Audiobooks by Robert Kurson

Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Mo

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The riveting inside story of three heroic astronauts who took on the challenge of mankind's historic first mission to the Moon, from the bestselling author of Shadow Divers. "Robert Kurson tells the tale of Apollo 8 with novelistic detail and immediacy."-Andy Weir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Martian and Artemis By August 1968, the American space program was in danger of failing in its two most important objectives: to land a man on the Moon by President Kennedy's end-of-decade deadline, and to triumph over the Soviets in space. With its back against the wall, NASA made an almost unimaginable leap: It would scrap its usual methodical approach and risk everything on a sudden launch, sending the first men in history to the Moon-in just four months. And it would all happen at Christmas. In a year of historic violence and discord-the Tet Offensive, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy, the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago-the Apollo 8 mission would be the boldest, riskiest test of America's greatness under pressure. In this gripping insider account, Robert Kurson puts the focus on the three astronauts and their families: the commander, Frank Borman, a conflicted man on his final mission; idealistic Jim Lovell, who'd dreamed since boyhood of riding a rocket to the Moon; and Bill Anders, a young nuclear engineer and hotshot fighter pilot making his first space flight. Drawn from hundreds of hours of one-on-one interviews with the astronauts, their loved ones, NASA personnel, and myriad experts, and filled with vivid and unforgettable detail, Rocket Men is the definitive account of one of America's finest hours. In this real-life thriller, Kurson reveals the epic dangers involved, and the singular bravery it took, for mankind to leave Earth for the first time-and arrive at a new world. Praise for Rocket Men "In 1968 we sent men to the Moon. They didn't leave boot prints, but it was the first time humans ever left Earth for another destination. That mission was Apollo 8. And Rocket Men, under Robert Kurson's compelling narrative, is that under-told story."-Neil deGrasse Tyson "Rocket Men is a riveting introduction to the [Apollo 8] flight. . . . Kurson details the mission in crisp, suspenseful scenes. . . . [A] gripping book."-The New York Times Book Review

Robert Kurson (Author), Ray Porter, Robert Kurson (Narrator)

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Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY CHICAGO TRIBUNE - A thrilling adventure of danger and deep-sea diving, historic mystery and suspense, by the author of Shadow Divers Finding and identifying a pirate ship is the hardest thing to do under the sea. But two men - John Chatterton and John Mattera - are willing to risk everything to find the Golden Fleece, the ship of the infamous pirate Joseph Bannister. At large during the Golden Age of Piracy in the seventeenth century, Bannister should have been immortalized in the lore of the sea - his exploits more notorious than Blackbeards, more daring than Kidds. But his story, and his ship, have been lost to time. If Chatterton and Mattera succeed, they will make history - it will be just the second time ever that a pirate ship has been discovered and positively identified. Soon, however, they realize that cutting-edge technology and a willingness to lose everything arent enough to track down Bannisters ship. They must travel the globe in search of historic documents and accounts of the great pirates exploits, face down dangerous rivals, battle the tides of nations and governments and experts. But its only when they learn to think and act like pirates - like Bannister - that they become able to go where no pirate hunters have gone before. Fast-paced and filled with suspense, fascinating characters, history, and adventure, Pirate Hunters is an unputdownable story that goes deep to discover truths and souls long believed lost. Praise for Pirate Hunters "You wont want to put [it] down." - Los Angeles Times "An exceptional adventure . . . Highly recommended to readers who delight in adventure, suspense, and the thrill of discovering history at their fingertips." - Library Journal (starred review) "A terrific read . . . The book gallops along at a blistering pace, shifting us deftly between the seventeenth century and the present day." - Diver "Nonfiction with the trademarks of a novel: the plots and subplots, the tension and suspense . . . [Kurson has] found gold." - The Dallas Morning News "Rollicking . . . a fascinating [story] about the world of pirates, piracy, and priceless treasures." - The Boston Globe "[Kursons] narration is just as engrossing as the subject." - The Christian Science Monitor "A wild ride [and an] extraordinary adventure . . . Kursons own enthusiasm, combined with his copious research and an eye for detail, makes for one of the most mind-blowing pirate stories of recent memory, one that even the staunchest landlubber will have a hard time putting down." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) "The two contemporary pirate-ship seekers of Mr. Kursons narrative are as daring, intrepid, tough and talented as Blood and Sparrow - and Bannister. . . . As depicted by the author, they are real-life Hemingway heroes." - The Wall Street Journal "[Kurson] takes his knowledge of the underwater world and applies it to the 'Golden Age of Piracy . . . thrillingly detailing the highs and lows of chasing not just gold and silver but also history." - Booklist "A great thriller full of tough guys and long odds . . . and: Its all true." - Lee ChildFrom the Hardcover edition.

Robert Kurson (Author), Ray Porter (Narrator)

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Crashing Through

Blinded at age three, Mike May defied expectations by breaking world records in downhill speed skiing, joining the CIA, and becoming a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and family man. He had never yearned for vision. Then, in 1999, a chance encounter brought startling news: a revolutionary stem cell transplant surgery could restore May's vision. The procedure was filled with risks, some of them deadly, others beyond May's wildest dreams. There were countless reasons for May to refuse vision. He could think of only a single reason to go forward. Whatever his decision, he knew it would change his life. Beautifully written and thrillingly told, CRASHING THROUGH is a journey of suspense, daring, romance, and insight into the mysteries of vision and the brain. Robert Kurson gives us a fascinating account of one man's choice to explore what it means to see-and to truly live.

Robert Kurson (Author), Doug Ordunio (Narrator)

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Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last My

In 1991, acting on a tip from a local fisherman, two scuba divers discovered a sunken German U-boat complete with its crew of 60 men not too far off the New Jersey coast. The divers, realizing the momentousness of their discovery, began probing the mystery. Over the next six years, they became expert and well-traveled researchers, taught themselves German, hunted for clues in Germany, and constructed theories corrective of the history books, all in an effort to identify this sunken U-boat and its crew. During that time, three of their colleagues died exploring the wreck, including a father and son team. In 1997, when it all seemed in vain, the two divers came up with a final plan, so dangerous that the book ends with this last dive.

Robert Kurson (Author), Campbell Scott, Michael Prichard (Narrator)

Audiobook