Listen to Top 100 Audiobooks in Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

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Title: The Wolf of Wall Street (Movie Tie-in Edition)

Author: Jordan Belfort

Narrator: Eric Meyers

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-26-13

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 864 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

By day he made thousands of dollars a minute. By night he spent it as fast as he could. From the binge that sank a 170-foot motor yacht, crashed a Gulfstream jet, and ran up a $700,000 hotel tab, to the wife and kids who waited at home and the fast-talking, hard-partying young stockbrokers who called him king, here, in Jordan Belfort's own words, is the story of the ill-fated genius they called the Wolf of Wall Street. In the 1990s, Belfort became one of the most infamous kingpins in American finance: a brilliant, conniving stock-chopper who led his merry mob on a wild ride out of Wall Street and into a massive office on Long Island. It's an extraordinary story of greed, power, and excess no one could invent: the tale of an ordinary guy who went from hustling Italian ices to making hundreds of millions - until it all came crashing down.

Members Reviews:

Interesting story of extraordinary life - Too long

What made the experience of listening to The Wolf of Wall Street (Movie Tie-in Edition) the most enjoyable?

The story itself is interesting. I love non-fiction about the lives of extraordinary / unique people living "off the wall" lives that go against the grain of society's normal ho-hum boxed-in existence. Belfort's story fits squarely into what I consider insightful fun. It's educational, entertaining, downright uniquely insane, and TRUE.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Wolf of Wall Street (Movie Tie-in Edition)?

The tales of debauchery and shady business practices on an extreme level.

What about Eric Meyerss performance did you like?

Very solid narration but nothing to write home about. I've heard better but I've heard more that are FAR worse. I had no issue with the narration at all. Well done.

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

Heck, no. It's too long and my only negative comment on the title. There are simply too many details strung out into these unnecessary bouts of information and writing.

Any additional comments?

The book is too long and doesn't even cover the entire Belfort story. You have to get another insanely long audiobook called, "Catching the Wolf of Wall Street" in order to get his full story. The drawn out details of certain events slow the pace of the story to an almost unbearable crawl at times. I would recommend this title and it's next book that goes with it. If you aren't going to listen to "Catching The Wolf of Wall Street," you are cheated out of the entire story that you just spent an INSANE amount of hours listening to. To complete the entire story with the two books, you may find yourself losing interest over time which is not good. I know I did. I haven't finished the last book as I just became burnt out on the length and yammering about the same details for hours on end. You certainly will get your money's worth for how long the title is which is nice.

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Title: Etched in Sand

Subtitle: A True Story of Five Siblings Who Survived an Unspeakable Childhood on Long Island

Author: Regina Calcaterra

Narrator: Regina Calcaterra

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-05-13

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 618 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

In this story of perseverance in the face of adversity, Regina Calcaterra recounts her childhood in foster care and on the streets and how she and her savvy crew of homeless siblings managed to survive years of homelessness, abandonment, and abuse.

Regina Calcaterra's emotionally powerful memoir reveals how she endured a series of foster homes and intermittent homelessness in the shadow of the Hamptons, and how she rose above her past while fighting to keep her brother and three sisters together.

Beautifully written and heartbreakingly honest, Etched in Sand is an unforgettable reminder that regardless of social status, the American dream is still within reach for those who have the desire and the determination to succeed.

Members Reviews:

I love the sound of Regina's voice

Where does Etched in Sand rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

I love books that are read by the author. Regina was the only narrator that could have told this jaw dropping history. I love her accent, it made me connect to her story that much more. I wanted to reach back in time and help her. This book is excellent.

Big eye-opener about our Foster Care system

This non-fiction book was very disturbing in a very

inspiring way. This story will stay with me a long time.

We need to pay attention!

A wonderfully told story

Would you consider the audio edition of Etched in Sand to be better than the print version?

The Audio version was great, did not read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

That it was a raw, true, emotional story told by the real character herself.

Which character as performed by Regina Calcaterra was your favorite?

Regina herself without a doubt.

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

Yes, I was often angry, afraid, happy and sad.

Any additional comments?

This book will hook you from the very start.

Amazing story .Could not put it down.

Would you listen to Etched in Sand again? Why?

Yes .. the story was voiced in such a way you wanted to reach out and hug those kids and never let them live like that again.

What did you like best about this story?

Over and over she constantly climb up and out of so much cruelty.And had such unbelievable courage and faith to keep going when a lot of others would have gave up.

Have you listened to any of Regina Calcaterras other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

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

Heart went out to kids..babies had such a horrifying mother.very sad.but very encouraging.

Any additional comments?

This story will always stay with me.

Inspiring!

What did you love best about Etched in Sand?

The story is so well told, I feel like I know Regina and her siblings!

What did you like best about this story?

You will walk away feeling inspired by Regina's heart and determination!

What does Regina Calcaterra bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

When she calls her little sister Rosie, "Mia bambino", you can hear her heart and love for her sister.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I love that they all have their own individual happy endings but they stay a family.

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Title: Upstairs at the White House

Subtitle: My Life with the First Ladies

Author: J. B. West

Narrator: Eric Martin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-25-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 540 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at life on Pennsylvania Avenue with America's first families, by the man who spent nearly three decades in their midst.

J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - and coordinated its daily life - at the request of the president and his family. He directed state functions; planned parties, weddings, funerals, gardens, playgrounds, and extensive renovations; and with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. For 28 years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests - including friends, relatives, and heads of state.

In Upstairs at the White House, West offers an absorbing and novel glimpse at America's first families, from the Roosevelts to the Kennedys and the Nixons. Alive with anecdotes ranging from the quotidian (Lyndon B. Johnson's showerheads) to the tragic (the aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination), West's audiobook is an enlightening and rich account of the American history that took place just behind the Palladian doors of the North Portico.

Members Reviews:

A tasteful taste of history

The author, John West, was Chief Usher at the White House through several presidential administrations, from Roosevelt to Nixon.

What are the key character attributes of anyone holding this job? Well, obviously, the person should be well-organised and a good communicator, but they should also be discrete and tactful, and able to be trusted to keep a secret. So can we still consider John West to be trustworthy now that he has spilled the beans, revealing the secrets of the presidents wives? Or do these revelations mean that trust in him was misplaced?

Somehow John West manages to tell the story while retaining his reputation as a man of discretion and honour, so we arent left with the feeling that this is a tacky case of Kiss and Tell.

How does he achieve this? Well, firstly, he says that his principle motive is to ensure that the lives of the First Ladies over three momentous decades are not lost to history. Secondly, he must have seen, or suspected, some scandalous behaviour going on within the White House walls, but if he did, he omits these incidents from the book. For example, he never mentions JFKs infidelities, or any other sexual impropriety for that matter. Thirdly, without being sycophantic or bland, he manages to portray the characters of the presidents and their wives in a largely positive light. It seems as if he genuinely is telling us his story for the sake of history, and because he wants to share the interesting narrative with us, and with posterity, without resorting to scandal or gossip.

It is fascinating to be a fly on the wall, getting an insiders insight into the characters of the Worlds most powerful men and their wives, as each couple displaced its predecessor and the White House staff adjusted to their different personas.

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Title: The Witness Wore Red

Subtitle: The 19th Wife Who Brought Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice

Author: Rebecca Musser, M. Bridget Cook

Narrator: Rebecca Musser

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-10-13

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 696 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Rebecca Musser grew up in fear, concealing her family's polygamous lifestyle from the "dangerous" outside world. Covered head-to-toe in strict, modest clothing, she received a rigorous education at Alta Academy, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' school headed by Warren Jeffs.

Always seeking to be an obedient Priesthood girl, in her teens she became the nineteenth wife of her people's prophet: 85-year-old Rulon Jeffs, Warren's father. Finally sickened by the abuse she suffered and saw around her, she pulled off a daring escape and sought to build a new life and family. The church, however, had a way of pulling her back in - and by 2007, Rebecca had no choice but to take the witness stand against the new prophet of the FLDS in order to protect her little sisters and other young girls from being forced to marry at shockingly young ages. The following year, Rebecca and the rest of the world watched as a team of Texas Rangers raided the Yearning for Zion Ranch, a stronghold of the FLDS.

Rebecca's subsequent testimony would reveal the horrific secrets taking place behind closed doors of the temple, sending their leaders to prison for years, and Warren Jeffs for life.

The Witness Wore Red is a gripping account of one woman's struggle to escape the perverse embrace of religious fanaticism and sexual slavery, and a courageous story of hope and transformation.

Members Reviews:

Stunning...Shocking...Amazing...Gripping

This book is truly incredible -- you may have read other books about the the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (e.g., John Krakuer's "Under the banner of heaven") but none reveal the inner workings of this bizarre world like this book does. Rebecca Musser was married to the top person in the church ("The Prophet") and witnessed first-hand events that are truly hard to believe are real.

At many points during my listen I felt compelled to talk out loud (to myself!) about how truly astonishing and shocking this world was: Guys "marrying" 60+ wives, some of them 70 years younger than their husbands; women with basically no rights who are forced/brainwashed into being totally subservient to their husbands; men abusing pre-teenage girls "in the name of God," and so on.

Rebecca Musser was very brave to escape the church, agree to be a key witness in Warren Jeff's prosecution, and write this book.

All I can say is: listen to it. you won't be disappointed.

Compelling and emotional read

I normally shy away from audio books read by the author, but this is a gem. Her story is powerful, and to hear her share her own FLDS experiences will leave you wanting to know more. I finished this book in 2 days, and I'd love to read more by this author. I'm fascinated by the FLDS, and this memoir stands apart because it delves into the aftermath of growing up in such an environment. I commend this woman for stepping out and for being so vulnerable.

Very compelling, well read, brought me to tears.

I have listened to many audio books in the past several years, approaching 100 or so, and I must say, this one is close to the top of my favorites. Rebecca Musser is an AMAZING narrator. I am not sure what she is doing nowadays but she could earn a living at Audible.com.

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Title: The Reason I Jump

Subtitle: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism

Author: Naoki Higashida

Narrator: Tom Picasso

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-10-13

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1685 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

You've never listened to a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within. Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: "Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?" "Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?" "Why don't you make eye contact when you're talking?" and "What's the reason you jump?" (Naoki's answer: "When I'm jumping, it's as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.")

With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights - into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory - are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.

Members Reviews:

Insightful but left me skeptical

I work in the field of augmentative communication and with a lot of children with ASD and have been aware of this book.. and the controversy surrounding it... for quite some time. For those unaware, the augmentative communication style used by Mr. Higashida is considered very subject to interpreter suggestion, and therefore, there has been some concern that the words are not entirely the author's.

As someone who considers herself very knowledgeable about children with ASD I absolutely agreed with many of Mr. Higashida's observations/insights... almost too much so. I found myself thinking, "yeah, that's how I would guess my patients are feeling"-- which made me question if I am either the most insightful person on the planet or if some of the controversial "co-constructors" and translators were perhaps stepping on the author's toes a bit. That being said, there were some portions that I found very surprising and informative (e.g., Mr. Higashida's dislike of visual schedules), but also some where I, unfortunately, found myself questioning the authenticity.

Mr. Picasso's narration neither enhanced nor detracted from the text.

Overall, it was an interesting read for someone new to the field of autism who is trying to get a handle on the sensory components; however, if you are looking for a first-hand view of living with ASD, I found "Born on Blue Day" and "Look Me in the Eyes" to be more enjoyable and insightful.

Right on

As an adult male 'on the spectrum', to have a thirteen-year-old boy express 80% of my existence better than I am able to do myself is both depressing and refreshing, because

As books go, this isn't classic literature or anything; but for an unfiltered glimpse into the mind of an autistic person, look no further.

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Title: Coming Clean

Author: Kimberly Rae Miller

Narrator: Kimberly Rae Miller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-23-13

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1910 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Kim Miller is an immaculately put-together woman with a great career, a loving boyfriend, and a tidy apartment on Manhattans Upper West Side. You would never guess that Kim grew up behind the closed doors of her familys idyllic Long Island house, navigating between teetering stacks of aging newspapers, broken computers, and boxes upon boxes of unused junk festering in every room - the product of her fathers painful and unending struggle with hoarding. In this moving coming-of-age story, Kim brings to life her rat-infested home, her childhood consumed by concealing her fathers shameful secret from friends, and the emotional burden that ultimately led to an attempt to take her own life. And in beautiful prose, Miller sheds light on her complicated yet loving relationship with her parents that has thrived in spite of the odds.

Coming Clean is a story about recognizing where we come from and the relationships that define us - and about finding peace in the homes we make for ourselves.

Members Reviews:

It's Like a Car Wreck...

....you can't look away. I feel so incredibly normal after listening to Miller's tale of life with two hoarding parents. She draws a clear picture in the listener's mind of the filth and chaos amidst which she lived as a child and the impact that situation had on her as she became an adult. Though the book is relatively short, it is just the right length to keep your interest.

Vicarious Hoarding

I have an interest in hoarding that I find hard to explain to myself, since I've never seen it in my own family (we're mainly drunkards) nor among my friends (more victims of bad taste rather than hoarders.) I suspect it may be a reflection of my own "everything in its place, and I mean EVERYTHING, do I have to do everything around here myself? Were you raised by wild pigs?" mentality.

But whatever the reason, since awareness of the disorder (and I do think it's a mental disorder with physical symptoms) surfaced in mainstream culture, I've been fascinated. I think I really want to know why someone would do this to themselves and their families.

Kimberly Rae Miller does not answer this question. Instead, she gives us an insider's look at what it is like to grow up in a hoard and to love the parents who "chose the stuff over me." I was really surprised by the strength of the love binding Kim and her parents, bonds that all the stuff in the world couldn't break (though there were times...)

I admit I was teary-eyed at several places in the narrative, which the author does very skillfully herself. At the end, I was pretty sure that Kim is as in the dark as most people who do not have the disorder are about why hoarders do the things that they do, but that she was lucky to come from the family she did nonetheless.

Recommend.

Thought provoking...

This was one of those "in between" books. While waiting for a couple of books to be released, I came upon this one. This is a story about a girl living with parents who are hoarders. The beginning was a little slow, but eventually I found myself amazed as to what this girl had to go through. I can't imagine having to go to a gym to bathe because my bathtub at home is full of junk. The idea of having to wake my mother because I can hear rats crawling in my room, makes me shiver.

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Title: Carry On, Warrior

Subtitle: Thoughts on Life Unarmed

Author: Glennon Doyle Melton

Narrator: Glennon Doyle Melton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-02-13

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1389 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Anne Lamott meets Elizabeth Gilbert in this inspirational, side-splittingly funny exploration of the power of living with love, forgiveness, and honesty.

Glennon Melton became a sensation when her personal essays started going viral. Giving language to our universal (yet often secret) experiences, her hilarious and poignant observations were read by millions, shared among friends, discussed at water coolers, quoted in The New York Times, and have inspired a social movement.

Melton's mistakes and triumphs, recounted with candor and humor, will encourage you to forgive yourself for your own imperfections and inspire you to make the most of life's gifts. In Carry On, Warrior, Melton shares her journey from reckless college girl hooked on alcohol, drugs, bulimia, and toxic relationships to becoming a sober and devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, and teacher. Her stories embody her need to tell and hear the truth, to be sometimes brave and sometimes silent, to say I'm sorry, to trust in something more powerful than herself, and to stop making motherhood, marriage, and friendship harder by pretending they're not hard.

Melton believes that by shedding our weapons and armor, we can stop hiding, competing, striving for the mirage of perfection, and ultimately build a better life in our hearts, homes, and communities. In this one woman trying love herself and others, readers will find a wise and witty friend who will embolden them to cut themselves a break and commit to small acts of love that can have an extraordinary impact.

Like Geneen Roth, Glennon reminds us that the journey is the reward and teaches us how to be our best selves. Like Ann Voskamp, she shows us that even doubt-filled faith changes everything. Carry On, Warrior is powerful, fresh, and life-changing.

Members Reviews:

Get Ready to Exercise your Bookmarks

Any additional comments?

This book has been overwhelmingly insightful for me. I have placed more bookmarks in this single book than I have in my entire Audible library combined. It is touching, funny at times, sad at times, and overall, it's real in a way that I hadn't anticipated. Listen to this book. Read this book. Some part of it will speak to you. I would also like to note that I am the LEAST religious person on the face of the earth--generally, mentions of god in literature make me cringe, but not in this book. The author talks about her relationship with god in a way that is so open and so far from judgmental that I am entirely comfortable with her frequent references.

Some Golden Insights

Some beautiful insights. Some ideas she doesn't have quite right yet. But like all of us, she is a work in progress.

Poignant!

If you could sum up Carry On, Warrior in three words, what would they be?

Read This Book!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Carry On, Warrior?

When Glennon writes a letter to her son about how she and her husband would deal with his coming out as gay ... if he ever did. The blog and letter was written when her son was 10 and probably not even sure what the future held.

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Title: Twelve Years a Slave

Author: Solomon Northup

Narrator: Louis Gossett Jr.

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-05-13

Publisher: Eakin Films & Publishing

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2712 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Official Movie Tie-in Audiobook for the Academy Award's Best Picture and Golden Globe's Best Drama winner.

In this riveting landmark autobiography which reads like a novel, Academy Award and Emmy winner Louis Gossett, Jr., masterfully transports us to 1840s New York, Washington, D.C., and Louisiana to experience the kidnapping and twelve years of bondage of Solomon Northup, a free man of color. Twelve Years a Slave, published in 1853, was an immediate bombshell in the national debate over slavery leading up to the Civil War. It validated Harriett Beecher Stowes fictional account of Southern slavery in Uncle Toms Cabin, which had become the best-selling American book in history a few years earlier and significantly changed public opinion in favor of abolition. Experience our official movie tie-in audiobook for the award-winning motion picture, directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong'o. This audio edition with an accompanying custom map is based on the research of Dr. Sue Eakin, the nationally recognized authority on Solomon Northup who spent a lifetime authenticating his story.

Hard working Solomon Northup, an educated free man of color in 1841, enjoys family life with his wife and three children in Saratoga, New York. He delights his community with his fiddle playing and antic spirit, and has positive expectations of all he meets. When he is deceived by circus promoters to accompany them to a musical gig in the nations capital, his joyful life takes an unimaginable turn. He awakens in shackles to find he has been drugged, kidnapped and bound for the slave block in D.C.

After Solomon is shipped 1,000 miles to New Orleans, he is assigned his slave name and quickly learns that the mere utterance of his true origin or rights as a freeman are certain to bring severe punishment or death. While he endures the brutal life of a slave in Louisianas isolated Bayou Boeuf plantation country, he must learn how to play the system and plot his escape home.

For 12 years, his fine mind captures the reality of slavery in stunning detail, as we learn about the characters that populate plantation society and the intrigues of the bayou from the collapse of a slave rebellion resulting in mass hangings due to traitorous slave Lew Cheney, to the tragic abuse of his friend Patsey because of Mrs. Epps jealousy of her husbands sexual exploitation of his pretty young slave.

When Solomon finally finds a sympathizing friend who risks his life to secret a letter to the North, a courageous rescue attempt ensues that could either compound Solomons suffering, or get him back to the arms of his family.

AUTHENTICATION: Northups harrowing first-hand account was authenticated from decades of research by Dr. Sue Eakin, who rediscovered the original narrative as a 12-year old in 1931 and made it her lifes work.

For additional audio clips, background info and images, see our website at www.12YearsASlaveBook.com.

Critic Reviews:

...Gossett infuses the words with a quiet, seething power." (

AudioFile, 2013)

I can never read his account of his days in slavery, of his independence of spirit, of his determination to be freewithout believing that it would make a difference in today's world if our contemporaries knew of such a man as Solomon Northup." (Dr.

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Title: Damn Few

Subtitle: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior

Author: Rorke Denver

Narrator: Rorke Denver

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-19-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1260 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Rorke Denver trains the men who become Navy SEALs - the most creative problem solvers on the modern battlefield, ideal warriors for the kinds of wars America is fighting now. With his years of action-packed mission experience and a top training role, Lieutenant Commander Denver understands exactly how tomorrows soldiers are recruited, sculpted, motivated, and deployed.

Now, Denver takes you inside his personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program he now oversees. He recounts his experience evolving from a young SEAL hopeful pushing his way through Hell Week, into a warrior engaging in dangerous stealth missions across the globe, and finally into a lieutenant commander directing the indoctrination, requalification programs, and the Hero or Zero missions his SEALs undertake.

From his own SEAL training and missions overseas, Denver details how the SEALs creative operations became front and center in Americas War on Terror - and how they are altering warfare everywhere. In fourteen years as a SEAL officer, Rorke Denver tangled with drug lords in Latin America, stood up to violent mobs in Liberia, and battled terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan. Leading 200 commando missions, he earned the Bronze Star with V for valor. He has also served as flag aide to the admiral in charge and spent the past four years as executive officer of the Navy Special Warfare Centers Advanced Training Command in Coronado, California, directing all phases of the basic and advanced training that prepare men for war in SEAL teams. He recently starred in the film Act of Valor. He is married and has two daughters.

Ellis Henican is a columnist at Newsday and an on-air commentator at the Fox News Channel. He has written two recent New York Times best sellers, Home Team with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and In the Blink of an Eye with NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip.

"With all the SEALs recent successes, we have been getting a level of acclaim were not used to. But something important has been missing in this warm burst of publicity.... Correcting that is my mission here.

"My own SEAL dream was launched by a book. My hope is that this one teaches lessons that go far beyond the battlefield, inspiring a fresh generation of warriors to carry on that dream."

Lieutenant Commander Rorke Denver

Members Reviews:

powerful, relevant story

this blew me away. lately i've been on a spy-novel book kick, and somehow i saw "damn few". wow. just wow. i guess if i had to guess what the very best US warriors went through to be trained, and what they did in combat, this book spells it out and makes it real.

i cannot relate, but i am thankful.

this author is, dare i say, a true american. he's a gentleman and well read. he's also a killing machine and proud of it. proud to serve, that is.

if this seems a little interesting - get it. you will not be disappointed!

Wonderful autobio,but sort of deadpan delivery

What did you like best about this story?

When he was in BUD/S & when he dealt with the bullies in elementary school.

What aspect of Rorke Denvers performance would you have changed?

He's a pit dead pan and would have liked to have seen more of his personality come through. The story might have been served better by a professional reader like Ray Porter.

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Title: Beyond Belief

Subtitle: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape

Author: Jenna Miscavige Hill

Narrator: Sandy Rustin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 02-05-13

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3485 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

Audie Award Finalist, Non-Fiction, 2014

Jenna Miscavige Hill, niece of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, was raised as a Scientologist but left the controversial religion in 2005. In Beyond Belief, she shares her true story of life inside the upper ranks of the sect, details her experiences as a member Sea Org - the church's highest ministry - speaks of her "disconnection" from family outside of the organization, and tells the story of her ultimate escape.

In this tell-all memoir, Jenna Miscavige Hill, a prominent critic of Scientology who now helps others leave the organization, offers an insider's profile of the beliefs, rituals, and secrets of the religion that has captured the fascination of millions, including some of Hollywood's brightest stars such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

Members Reviews:

The Despicable Truth Behind Scientology

We are all familiar with Scientology in general terms as a weird, sinister quasi religion/cult. However the depressing and shocking detail offered by this book brings home the reality of the horror to a new level. What makes the story even stranger is that the author is the niece of the current leader of the "church" and a distant relative of the Sci Fi scam artist L Ron Hubbard who created this fake religion.

Her story starts at a very young age with her account of life in the concentration camp like setting of a Church communal compound in California. I have read stories of the lives or orphans raised by Priests in Ireland and if you thought that kind of abuse was a thing of the past this story will set you straight. The author becomes a member of the Sea Org the quasi priesthood of the organization. Even though she is effectively a member of the Scientology elite inner sanctum the persecution, abuse and maltreatment continues well into her adult years....indeed until she flees the "Church."

Her accounts are quite as disturbing as anything you may have read about the excesses of communism, fascism or Cambodia under Pol Pot. The methods of though control and exploitation are straight out of the 1984 playbook. The fact that this kind of abuse and insanity is alive and well and happening right now in a town about an hour from where I live is doubly horrifying.

The author is obviously inexperienced and stylistically its a little clumsy somewhat in the vein of Anne Franks diary, but that doesn't get in the way of the reality she describes. This is disturbing, sad and compelling reading about a corrupt, abusive organization which currently enjoys tax exemption as a religion from the IRS.

Brave Woman, Brave Story!

I was hesitant to read this book because Scientology really messed up someone close to me. I didn't want to ready anything about this dangerous organization, but my instincts said to do it, and I'm glad I did!

I wanted to put this book down a few times because what happened to Ms. Hill, and others in the story, was beyond absurd and disturbing. It pissed me off because I knew I couldn't do anything about it. But then I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to witness her evolution and what it would take for her to break free.

The intelligence, courage and strength Ms. Hill showed in the end was incredibly inspiring. I am certain this book will help many who have experienced pain, suffering and damage from Scientology.