Listen to Popular Titles Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

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: Sonderling

Subtitle: The Franz Jaegerstatter Story

Author: James F. Sinnott

Narrator: Adams Morgan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-29-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Publisher's Summary:

The conflict created by Hitler's oppression of Catholics; the Vatican's fear of Hitler's own enemy, Soviet atheistic communism; and Franz's concern for and indebtedness to the priests who helped to raise him take him through an odyssey of intrigue, resistance, and survival during the dark years of World War II.

Critic Reviews:

"A recent long road trip was made much more palatable by an unabridged audiobook version of Maryknoll Father Jim Sinnott's Sonderling, an excellent biography of Franz Jaegerstatter, a Catholic conscientious objector in Austria during Hitler's occupation. The story was well told, making Jaegerstatter very accessible and thereby challenging to all of us who think ourselves excused from heroism by our ordinariness." (Marie Dennis, Sojourners magazine)

Members Reviews:

A Hero for our times

This is a worthwhile book to listen to. The story of Franz Jagerstadter, a simple Austrian farmer who refused to serve in Hitler's army is a story of character and conscience inspiring us today to be true to what we believe no matter what the cost. This book is even more relevant today since Franz was beatified by the Catholic Church in October 2007 which seems to say he was right and so many other church people of the time were wrong giving into Hitler.

I found "Sonderling" very interesting and inspiring because it used historical facts to weave a personal and concrete picture of the trials and challenges of people living in Austria under Hitler. The main character is Franz but the portrayal of other individuals who move in and out of his life broadens the perspective.

Escuche este audio libro completo gratis en https://hotaudiobook.com

Título: Juan Pablo II

Subtitular: Biografia

Autor: José Miguel Amozurrutia

Narrador: Mariana Amozurrutia

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 1 hr and 18 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 09-01-06

Editor: Audiolector

Calificaciones: 3 de 5 de 4 votos

Categorías: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Resumen del editor:

Biografía con los datos más relevantes de la vida del Papa Juan Pablo II.

This audiobook is in Spanish.

©2006 José Miguel Amozurrutia (P)2006 Audiolector

Reseñas Editoriales:

Jose Miguel Amozurrutia profiles Pope John Paul II, the second-longest running head of the Catholic Church, whose tenure lasted from October 1978 until his death in April 2005. The Polish-born pope would become one of the most influential and controversial figures of the 20th century, helping to end Communist rule throughout Europe and fostering strong relationships between all religions, but also upholding some of the Church's most conservative policies, especially regarding women. As Catholicism plays an integral role throughout Spain and Latin America, Mariana Amozurrutia's pleasant and melodious performance in Spanish provides an in-depth biography of a religious icon.

Opiniones de los miembros:

Alargado artificialmente, me siento defraudado.

En el segundo capítulo vuelven a poner parte del primer capítulo. También al comienzo del segundo capítulo vuelven a "explicar" como usar un audiolibro. La historia es buena pero demasiado resumida y la edición del audiolibro es pésima. Simplemente esta muy caro.

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: Living Biographies of Religious Leaders

Author: Henry Thomas, Dana Lee Thomas

Narrator: Nadia May

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-20-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Publisher's Summary:

In the telling of these vivid and fascinating life stories, the authors have also simply and clearly outlined the principal teachings of each of the great religions. The audiobook will give greater significance to the listener's own faith and a better understanding of the faith of others.

The great religious leaders whose lives and tenets are presented here are: Jesus, Moses, Isaiah, Zoroaster, Buddha, Confucius, John the Baptist, Paul, Muhammad, Francis of Assisi, John Huss, Luther, Loyola, Calvin, George Fox, Swedenborg, Wesley, Brigham Young, Mary Baker Eddy, and Gandhi.

Members Reviews:

History - the Revised Version

I knew I was in trouble with this book within the first 10 minutes. The authors state that what all these leaders have in common is their belief in the basic goodness of man and the conviction that all men will be drawn to God in time (my paraphrase). YIKES! Did these people REALLY study history, or did they merely report history as they wish it had been.

Anyone who does a serious study of Martin Luther & John Calvin would NEVER come to the conclusion that these two men believed in the basic goodness of man. Nor would they (nor Wesley) believe that all will be eventually drawn to God (especially Calvin).

This book represents liberal revisionism at its WORST.

Sadly, I had bought this book to learn about leaders from faiths outside my own, however the gross misrepresentation of those in my own faith totally eroded my trust in the authors' ability to accurately represent those of other faiths as well.

For example, while the plain facts of Martin Luther are presented accurately, he is portrayed as a cordial priest who disagreed with people in a rather agreeable fashion. Those who know history know that this is far from the truth. Nor was he passive and accepting of other reformers of his time. His disagreements with other reformers were very pronounced. These authors however, gloss over such things in the noble pursuit of getting to the "essence" of what Luther believed. Sadly, by emasculating great historical figures in this manner (convenient omissions), we will never discover the "essence" of who they truly were, nor what they believed.

I only give this book 1 star because I cannot give it 0 stars. After nearly 100 audiobooks, this will be only the third one I could not finish.

I had been interested in the author's other books, but my lack of trust in their objectivity will keep me from even considering their other works.

A well researched History

Comes across as a historical actual story rather than a book of interesting characters, however once the biographical details are out of the way there is some substance to the lives of these people who made a difference to the world we live in.

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: Martin Luther

Subtitle: The Leaders Series (Dramatized)

Author: John MacKelvie

Narrator: Geoffrey Hinsliff, Full Cast

Format: Original Recording

Length: 1 hr

Language: English

Release date: 11-22-05

Publisher: Ivan and Inge Berg

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Publisher's Summary:

The part of Martin Luther is played by John Green. Other parts are played by Gary Hope and Robin Scoby.

Editorial Reviews:

In 1501, a 34-year-old professor bravely nailed his "95 Theses" to the door of a church in Germany, asking theological questions meant to provoke discussion about the Catholic Churchs use of indulgences, also known as payment in exchange for Gods mercy upon ones soul. This document led not only to questions but sparked the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther is a dramatized biography of the life of this persevering, courageous, and flawed man, narrated with bucolic British lilt by Geoffrey Hinsliff, the determined title character confidently performed by John Green, with additional characters provided by Gary Hope and Robin Scoby.

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: Saint Therese of Lisieux

Author: Kathryn Harrison

Narrator: Kate Reading

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-27-05

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Publisher's Summary:

Originally the pampered daughter of successful and highly religious tradespeople, Therese appealed personally to the Pope to let her enter the convent at the age of 15. There, Therese embraced sacrifice and self-renunciation in a single-minded pursuit of the "nothingness" she felt would bring her closer to God. Her ascetic practices enabled her to undergo even the scourge of tuberculosis, which only deepened her spiritual intensity even as it would take her life.

Critic Reviews:

"[Harrison's] prose sings like the novels she is known for, and the biography reads like a particularly juicy novella." (Publishers Weekly)

"Harrison provides an intriguing, multifaceted portrait of a flawed human being destined for sainthood." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Memoir of a Child Saint

I found the book startling to begin with--the dedication to Earl Harrison jolted me so I had to do a google on Kathryn Harrison! Truely, Earl was a child of the Light.

I wish the book had been read by the author, but perhaps her french accent is lousy....

Harrison's forays into Therese's psyche were a bit overdone...as if any of us can know what someone else is thinking or feeling...but still, she pulled together (evidently) much of Therese's writings, etc. A good listen....helped me pass the time while walking.

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 Pontiff in Winter

Subtitle: Triumph and Conflict in the Reign of John Paul II

Author: John Cornwell

Narrator: John Lee

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-10-04

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Publisher's Summary:

In an age when many people see the Catholic Church as an institution in crisis, Cornwell raises the level of debate by posing difficult questions; chief among them is the effectiveness of a system that grants lifetime power to an individual vulnerable to the vicissitudes of aging and illness.

Members Reviews:

poorly done

A thoughtful, mature, and unflinching assessment of JPII's papacy would be welcome; Audible could use an alternative to Weigel's various exercises in hagiography. But this book is a bit tawdry. Combining, with a sort of tabloid sensibility, about 50% fact with 30% occasionally strained inference and guesswork, and another 20% dubious gossip this book is probably not worth the serious reader's time. The silly scandal-mongering tone of the book is hardly helped by the narrator, either: John Lee' s arch and almost prissy style exaggerates the book's already considerable problems of tone. Thumbs down.

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: Pope John XXIII

Author: Thomas Cahill

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-24-04

Publisher: Books on Tape

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 43 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Publisher's Summary:

Elected to the papacy at the age of 76, Pope John XXIII was to have a brief but important reign. Although he had a doctorate in theology, his gifts were pastoral, reaching out to the people of the Church. After his doctorate, he spent nine years working for the socially-minded bishop of Bergamo, acquiring a broad understanding of the problems of the working class. This pastoral sympathy for ordinary people was brought out in his papacy. Vatican II, which he convened, brought forth the idea of a church as a community, in which all God's people are a sign of redemption for the human race. Cahill, in his short biography, gives us a sense of the enduring importance of John XXIII's idea.

©2002 Thomas Cahill; (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

Members Reviews:

John XXIII, The Greatest Pope

Thomas Cahill situates John XXIIIs person and papacy within the history of the Roman Catholic Church as well as developments in the Church after Johns death. Cahill begins with a lengthy description of papal history up until Johns time. He then briefly introduces Johns family life and movement toward the throne in Rome. Cahill then treats in detailcomplete with Vatican intrigues!Johns greatest contribution to the Church, the Second Vatican Council. Finally, Cahill compares Johns papacy with that of his more conservative successors.

Cahills dark history of the papacy might offend some, but it is largely accurate. Indeed, Cahill offers some papal highlights amid all the gloom, most notably the reign of Gregory the Great. Any objective history of the papacy will turn up just as much dirt, maybe even morepapal executioners, concubines, wars, excesses, and so on.

As a contrast to much of this debauchery or well-intended inaction, Cahill offers the wise and compassionate papacy of John XXIII. His anecdotal history of Johns family life and struggles through the priesthood make for especially enjoyable and spiritual listening. Current world affairs make Johns lifelong commitment to peace resonant and urgent. Johns equanimity and focus on Jesus, while making his way through well-meaning, but closed-minded bureaucrats, also offers a model of sanctity and compassion in the midst of disagreement and misunderstanding.

Conservative Catholics will probably dislike this book. Liberal members will most likely nod along. And the open-minded will probably learn a few things about a remarkable man and a model of sainthood.

Also Recommended on Audible: Hans Kung, -The Catholic Church-

It's not the sentimental

I'm a faithful Catholic (the kind who enjoys daily mass and my breviary), and I enjoyed every minute of this audiobook!

Perhaps the title ought to have reflected that much of the book contained histotrical context of the papacy, but folks! What else can be written about popes at a time when society was such that the papacy was more about polity than faith and morals? I don't think Cahill meant his work as definitive history of the Catholic Church - even Kung's much longer and more serious audiobook on the subject does not pretend to that.

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 Pontiff in Winter

Subtitle: Triumph and Conflict in the Reign of John Paul II

Author: John Cornwell

Narrator: Graeme Malcolm

Format: Abridged

Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-11-04

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Publisher's Summary:

The Pontiff in Winter brings John Paul's complex, contradictory character into sharp focus. In a bold, highly original work, John Cornwell argues that John Paul's mystical view of history and conviction that his mission has been divinely established are central to understanding his pontificate. Focusing on the period from the eve of the millennium to the present, Cornwell shows how John Paul's increasing sense of providential rightness profoundly influenced his reactions to turbulence in the secular world and within the Church.

A close, trusted observer of the Vatican, Cornwell combines eyewitness reporting with information from the best sources in and outside the pope's inner circle. The result is a moving, elegiac portrait of John Paul in the winter of his life and a thoughtful, incisive assessment of his legacy to the Church.

Members Reviews:

Fair, at times critical, but a good read nonetheless

I must say that of all the book reviews that I have ever read on Amazon, the reviews for this book have been the most disappointing. It seems that when it comes Catholicism generally or the Holy Father more specifically, we lose our abilities to be reasonable and revert back to what it was like to fifteen when anything you didn't like was not good at all. Newsflash: Citizen Kane is a great movie whether you liked it or not.

Of course, I am not comparing this book (in any way) to Citizen Kane, but it illustrates the point of previous reviews. You either love this book if you are critical of the Holy Father's last decade, or you hate the book if you believe that the Catholic Church is under firm leadership under John Paul II.

I first came across this book while searching for a book to read at then Anglo-American bookshop in Rome. As all English books in Rome are expensive, I instead bought and read John Cornwell's "A Thief in the Night," an excellent book that explore the death of John Paul I. I was impressed with Cornwell's impartiality, and thought I would give "The Pontiff in Winter" a read when I returned to the states and would not have to pay 30 Euros for it.

In all, I found Cornwell's "Pontiff" to be a highly critical, but not a highly unfair book. The first half of the book deals with JPII's life prior to becoming pope, and if anything, it was highly positive. I am not a fan of the hagiography, and was pleased that Cornwell presented Wojtyla in human terms rather than in a saintly profile. It was only during the second half of the book when Cornwell becomes critical, sometimes overly so. If I have a criticism of this writing or this book, it is the way that Cornwell would occasionally throw along an unneeded adjective to increased his pathos. For example, rather than comment on the pope's shaking hands, Cornwell might right as to his, "uncontrollably shaking" hands. Anyone who has survived a freshman composition class at a university worth its salt can recognize Cornwell's (not well disguised) rhetorical ploys.

As to the content, I believe that any open-minded Catholic would agree that we are worried about the Holy Father, and are concerned about how he can carry on in the face of such an illness.

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: Billy Graham

Subtitle: The Great Evangelist

Author: Sam Wellman

Narrator: uncredited

Format: Abridged

Length: 1 hr and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-01-00

Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Publisher's Summary:

One of the leading Christian figures of this generation, Billy Graham has preached in more than eighty countries to over 110 million people. His simple yet profound delight in God's Word continues to influence lives and win souls for Jesus Christ.

©1997 Barbour and Company, Inc.

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: Billy Sunday

Author: Billy Sunday

Narrator: Billy Sunday

Format: Original Recording

Length: 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-06-00

Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Religious Figures

Publisher's Summary:

Experience the passion of the great 20th century revivalist Billy Sunday, who found his calling after leaving professional baseball, in this performance of two of his most famous sermons. Sunday led approximately 300 revivals throughout the U.S. which attracted audiences estimated at 100 million. This may well be the largest number of people ever evangelized by one person before the use of broadcasting. Sunday, also a leader in the Prohibition movement, promoted his beliefs about alcohol at his largest revival, held in New York City in 1917. Hear his sermon on that topic, "Booze," as well as "A Mother's Love."