Biography & Memoir Audiobooks

W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race, 1868-1919

"First time on audio! The timeless Pulitzer Prize winner, the first in an epic two-volume biography that set the standard for historical scholarship on this era, narrated by Emmy and Tony Award winner Courtney B. Vance. This monumental biography by David Levering Lewis—eight years in the research and writing—treats the early and middle phases of a long and intense career: a crucial fifty-year period that demonstrates how W.E.B. Du Bois changed forever the way Americans think about themselves. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois—the premier architect of the civil rights movement in America—was a towering and controversial personality, a fiercely proud individual blessed with the language of the poet and the impatience of the agitator. In the first of his superlative two-volume biography, renowned scholar David Levering Lewis chronicles the first five decades of Du Bois's long and storied life, detailing in magisterial prose the momentous contributions to our national character that still echo today."

David Levering Lewis (Author), Courtney B. Vance (Narrator)

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What’s Done Cannot Be Undone: A memoir of a life off balance

"This is not an inspirational memoir. This is not trauma porn. This is a memoir about the forces that impact our lives, both good and bad. Athena Stevens has never learned the name of the doctor whose lack of intervention at her birth lead to her cerebral palsy, but she feels the consequences of his actions – and inaction – every day. The factor observed first and foremost in her life will forever be the effects of what other people have done to her, rather than her accomplishments. And yet, she was groomed to believe that she would overcome any force that stood in her way. A memoir like no other, What’s Done Cannot be Undone takes readers on a whirlwind journey through Athena’s life, providing a profound insight into the realities of moving through the world as a disabled woman. From being born ‘dead’ to co-founding the Women’s Equality Party; from not being picked to play the back of a cow to an Olivier Award nomination, this complex, lyrical, gut-punch of a memoir is laugh-out-loud funny, unrelentingly furious, and a powerful reminder that changing the world singlehandedly is as impossible as defying the laws of physics."

Athena Stevens (Author), Kristin Atherton (Narrator)

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Mania: Tartan, Turmoil and My Life as a Bay City Roller

"*FEATURING A FOREWORD BY ROD STEWART* Stuart Wood's love of music was ignited at fourteen when he, along with three schoolmates, formed a band. By the time he turned fifteen, he had left school to pursue a career as an electrician, blissfully unaware of the whirlwind that awaited him. Suddenly, he found himself living the life of a superstar, whisked away in limousines, pursued by frenzied fans on every continent, and thrust into the ranks of one of the bestselling groups in history. Between 1971 and 1977, Edinburgh's Bay City Rollers achieved ten top-ten hit singles, four top-ten albums, two number-one singles and two number-one albums. For five years, they were the biggest pop teen sensation since the Beatles. But the music industry was not all glitz and glamour. Stuart had no inkling of the ruthless machinery behind the scenes, exploiting his talent and dreams. Rollermania swept the globe, the Bay City Rollers conquered hearts and charts, selling a staggering 300 million records. While many claim to know the full Rollermania story, for the first time, Stuart - one of the few people who lived it - tells his story. Mania is a celebration of one of the world's biggest bands and their enduring legacy, a rollercoaster ride through fame, fortune and the unforgettable music that defined an era."

Stuart Wood (Author), David Monteath, Stuart Wood (Narrator)

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Accidental Tyrant: The Life of Kim Il-Sung

"Kim Il-sung was the enigmatic architect of North Korea. His life is an extraordinary tale of improbable success: once a barely educated guerrilla fighter, he rose to lead the nation at the young age of thirty-three. Against all odds, he established a horrifyingly stable dictatorial regime, one that still struggles to provide for its people, yet could obliterate Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and much of East Asia in nuclear strikes. Based on extensive new sources in Korean, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese, Fyodor Tertitskiy tells the unlikely story of one of the twentieth century's most brutal but little-known dictators, from his early life in Japanese Korea to the lasting repercussions of his autocratic rule today. Tertitskiy showcases Kim's political prowess in gaining autonomy from the USSR; explores how his inept economic policy led to catastrophic famine; and highlights how he implemented a system of hereditary rule, paving the way for today's 'Supreme Leader', Kim Jong-un, to assume power and continue his grandfather's vision. Accidental Tyrant serves as a stark cautionary tale, underscoring that the triumph of liberty is never guaranteed. Met with insufficient resistance, even the most unlikely leader can build a regime of repression and privation that long outlives its founder."

Fyodor Tertitskiy (Author), Gildart Jackson (Narrator)

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Delusions of Paradise: Escaping the Life of a Taliban Fighter: Escaping the Life of a Taliban Fighte

"When Maiwand Banayee was 16, he wanted to become a suicide bomber for the Taliban. In this inspiring tale of survival and self-discovery, the reader will follow Maiwand's journey down a dark path and his ultimate redemption. Growing up in Kabul amid the Afghan wars, he witnessed atrocities that no child should ever see - rotting corpses, starving families, a neighbourhood torn apart. He escaped to a refugee camp in Pakistan, where religious militants began the gradual grooming of Maiwand and other Afghan boys. These confused and traumatised children were indoctrinated, radicalised and prepared to die in the name of a religious war. But Maiwand escaped this life. Fleeing Afghanistan, he had a life-altering crisis of faith, confidence and meaning, finding new purpose and rebuilding himself. Maiwand taught himself how to read and write in English, and here tells his astonishing story in crystalline prose. Delusions of Paradise offers a powerful warning about the dangers of radical religion, and is a stunning celebration of self-determination and redemption from an important new voice."

Maiwand Banayee (Author), Beruce Khan (Narrator)

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Second Skin

"The smell of leather. The flash of a harness. The snap of a latex glove. Welcome to the radical, vibrant world of sexual fetishists. In 21st century commodity culture, we are all intimately involved with objects: we covet a Birkin bag; we keep trainers box-fresh. We are, in a sense, all fetishists. But occasionally this desire spills into something more subversive. SECOND SKIN offers a tour through the materials, objects and power dynamics commonly fetishised, unpacking their histories, their expressive potential, and the communities they give rise to. Drawing from her encounters with fellow fetishists and kinksters, it is also the story of Anastasiia Fedorova's own journey: of what it means to come to terms with one's sexuality. Brave and searching, SECOND SKIN reveals how what we deem 'taboo' is never static, while asking: do we have the courage to look at these desires directly, and express them unapologetically?"

Anastasiia Federova (Author), Eva Blair (Narrator)

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Uneven: Nine Lives that Redefined Bisexuality

"Uneven tells the stories of nine pioneering bisexual artists, writers and musicians that will change our understanding of the world's largest sexual minority. Bisexuality is often seen as something temporary, in spite of increasing openness around it: a sign of immaturity or a waystation on the road to a different sexuality altogether, rather than its own distinct entity. In this beautifully written cultural history, Sam Mills reclaims bisexuality as its own identity, interweaving her experience of being bisexual with illuminating portraits of a clutch of artists, writers and musicians, including Colette, Bessie Smith, Marlene Dietrich, Anaïs Nin, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Madonna. Celebrating the resilience, diversity and spirit of the bisexual community through the ages, Uneven explores how each of these trailblazing figures have been misunderstood; how social attitudes affected their sexuality, their relationships and their work; how LGBTQ+ identities have been portrayed from the Victorian era to the present day; and how attitudes have progressed. Illuminating, personal and entertaining, Uneven paints a nuanced portrait of a sidelined community."

Sam Mills (Author), Ella Lynch (Narrator)

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Lifeblood

"A raw, honest and moving memoir of caring for a baby with a rare and life-threatening illness. When Vida is born to Mina and husband Freddie, it is love at first sight. She is perfect. But it is also clear from early on that something is not right. This is the story of how Vida came to be diagnosed with rare blood disorder Diamond Blackfan Anaemia, and how Mina and her family’s lives were transformed by the experience of having a child with such a serious condition. Together, they move with fierce tenacity into a future that Mina never expected, but one that is rich with love, hope and community. Intensely personal and yet exploring universal truths, Lifeblood is a beautiful and profound memoir of learning to look beyond the normal and cherish the precious present."

Mina Holland (Author), Mina Holland (Narrator)

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Accidental Shepherd: How a California Girl Rescued an Ancient Mountain Farm in Norway

"In May 1972, Liese Greensfelder arrived in the small Norwegian town of Øystese to startling news: Johannes, the farmer who hired her for the summer, had just been hospitalized after a stroke. Could she please watch over his place for a month or so, until he got back on his feet? Twenty years old and with no farming experience, Liese was dropped off the next day at a centuries-old mountain farm at the end of a dirt road high above the magnificent Hardanger Fjord—with 115 sheep, two cows, one calf, a draft horse, and a Norwegian herding dog to care for. Although her employer had alienated his neighbors, they welcomed the American newcomer and offered her help. As 'a month or so' stretched to a year and Liese struggled, she joined this tight-knit enclave of farmers, learning their stories and history, adopting their dialect, and growing familiar with the grass-based farming practices that had sustained them for generations. From moments of levity to soul-battering challenges to the yearnings of a young woman awash in a sea of masculinity, Accidental Shepherd is a candid account of Liese's year in a remote farmhouse. Confronted with dangers and obstacles for which she was utterly unprepared, she tells a story of remarkable resilience and records the fascinating but rapidly vanishing traditions of the community that took her in."

Liese Greensfelder (Author), Emily Sutton-Smith (Narrator)

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Infantry Life: Vietnam's Central Highlands, 1966 – 1967

"Firefights, mortar attacks, and friendly fire were all part of the experiences of an infantryman in the jungles of the Central Highlands of Vietnam. But bugs, leeches, exhaustion, swamps, accidents, snakes, C-rations, digging in, cutting overhead cover, grief, humor, camaraderie, rain, thirst, impressive weapons, useless weapons, care packages, and much, much more filled up most of the infantryman's one-year tour in Vietnam. Daily life as an infantryman in Vietnam was a completely foreign experience compared to the lives most young American soldiers knew growing up. The war and the jungle saw to that. Soldiers had to cope and adapt. Almost all did. In this book, the author tells many stories of events he personally experienced during his year in Vietnam. Through these stories, he aptly describes the daily life and shared experiences of soldiers in the 4th Infantry Division in the jungles of Vietnam's Central Highlands. Anyone who has a personal connection with someone who served as an infantryman in Vietnam or simply has curiosity about infantry life in Vietnam will better understand, after listening to this book, the answer to the question 'What was daily life like for them there?'"

Dennis M. Witt (Author), Charles Constant (Narrator)

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One Step in a Poppy Field: The Inspirational Story of Lance Corporal Cayle Royce MBE

"Thousands of miles away from where her son was deployed, a powerful premonition is devastatingly confirmed by a knock on the door from two faceless strangers bearing the news that her son had stepped on an improvised explosive device in the poppy fields of Afghanistan. He had lost both of his legs and suffered multiple other injuries, including partial amputation of all the fingers of his left hand. For forty-eight days she stood at his bedside. Not only did he survive against all odds, but in time he began to test the limits of his new capabilities and undertook the first of, what would prove to be, many physical challenges. Just eighteen months after injury, and as part of a team of four servicemen, he rowed across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Told mostly from a mother's perspective with contributions from Cayle, the genesis of the book was in the diary she kept while he was in a medically induced coma. It is the story of an extraordinarily brave man who has been through the agonies of rebuilding his life, with the encouragement of family and friends. This was never meant to be another book about war or Afghanistan; it is a message of how love and hope can overcome adversity."

Bronwyn Royce (Author), Dennis Kleinman (Narrator)

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Dr. Calhoun's Mousery: The Strange Tale of a Celebrated Scientist, a Rodent Dystopia, and the Future

"What began as a utopian environment, where mice had sumptuous accommodations, had all the food and water they could want, and were free from disease and predators, turned into a mouse hell. Science writer and animal behaviorist Lee Alan Dugatkin introduces listeners to the work of rodent researcher John Bumpass Calhoun. Dugatkin shows how an ecologist-turned-psychologist-turned-futurist became a science rock star embedded in the culture of the 1960s and 1970s. As interest grew in his rodent cities, Calhoun was courted by city planners and his work was reflected in Tom Wolfe's writing and the children's book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Listeners see how Calhoun's experiments led to his concept of 'behavioral sinks' with real effects on public policy discussions. Overpopulation in Calhoun's mouse (and rat) complexes led to the loss of sex drive, the absence of maternal care, and a class that included 'the beautiful ones,' who spent their time grooming themselves while shunning socialization. Calhoun saw this collapse as a harbinger of the ill effects of an overpopulated human world. Dugatkin offers a riveting account of an intriguing scientific figure. Considering Dr. Calhoun's experiments, he explores the changing nature of scientific research and delves into what the study of animal behavior can teach us about ourselves."

Lee Alan Dugatkin (Author), Jonathan Todd Ross (Narrator)

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