Audiobooks by Jay Winik

The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800

It is an era that redefined history. As the 1790s began, a fragile America teetered on the brink of oblivion, Russia towered as a vast imperial power, and France plunged into revolution. But in contrast to the way conventional histories tell it, none of these remarkable events occurred in isolation. Now, for the first time, acclaimed historian Jay Winik masterfully illuminates how their fates combined in one extraordinary moment to change the course of civilization. A sweeping, magisterial drama featuring the richest cast of characters ever to walk upon the world stage, including Washington, Jefferson, Louis XVI, Robespierre, and Catherine the Great, The Great Upheaval is a gripping, epic portrait of this tumultuous decade that will forever transform the way we see America's beginnings and our world Book Description It is an era that redefined history. As the 1790s began, a fragile America teetered on the brink of oblivion, Russia towered as a vast imperial power, and France plunged into revolution. But in contrast to the way conventional histories tell it, none of these remarkable events occurred in isolation. Now, for the first time, in The Great Upheaval, acclaimed historian Jay Winik masterfully illuminates how their fates combined in one extraordinary moment to change the course of civilization. In this sweeping, magisterial drama, Winik brings his vast, meticulous research and narrative genius to the cold, dark battlefields and deadly clashes of ideologies that defined this age. Here is a savage world war, the top-pling of a great dynasty, and an America struggling to survive at home and abroad. Here, too, is the first modern holy war between Islam and a resurgent Christian empire. And here is the richest cast of characters to walk upon the world stage: Washington and Jefferson, Louis XVI and Robespierre, Catherine the Great, Adams, Napoleon, and Selim III. With powerful echoes for understanding the international chaos that confronts the globe today, we see them all fighting desperately for the ideals they believed in, whether man-made democracy or divinely inspired autocracy, whether republicanism or Allah's law. Exquisitely written and utterly compelling, The Great Upheaval vividly depicts an arc of revolutionary fervor stretching from Philadelphia and Paris to St. Petersburg and Cairo-with fateful results. A landmark in historical literature, Winik's gripping, epic portrait of this tumultuous decade will forever transform the way we see America's beginnings and our world.

Jay Winik (Author), Jonathan Davis (Narrator)

Audiobook

1944: FDR and the Year That Changed History

1944 was a year that could have undone the Allies and cemented Hitler’s power. Instead, that year saved those democracies. But 1944 was also when the Nazis accelerated the modern age’s worst act of genocide—the killing of millions of European Jews. Jay Winik offers a brilliant new look at the twin challenges facing an ailing Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944--how to win the war and how to save the Jews--and how they competed for his moral and physical energies. His account will change how we see FDR, World War II, and the Holocaust. Winik sets his story within the larger sweep of history and enriches it with profiles of the key players that year, bringing his iconoclastic eye to turning points like D-Day and the decision not to bomb Auschwitz. It was not inevitable that World War II would end as it did,or that it would end at all well. Time and again, critical decisions by the Allies could have set back their fight against Hitler—a war for the future of humanity. Now, in a superbly told story, Winik captures the epic images and extraordinary history as never before. This one year witnessed FDR’s re-election, the planning of Operation Overlord with Churchill and Stalin, the landing of an unprecedented number of troops in Normandy on D-Day, the Nazis' failure to win the Battle of the Bulge, and the extraordinary conferences that finally led to peace. But on his way to securing that peace, FDR was exposed to mounting evidence of the Final Solution’s atrocities. Was winning the war the best way to rescue the Jews? Would that rescue get in the way of defeating Hitler? Winik shows how these mounting pressures fell on a wheelchair-bound Roosevelt whose rapidly deteriorating health was a closely guarded secret. He kept himself alive by dint of willpower alone. But in a year when even the most audacious undertakings were within the world’s reach, one challenge—saving Europe’s Jews—seemed to remain beyond Roosevelt's ability. As he did to such singular effect in April 1865, Winik provides a fresh look at the 20th century’s most pivotal year. Provocative, bold, exquisitely rendered, 1944: The Year That Changed the World is the first book to retell these events with moral clarity and a moving appreciation of the extraordinary actions of many extraordinary leaders.

Jay Winik (Author), Arthur Morey (Narrator)

Audiobook

April 1865: The Month That Saved America

This New York Times best-seller from noted historian and acclaimed author Jay Winik forever changes common perceptions of the final month of the American Civil War. April 1865 could have destroyed the nation. Instead, it saved it. As April begins, the battered Confederate capital of Richmond falls to the Union Army. Robert E. Lee surrenders his forces to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox one week later. In good spirits and sensing the war’s end, President Abraham Lincoln attends a comedic play--and is assassinated. Simultaneously, Secretary of State William Seward is brutally attacked, but survives. Along with fears that remaining Confederate soldiers will break into guerrilla bands, these events threaten to plunge America into turmoil. But it is not to be. Winik’s engrossing narrative sweeps readers along from one incredible moment to the next until, remarkably, peace is reached. A provocative and deeply researched account, this modern classic is a major reassessment of the 30 most pivotal days in United States history.

Jay Winik (Author), Jay Winik (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800

It is an era that redefined history. As the 1790s began, a fragile America teetered on the brink of oblivion, Russia towered as a vast imperial power, and France plunged into monumental revolution. But none of these remarkable events occurred in isolation. In The Great Upheaval, acclaimed historian Jay Winik masterfully illuminates how their fates combined in one extraordinary moment to change the course of civilization. Winik brings his vast, meticulous research and narrative genius to the cold, dark battlefields and deadly clashes of ideologies that defined this age. Here is a savage world war, the toppling of a great dynasty, and an America struggling to survive at home and abroad. Here, too, is the first modern Holy War between Islam and a resurgent Christian empire. And here is the richest cast of characters ever to walk upon the world stage: Washington and Jefferson, Louis XVI and Robespierre, Catherine the Great, Adams, Napoleon, and Selim III. Exquisitely written and utterly compelling, The Great Upheaval vividly depicts an arc of revolutionary fervor stretching from Philadelphia and Paris to St. Petersburg and Cairo, with fateful results. A landmark in historical literature, Winik's gripping, epic portrait of this tumultuous decade will forever transform the way we see America's beginnings and our world.

Jay Winik (Author), Sam Tsoutsouvas (Narrator)

Audiobook

A House Reunited: How America Survived the Civil War

While most courses focus on the entire sweep of the conflict, this course presents an in-depth examination of the waning days of the great struggle. We'll examine the dramatic events leading up to April 1865 and ponder some of the unthinkable alternatives that, had they materialized, would have surely prevented the formation of the country we know today. ** Please contact Customer Service for additional content**

Jay Winik (Author), Jay Winik (Narrator)

Audiobook