same issues and examples and arguments as this book.

Have you listened to any of David Stampones other performances before? How does this one compare?

The voice performance is pretty good.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book strengthened my knowledge of the IP landscape.

Any additional comments?

Yes, I have read several on this topic, as it is a topic that I am passionate about. This book is a down-to-earth look at what intellectual property is (it is an artificial right created by governments, not a natural right as many of us believe), what it is for (to encourage innovation, not to discourage competition), and where it is headed.

It addresses the many misconceptions that most people have about "stealing" ideas, expanding rights, and fair use. It describes the problematic approach that many turn to of using analogies to the physical world when talking about ideas. It suggests a solution based on a concept of the "environment" that helped sustainability become mainstream. And it does this all with a balanced perspective. The author states repeatedly that he is not anti-intellectual property. It can be very useful and very important, when our founding fathers' cautions regarding its reach are heeded.

Although occasionally you may find spots that are a bit technical and difficult to fully understand, keep going. As someone with no professional background in law or intellectual property, most of this book is fairly simple and easy to understand.

This should be required reading at every public high school, or at the very least, every accredited university. Today's culture has such a biased view on intellectual property, and such a careless attitude towards our intellectual commons that we don't realize how badly things are headed.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Mom & Pop Store

Subtitle: How the Unsung Heroes of the American Economy Are Surviving and Thriving

Author: Robert Spector

Narrator: Mark Morgann

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 12-24-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

A celebration of the history of small, independent retail and the story of how mom & pop stores across the country still thrive on attentive customer service and renewed community support for local businesses.

Business journalist Robert Spector grew up working in his family's butcher shop in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where he learned invaluable lessons about the independent retail business and about life. Mom & pop stores have always brought people together, fostering a sense of neighborhood identity and camaraderie, and are the glue that connects people in big cities and small towns alike. Long fascinated by the direct connection people feel as merchants and customers when they do business in neighborhood shops, and responding to the growing buy local movement across the country, Spector sets out to discover the state, and the state of mind, of independent retailing in America. From a specialty soda pop shop in Los Angeles to a florist shop in Dayton, Ohio, from a bakery in Chicago to a bookstore in Bellingham, Washington, mom & pop store owners shared their stories with him, revealing the spirit and tenacity of the small business owner, dealing with frustration and defeat as well as triumph and success. Spector also interweaves the history of independent retailing. The Mom & Pop Store reflects the story of this country, for it embraces and cross-references every ethnic group and virtually every element of our society.

Members Reviews:

Four Stars

Good book. Don't necessarily agree with every thought, but when would you?

Boring

This was just boring. I never finished reading it before I donated it.

Five Stars

i love this book icouldnt put it down

Excellent book about Mom and Pop stores

Easy to read and brings back memories of our small town mom and pop stores. If you like feel good books, this is one.

A love story about the mom and pop store

Book review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

Let me begin by telling you what this book is not. First, it is not a history nor a background study of mom and pop stores. One reviewer at Amazon.com commented on precisely this aspect: "If you're looking for a book to give you some background, data and understanding of small businesses, how they operate and how they fit in and affect the US economy, unfortunately this is not it. It will not tell you, as its title suggests, how mom & pops are `surviving and thriving.'"

Second, it is not at all concise. Rather, it rambles a bit.

Third, it is not the least bit analytical. He has no interest in writing a rational, logical, or organized approach to the topic. He has, instead, put together a love story (or love stories) that reveal the passion, creativity, and tenacity small business owners demonstrate -- in the Studs Terkel tradition -- in order to survive.

One reviewer at Amazon.com, A. Westerman, writes, "Robert Spector has written a homage to the small, family-owned business -- the type rooted in the American psyche and as iconic as a Norman Rockwell illustration.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Complaint

Author: Julian Baggini

Narrator: Clive Mantle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-13-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

It's time to reclaim complaint as a progressive, positive force again, and this book explores every kind of complaint that people make.

Members Reviews:

Its a very nice book 1

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

It could have been made more interesting

What do you think your next listen will be?

syliva book

How could the performance have been better?

adding still more incidents

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Complaint?

the final scene

Any additional comments?

Its a nice book

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Specialist, Pop Culture, Volume 1

Author: iMinds

Narrator: uncredited

Format: Unabridged

Length: 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-09

Publisher: iMinds

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

Learn about your world with iMinds Specialist Series - have a particular interest? Recognize gaps in your knowledge? iMinds Specialist works across each of our 12 categories bringing you targeted information to broaden your mind.

Pop Culture Volume One looks at the history of Fireworks, the role of Culture Jamming, the phenomenon of the Flash Mob, the dance style Krumping, the film genre Mocumentary and the street art of Stencil Art.

Perfect to listen to while commuting, exercising, shopping or cleaning the house.. iMinds brings knowledge to your MP3 with 8 minute information segments to whet your mental appetite and broaden your mind.

iMinds offers 12 main categories, become a Generalist by increasing your knowledge of Business, Politics, People, History, Pop Culture, Mystery, Crime, Culture, Religion, Concepts, Science and Sport.. Clean and concise, crisp and engaging, discover what you never knew you were missing. Make your MP3 smarter with iMinds MindTracks, intersperse with music and enjoy learning a little about a lot.. knowledge of your own choice and in your own time.

Editorial Reviews:

This is a series of accessible, mid-length investigations into some of the quirkier manifestations of pop culture (the exception is the piece on fireworks, which focuses more on the history and science of these colorful explosions). Varied narrators, both male and female, convey the detailed information in smooth tones, while thematically appropriate music plays in the background. The sections on culture jamming, mockumentaries, and stencil art are particularly intriguing, and provide useful histories that separate the wheat from the chaff. A useful listen for those looking to get more up-to-date on some variations of street-level culture.

Critic Reviews:

"I'm learning all sorts of stuff about stuff I didn't even know I didn't know. And it sticks. In a nutshell: wonderful." (Jonathon Margolis, Financial Times)

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Savage Spawn

Subtitle: Reflections on Violent Children

Author: Jonathan Kellerman

Narrator: Richard Gilliland

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-07-09

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

Kellerman explores the "nature v. nurture" theory, discusses the legal and psychological ramification of treating such children as adult criminals, and tackles, with surprising results, the popular idea that violence in the media is to blame. More than a crash course in understanding the "Hows" and "whys" of this issue, Savage Spawn is a controversial study that will engender much needed discussion.

Members Reviews:

meh

He goes from extreme to extreme. His proposed solution is not only not workable, it comes very close to overzealous state intervention. There are already child abuse laws into place. To add in these other factors which may or may not create a sociopath is ripe for abuse. We need to improve the child abuse systems we already have in place. Plus, his stance on things being hopeless after around the age of ten or younger is way too extreme and not supported enough to just throw away people like trash. His zero tolerance for youthful murderers is way too draconian--there may be some who can be reformed.

Also if that one boy "Tim" scared him so much, why can't he remember the name? Why doesn't he now go through his records to try to find it and see what happened to the child? Why didn't he alert domestic abuse authorities. There was an indication that "Tim" might be abusing grandma.

It is okay - not great but not bad

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I might - not a particularly academic, but not bad. If from a non psych background might be okay. Fairly pessimistic view of offenders and not really focused on children as much as psychopaths generally. Not really a reflection on violent children.

Would you recommend Savage Spawn to your friends? Why or why not?

As above

Did Richard Gilliland do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Not really applicable

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Not really applicable

Food for Thought

I read this while driving through a rain storm. Not sure which kept me awake more, the rain or the book. Whichever; this book is certainly thought provoking and will be the subject of many discussions to come.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Empathy Gap

Subtitle: Building Bridges to the Good Life and the Good Society

Author: J. D. Trout

Narrator: J. D. Trout

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-05-09

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

We are touched when faced with the hardships of others, whether caused by unemployment, poor schools, crime, poverty, poor health, or the financial insecurity of credit and mortgage debt. Some people are strapped because they chose poorly. But millions of ordinary citizens, the author explains, have only bad options in the first place or are ambushed by unconscious cognitive bias. We may want society to insulate people from the damages of bad fortune and yet we don't act. Our empathic wiring evolved to care for our families and close neighbors, less for strangers with unfamiliar customs or for future selves we can only dimly imagine. And so we are left with an empathy gap between people separated by culture, personality, current mood, geography, and time.

Trout travels the leading edge of scientific research on empathy, free will, and decision making, to show how the same science of judgment that improves our decision making can create concrete, realistic, and often money-saving policies to improve human well-being. Decent people can vault the empathy gap, reinforcing cherished American ideals like equality, access to health care, decent education for all, and effective opportunity. Individuals and governments alike can learn to practice this intelligent and responsible empathy.

Members Reviews:

Excellent

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I found every chapter fascinating and have listened to it several times. I even bought a hard copy of the book. I love the way the author made use of much of the research on behavior published in Scientific American Mind each month to formulate ideas to improve society. This is very cutting edge. Some may call it liberal but they lack an understanding of how the human mind really works. We don't have as much free will as we'd like to think and society's problems aren't just caused by people's laziness. I thought the author had some very workable, intelligent ideas. I only wish our decision makers would take the time to read and understand this book.

Important information for any human being

While this book was a little on the technical side and a bit dry, the information was very compelling. Many people might say the author has a liberal agenda, but the main foundation of the book is built upon quality social science data and anyone can learn something important from it. I think excerpts from this book should be taught in civics and humanities classes across the country. In my mind the arguments put forth are good fodder for those who want to be effective and influential citizens in the political process; and J.D. Trout's proposal for increased reliance on hard social science data when creating policy is the most logical political idea I have read in a long time.

No personal responsibility

I was hoping to listen to a discussion and concepts on how to be more 'empathetic' to those less fortunate in my thoughts and actions. Instead I heard what can only be described as exceedingly liberal concepts blaming the government, big business and other institutions for all the problems of the needy. In fact, early on, it states it will essentially ignore the issue of personal responsibility of those in need.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Urban Legends

Subtitle: The Pocket Essential Guide

Author: Nick Harding

Narrator: David Ryder

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-26-09

Publisher: Matrix Digital Publishing

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Sciences

Publisher's Summary:

We have all heard stories of the Deep Fried Rat, the Ghostly Hitchhiker, the Hook Handed Killer, or the Poodle in the Microwave, but should we take them at face value or greet them with scorn and derision? Did the events in these tales ever really happen or are they the product of over-active imaginations fearful of the outside world?

In this book Nick Harding sets out to describe a host of urban legends, suggesting that we should not dismiss them purely as nonsense nor accept them as gospel truth but strive to understand their underlying meanings and begin to see their true worth as folklore for the modern world.

To understand folklore, and therefore the realm of the urban legend, is to understand the psyche of a nation. By understanding urban legends we can gain an insight into our own fears and those of our fellow human beings.

Members Reviews:

Good listen.

While this book does include some UL's. It mostly talks about the difference between UL's, ghost stories, conspiracies, etc. It talks about the future of UL's due to the internet. It talks about the themes of an UL and how they are shaped by our morals and misogyny. I enjoyed the narration quite a bit too. I love a good English accent, and he paces himself well.

The drawbacks are the fact that it is an older book. While it does talk about the internet, it's still a world where Bin Laden is alive and characters like Slender Man don't exist. Not to mention there is this weird porn sounding music between chapters.