Audiobooks by Kenneth C. Davis

Strongman: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy

From the bestselling author of the Don't Know Much About books comes a dramatic account of the origins of democracy, the history of authoritarianism, and the reigns of five of history's deadliest dictators. What makes a country fall to a dictator? How do authoritarian leaders-strongmen-capable of killing millions acquire their power? How are they able to defeat the ideal of democracy? And what can we do to make sure it doesn't happen again? By profiling five of the most notoriously ruthless dictators in history-Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Saddam Hussein-Kenneth C. Davis seeks to answer these questions, examining the forces in these strongmen's personal lives and historical periods that shaped the leaders they'd become. Meticulously researched, Strongman provides insight into the lives of five leaders who callously transformed the world and serves as an invaluable resource in an era when democracy itself seems in peril. 'Strongman is a book that is both deeply researched and deeply felt, both an alarming warning and a galvanizing call to action, both daunting and necessary to read and discuss.' -Cynthia Levinson, author of Fault Lines in the Constitution

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Cindy Kay, Kenneth C. Davis, Terrence Kidd (Narrator)

Audiobook

More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War

From bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis comes a fascinating account of the Spanish influenza pandemic 100 years after it first swept the world in 1918. "Davis deftly juggles compelling storytelling, gruesome details, and historical context. More Deadly Than War reads like a terrifying dystopian novel-that happens to be true." -Steve Sheinkin, author of Bomb and Undefeated With 2018 marking the 100th anniversary of the worst disease outbreak in modern history, the story of the Spanish flu is more relevant today than ever. This dramatic narrative, told through the stories and voices of the people caught in the deadly maelstrom, explores how this vast, global epidemic was intertwined with the horrors of World War I-and how it could happen again. Complete with modern research and firsthand reports by medical professionals and survivors, this audiobook provides capitvating insight into a catastrophe that transformed America in the early twentieth century.

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Adenrele Ojo, MacLeod Andrews (Narrator)

Audiobook

In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives

Did you know that many of America’s Founding Fathers―who fought for liberty and justice for all―were slave owners? Through the powerful stories of five enslaved people who were “owned” by four of our greatest presidents, this book helps set the record straight about the role slavery played in the founding of America. From Billy Lee, valet to George Washington, to Alfred Jackson, faithful servant of Andrew Jackson, these dramatic narratives explore our country’s great tragedy―that a nation “conceived in liberty” was also born in shackles. These stories help us know the real people who were essential to the birth of this nation but traditionally have been left out of the history books. Their stories are true―and they should be heard. Read by Ken Davis, with Frankie Faison, Keith David, JD Jackson, Adenrele Ojo, Adam Lazarre-White, Dion Graham, and Mark Bramhall

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Adam Lazarre-White, Adenrele Ojo, Dion Graham, Frankie Faison, JD Jackson, Keith David, Ken Davis, Mark Bramhall, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Hidden History of America at War: Untold Tales from Yorktown to Fallujah

Multi-million-copy bestselling historian Kenneth C. Davis sets his sights on war stories in The Hidden History of America at War. In prose that will remind you of "the best teacher you ever had" (People Magazine), Davis brings to life six emblematic battles, revealing untold tales that span our nation's history, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq. Along the way, he illuminates why we go to war, who fights, the grunt's-eye view of combat, and how these conflicts reshaped our military and national identity. From the Battle of Yorktown (1781), where a fledgling America learned hard lessons about what kind of military it would need to survive, to Fallujah (2004), which epitomized the dawn of the privatization of war, The Hidden History of America at War takes listeners inside the battlefield, introducing them to key characters and events that will shatter myths, misconceptions, and romanticism, replacing them with rich insight.

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Arthur Morey, Kenneth C. Davis, Mark Bramhall, Paul Boehmer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Don't Know Much About Geography: Revised and Updated Edition

From bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis comes a treasure trove of answers to questions about our world.Was there an Atlantis?What's the smallest country in the world?What's the difference between a jungle and a rain forest?Kenneth C. Davis, author of Don't Know Much About® History, Don't Know Much About® the Civil War and Don't Know MuchAbout® the Bible, turns his inimitable wit and wide-ranging knowledge to the subject of geography, and proves once and for all that there is a lot more to it than labeling countries on a map.From often amusing perceptions people have had through the ages about the world and the universe to the changing map of today, Davis shows how geography is really a great crossroad of many fields: biology, meteorology, astronomy, history, economics, and even politics. In this lively, entertaining, and endlessly fascinating presentation, you'll hear about the personalities that helped shape the world and learn the answers to questions that have vexed most of us since grade school. Along the way, Davis offers an affectionate ode to the earth: a celebration of the earth, a searching investigation of the destruction of our habitat, and a practical guide to saving our home planet.For anyone who has felt geographically ignorant ever since gas stations stopped handing out free maps, Don't Know Much About® Geography is enormously informative entertainment.

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), , Adenrele Ojo, Joe Ochman, Kenneth C. Davis, Mark Bramhall, Paul Boehmer, Zach Mclarty (Narrator)

Audiobook

Don't Know Much About the American Presidents

For more than twenty years since his New York Times bestseller Don't Know Much AboutÂ® History first appeared, Davis has shown that Americans don't hate history, just the dull version dished out in school. Now Davis turns his attention to what is arguably the most important and most fascinating subject in American history: our presidents. From the heated debates over executive powers through the curious election of George Washington in 1789 and, for more than 200 years, up through the meteoric rise of Barack Obama, the presidency has been at the heart of American history. From the low lights to the bright lights, from the intellectuals to the disasters, from the memorable to the forgettable and forgotten, Davis tells all the stories. He uses his entertaining question-and-answer style to chart the history of the presidency itself as well as debunk the myths of America's leaders and recount the real stories of these very real people. For history buffs and history-phobes alike, this entertaining audiobook is packed with memorable facts that will change your understanding of the highest office in the land and the men who have occupied it. **Please contact member services for additional documents**

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Arthur Morey, Kenneth C. Davis, Kirby Heyborne, Mark Bramhall (Narrator)

Audiobook

Don't Know Much About History, Anniversary Edition

"Fun, engrossing, and significant. . . . History in Davis's hands is loud, coarse, painful, funny, irreverent—and memorable."—San Francisco Chronicle Here, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of its debut as a New York Times bestseller, is the revised, updated, and expanded edition of the classic anti-textbook that changed the way we look at history. First published two decades ago, when the "closing of the American mind" was in the headlines, Don't Know Much About® History proved Americans don't hate history—just the dull version that was dished out in school. Now Davis has brought his groundbreaking work up to the present, including the history of an "Era of Broken Trust," from the end of the Clinton administration through the recent Great Recession. This additional material covers the horrific events of 9/11 and the rise of conspiracy theorists, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the New Orleans levees, the global financial meltdown, the election of Barack Obama, and the national controversy of same-sex marriage.

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Arthur Morey, Cassandra Campbell, Kenneth C. Davis, Various Readers, Zach Mclarty (Narrator)

Audiobook

Don't Know Much About History, Anniversary Edition: Everything You Need to Know About American Histo

"Fun, engrossing, and significant. . . . History in Davis's hands is loud, coarse, painful, funny, irreverent-and memorable."-San Francisco Chronicle Here, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of its debut as a New York Times bestseller, is the revised, updated, and expanded edition of the classic anti-textbook that changed the way we look at history. First published two decades ago, when the "closing of the American mind" was in the headlines, Don't Know Much About® History proved Americans don't hate history-just the dull version that was dished out in school. Now Davis has brought his groundbreaking work up to the present, including the history of an "Era of Broken Trust," from the end of the Clinton administration through the recent Great Recession. This additional material covers the horrific events of 9/11 and the rise of conspiracy theorists, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the New Orleans levees, the global financial meltdown, the election of Barack Obama, and the national controversy of same-sex marriage.

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Arthur Morey, Cassandra Campbell, Kenneth C. Davis, Zach Mclarty (Narrator)

Audiobook

Don't Know Much About the Civil War: Everything You Need to Know About America's Greatest Conflict b

“Distinct, clear, and balanced. . . . Davis has a gift for deftly rendering the essentials.”—New York Times Book Review “Lively and relevant.” —USA Today Millions of Americans, bored by dull textbooks, are in the dark about the most significant event in our history. Now New York Times bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis comes to the rescue, deftly sorting out the players, the politics, and the key events—Emancipation and Reconstruction, Shiloh and Gettysburg, Generals Grant and Lee, Harriet Beecher Stowe—and much more. Drawing on moving eyewitness accounts, Davis includes a wealth of “hidden history” about the roles played by women and African Americans before and during the war, along with lesser-known facts that will enthrall even learned Civil War buffs. Vivid, informative, and hugely entertaining, Don’t Know Much About the Civil War is the only audiobook you’ll ever need on “the war that never ended.”

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Dick Estell, Kenneth C. Davis, Various Narrators (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Nation Rising

In the dramatic period from 1800 through 1850, the United States emerged from its inauspicious beginning as a tiny newborn nation, to a near-empire that spanned the continent. It was a time in which the "dream of our founders" spread in ways that few men of that Revolutionary Generation could possibly have imagined. And it was an era that led to the great, tragic conflagration that followed-the American Civil War. The narratives that form A Nation Rising each exemplify the "hidden history" of America, exploring a vastly more complex path to nationhood than the national myth of a destiny made manifest by visionary political leaders and fearless pioneers. Davis explores: • Aaron Burr's 1807 trial, showcasing the political intrigue of the early Republic • an 1813 Indian uprising and an ensuing massacre • a mutiny aboard the slave ship Creole • the "Dade Massacre" and the start of the second Seminole War • the bloody "Bible Riots" in Philadelphia • the story of Jessie Benton Frémont and Lt. John C. Frémont The audiobook is not only riveting storytelling in its own right, but a stirring reminder of the ways in which our history continues to shape our present.

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Robertson Dean (Narrator)

Audiobook

America's Hidden History

Kenneth C. Davis presents a collection of extraordinary stories, each detailing an overlooked episode that shaped the nation's destiny and character. Davis's dramatic narratives set the record straight, busting myths and bringing to light little-known but fascinating facts from a time when the nation's fate hung in the balance. Spanning a period from the Spanish arrival in America to George Washington's inauguration in 1789, America's Hidden History explores these episodes, among others: The story of the first real Pilgrims in America, who were wine-making French Huguenots, not dour English Separatists * The coming-of-age story of Queen Isabella, who suggested that Columbus pack the moving mess hall of pigs, which may have spread disease to many Native Americans * The long, bloody relationship between the Puritans and Indians that runs counter to the idyllic scene of the Thanksgiving feast * The little-known story of George Washington as a headstrong young soldier who committed a war crime, signed a confession, and started a war! Full of color, intrigue, and human interest, America's Hidden History proves why Davis is truly America's teacher.

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Kenneth C. Davis, Sam Freed (Narrator)

Audiobook

Don't Know Much About Anything: Everything You Need to Know But Never Learned About People, Places,

Don't Know Much About Anything: Everything You Need to Know But Never Learned About Famous People, Exceptional Places, Historical Happenings, Holidays and Traditions, Everyday Objects, Remarkable Inventions, Space, Sports, Food, Entertainment and More! is a compendium of around 275 columns, sorted into the subject categories listed in the subtitle. Quizzes on the atomic bomb, hamburgers, football, and The Wizard of Oz are included, along with the Emancipation Proclamation, cold weather, and Mother Theresa, to name a few. Like all of Ken Davis' Don't Know Much About audiobooks, Don't Know Much About Anything will educate and inform listeners while allowing them to have fun.

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Jeff Woodman (Narrator)

Audiobook