Audiobooks by Chris DeRose

The Fighting Bunch: The Battle of Athens and How World War II Veterans Won the Only Successful Armed

"The incredible, untold story of the WWII vets who overthrew their corrupt hometown government—the only successful armed rebellion on US soil since the War of Independence. Corrupt politician Paul Cantrell was in complete control of McMinn County, Tennessee, his whims enforced by the violent Sheriff Pat Mansfield and his deputies. On Election Day, Cantrell and the sheriff seized the ballot boxes and brought them to the jail 'to be counted' in secret. Soldiers came home from World War II to find their community in the grips of this corrupt political machine. These veteran soldiers, who became known as 'The Fighting Bunch,' armed themselves and lay siege to the jail as the National Guard closed in. After six hours of gunfire and dynamite blasts, Boss Cantrell and Sheriff Mansfield fled the state. The deputies surrendered. The ballot boxes were opened and counted. The GI slate was elected, and the story buried. This episode in US history has never been more relevant, but has never been fully told. After years of research, including exclusive interviews with the remaining witnesses, archival radio broadcast and interview tapes, scrapbooks, letters, and diaries, author Chris DeRose has reconstructed one of the seminal—yet untold—events in American election history."

Chris DeRose (Author), David De Vries (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

In Your Face

"In Your Face is Chris’s story in his own words; it’s not simply an eyewitness account of social activism, but the experience of a man living on the front lines. It is the intense, sometimes funny, story of how one man learned about injustice, cared enough to get involved, started taking direct action, and ultimately made a difference in the world. Chris DeRose was a Hollywood actor, a cop, a private investigator, a pilot, a reporter, and an unofficial “big brother” to a couple dozen tough street kids before he decided to dedicate his life to exposing and fighting against all forms of animal exploitation. As the leader of Last Chance for Animals, he has busted pet-theft rings and spoken out against the folly and injustice of animal experimentation. He has been shot, jailed, and called a terrorist for his actions on behalf of animals."

Chris DeRose (Author), Rick Pasqualone (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, the Bill of Rights, and the Election That Saved a Nation

"In 1789, James Madison and James Monroe ran against each other for Congress—the only time that two future presidents have contested a congressional seat. But what was at stake, as author Chris DeRose reveals in Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, the Bill of Rights, and the Election That Saved a Nation, was more than personal ambition. This was a race that determined the future of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the very definition of the United States of America. Friends and political allies for most of their lives, Madison was the Constitution's principal author, Monroe one of its leading opponents. Monroe thought the Constitution gave the federal government too much power and failed to guarantee fundamental rights. Madison believed that without the Constitution, the United States would not survive. It was the most important congressional race in American history, more important than all but a few presidential elections, and yet it is one that historians have virtually ignored. In Founding Rivals, DeRose, himself a political strategist who has fought campaigns in Madison and Monroe's district, relives the campaign, retraces the candidates' footsteps, and offers the first insightful, comprehensive history of this high-stakes political battle. DeRose reveals: • How Madison's election ensured the passage of a Bill of Rights—and how Monroe's election would have ensured its failure • How Madison came from behind to win a narrow victory (by a margin of only three hundred and thirty-six votes) in a district gerrymandered against him • How the Bill of Rights emerged as a campaign promise to Virginia's evangelical Christians • Why Madison's defeat might have led to a new Constitutional Convention—and the breakup of the United States Founding Rivals tells the extraordinary, neglected story of two of America's most important Founding Fathers. Brought to life by unparalleled research, it is one of the most provocative books of American political history you will listen to this year."

Chris DeRose (Author), Adam Verner (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free