History & Culture Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

Tent for Seven: A Camping Adventure Gone South Out West

Marty Ohlhaut loved the great outdoors, and he loved his family, but this time, the combination proved disastrous. Cooped up inside due to long work hours, Marty was excited about taking off with his wife and five children for the beautiful Canadian Rockies. Aware that this could be their last camping trip together, he wanted to make it extra memorable. Little did he know how memorable it would be. From a massive heat wave and tainted water to encounters with aggressive red ants and formidable bears, they experienced one problem after another. Then tragedy struck, forcing Marty to face the terrifying possibility of losing a loved one. With the help of mysterious strangers in one of the world's most awe-inspiring locations, he fought to keep his family alive and his sanity intact. Now, three decades later, he joins forces with his daughter Grace Ly to recount the gripping tale of that ill-fated vacation. Written with candor and wit reminiscent of Bill Bryson, Tent for Seven vividly captures both the grandeur and the dangers of the wilderness as Marty learns just how much his wife and children mean to him-and how fragile life can be.

Marty Ohlhaut (Author), Brandon Pollock (Narrator)

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The Orchard: A Memoir

A stirring memoir of a young, single woman's laborious struggle to save her family's New England apple farm from going under during the Great Depression. The Orchard is a poignant memoir of a young woman's single-handed struggle to save her New England farm in the depths of the Great Depression. Discovered by the author's daughter after the author's death, it tells the story of Adele 'Kitty' Robertson, young and energetic, but unprepared by her Radcliffe education for the rigors of apple farming in those bitter years of the early 1930s. Alone at the end of a country road, with only a Great Dane for company, plagued by debts, broken machinery, and killing frosts, Kitty revives the old orchard after years of neglect. Every day is a struggle, but every day she is also rewarded by the beauty of the world and the unexpected kindness of neighbors and hired workers. Animated by quiet courage and simple goodness, The Orchard is a deeply moving celebration of decency and beauty in the midst of grim prospects and crushing poverty. In addition to a foreword and epilogue by Betsy Robertson Cramer, the author's daughter, this edition includes a new afterword by award-winning author Jane Brox.

Adele Crockett Robertson (Author), Alexandra Cohler (Narrator)

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Trailblazer: Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon – The First Feminist to Change Our World

Brought to you by Penguin. You have probably not heard of Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon but you certainly should have done. Name any 'modern' human rights movement, and she was a pioneer: feminism, equal opportunities, diversity, inclusion, mental health awareness, Black Lives Matter. While her name has been omitted from too many history books, it was Barbara that opened the doors for more famous names to walk through. And her influence owed as much to who she was as to what she did: people loved her for her robust sense of humour, cheerfulness and indiscriminate acts of kindness. This is a celebration of the life of the founder of Britain's suffrage movement: campaigner for equal opportunity in the workplace, the law, at home and beyond. Founder of Girton, the first university college for women, a committed activist for human rights, fervently anti-slavery, she was also one of Victorian England's finest female painters. Jane Robinson's brilliant new book shines a light on a remarkable woman who lived on her own terms and to whom we owe a huge debt. ©2024 Jane Robinson (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Jane Robinson (Author), Jane Robinson, TBD (Narrator)

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Room Swept Home

In a strange twist of kismet, Remica Bingham-Risher's paternal great-great-great grandmother, Minnie Lee Fowlkes, is interviewed for the Works Progress Administration Slave Narratives in Petersburg, Virginia in 1937, and her maternal grandmother, Mary Knight, is sent to Petersburg in 1941, diagnosed with 'water on the brain'—postpartum depression being an ongoing mystery—nine days after birthing her first child. Braiding meticulous archival research with Womanist scholarship and her hallmark lyrical precision, Bingham-Risher's latest collection of poems treads the murky waters of race, lineage, faith, mental health, women's rights, and the violent reckoning that inhabits the discrepancy between lived versus textbook history, asking: What do we inherit when trauma is at the core of our fractured living? Utilizing primary and secondary sources, Bingham-Risher weaves together a richly textured vision of her foremothers' everyday and exceptional living: two very different women at opposite ends of their lives, converging upon the same space and time. The lives these women inhabit and generations they fostered add infinite layers to the fabric of the American tapestry. Room Swept Home serves as a gloriously rendered portrait of all that is held in the line between the private and public, the investigative and generative, the self and those who came before us.

Remica Bingham-Risher (Author), Remica Bingham-Risher (Narrator)

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Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor

Experience the world of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and the tremendous challenges he faced and overcame with the help of Stoic philosophy This novel biography brings Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE) to life for a new generation of readers by exploring the emperor’s fascinating psychological journey. Donald J. Robertson examines Marcus’s relationships with key figures in his life, such as his mother, Domitia Lucilla, and the emperor Hadrian, as well as his Stoic tutors. He draws extensively on Marcus’s own Meditations and correspondence, and he examines the emperor’s actions as detailed in the Augustan History and other ancient texts. Marcus Aurelius struggled to reconcile his philosophy and moral values with the political pressures he faced as emperor at the height of Roman power. Robertson examines Marcus’s attitude toward slavery and the moral dilemma posed by capturing enemies in warfare; his attitude toward women; the role of Stoicism in shaping his response to the threat of civil war; the treatment of Christians under his rule; and the naming of his notorious son Commodus as his successor. Throughout, the Meditations is used to shed light on the mind of the emperor—his character, values, and motives—as Robertson skillfully weaves together Marcus’s inner journey as a philosopher with the outer events of his life as a Roman emperor. Donald J. Robertson, a cognitive-behavior psychotherapist and writer, is a founding member of the organization Modern Stoicism and the president and founder of the Plato’s Academy Centre nonprofit. The author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius and Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, he lives in Canada and Greece.

Donald J. Robertson (Author), Donald J. Robertson (Narrator)

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The Gospel of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie (Author), Evan Schmitt (Narrator)

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The Birth of Joy: A Female Physician's Healing Journey through Childhood Trauma, Midlife Burnout, an

Upon returning home from golf on a rare afternoon free of responsibilities, Dr. Beverly Joyce, a busy and beloved OB-GYN, listened to a phone message that would shake her identity and send her on a life-changing journey of self-discovery. That call would instantly help free her from the hidden doubt, guilt, and shame that had plagued her throughout her life. In The Birth of Joy, Joyce gives readers an intimate view into both her professional and private lives—as a child, a student, a physician, a mother, a daughter, and a coach. She chronicles her most influential life experiences and her journey to today, revealing with raw honesty and vulnerability how she effectively suppressed her childhood traumas while still excelling in her educational and professional endeavors. She describes the pressures of balancing career and family, trying to be the perfect doctor, daughter, wife, and mother, and eventually experiencing extreme burnout at being none of these. Her deep dive into physician wellness, spurred by her own need for healing and change, ultimately led her to discover her truest self and, with it, a deeper calling. Throughout this deeply revealing and engaging memoir, Joyce attempts to answer the questions so many women physicians have struggled with: Who am I? What do I believe about myself? How do I find meaning and satisfaction in life as a physician and outside? What excites me and keeps me focused on the path ahead? With honesty and grace in describing her journey, Joyce inspires readers to reflect on their own experiences and to search for and find their most authentic selves.

Beverly Joyce, M.D. (Author), Barbara Fernandez (Narrator)

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Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen.

Elizabeth I is one of England's most famous monarchs, whose story as the ‘Virgin Queen' is well known. But queenship was by no means a certain path for Henry VIII's younger daughter, who spent the majority of her early years as a girl with an uncertain future. Before she was three years old Elizabeth had been both a princess and then a bastard following the brutal execution of her mother, Anne Boleyn. After losing several stepmothers and then her father, the teenage Elizabeth was confronted with the predatory attentions of Sir Thomas Seymour. The result was devastating, causing a heartbreaking rift with her beloved stepmother Katherine Parr. Elizabeth was placed in further jeopardy when she was implicated in the Wyatt Rebellion of 1554 – a plot to topple her half-sister, Mary, from her throne. Imprisoned in the Tower of London where her mother had lost her life, under intense pressure and interrogation Elizabeth adamantly protested her innocence. Though she was eventually liberated, she spent the remainder of Mary's reign under a dark cloud. On 17 November 1558, however, the uncertainty of Elizabeth's future came to an end when she succeeded to the throne at the age of twenty-five. When Elizabeth became queen, she had already endured more tumult than many monarchs experienced in a lifetime. This colourful and immensely detailed biography charts Elizabeth's turbulent and unstable upbringing, exploring the dangers and tragedies that plagued her early life. Nicola Tallis draws on primary sources written by Elizabeth herself and her contemporaries, providing an extensive and thorough study of an exceptionally resilient youngster whose early life would shape the queen she later became. The heart racing story of Elizabeth's youth as she steered her way through perilous waters towards England's throne is one of the most sensational of its time. “A nuanced and realistic portrait of a formidable and multi-faceted woman.” ? Tudor Times “History as it should be written, vivid, colorful, pacy and evocative, but above all authentic and based on sound and innovative research.” – Alison Weir, Number One New York Times bestselling author

Nicola Tallis (Author), Helen Keeley (Narrator)

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A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael

A Chance to Die is a vibrant portrayal of Amy Carmichael, an Irish missionary and writer who spent fifty-three years in south India without furlough. There she became known as "Amma," or "mother," as she founded the Dohnavur Fellowship, a refuge for underprivileged children. Amy's life of obedience and courage stands as a model for all who claim the name of Christ. She was a woman with desires and dreams, faults and fears, who gave her life unconditionally to serve her Master. Bringing Amma to life through compelling biographical narrative, Elisabeth Elliot urges readers to examine the depths of their own commitment to Christ.

Elisabeth Elliot (Author), Elisabeth Martin (Narrator)

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My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla (Author), Stephen Paul Aulridge Jr. (Narrator)

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Memories, Myths, and Dreams of an Ojibwe Leader

In the 1930s, Chief William Berens shared with anthropologist A. Irving Hallowell a remarkable history of his life, as well as many personal and dream experiences that held special significance for him. Most of this material has never been published. Because the elderly chief wanted his visitor to understand the Ojibwe world, and because Hallowell was deeply interested in his subject matter and was such a good listener, Berens freely related his dreams and other stories about encounters with powerful beings. The fact that he also shared traditional myths in summer, when Ojibwe people thought it dangerous to discuss such things, shows the depth of his relationship with Hallowell. Berens' reminiscences and story and myth texts are unparalleled as sources for the life, experiences, and outlook of this important Ojibwe leader, and for the insights they provide into the history and culture of his people. Rooted in the collaboration between Berens as steward of his oral traditions and Hallowell as creator and guardian of their written versions, Memories, Myths, and Dreams of an Ojibwe Leader draws the reader into the world - and world view - of Chief Berens, showing how an Aboriginal Christian of the early twentieth century could simultaneously take part in 'modern' and 'traditional' Ojibwe life.

A. Irving Hallowell, William Berens (Author), Wesley French (Narrator)

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We Come with This Place

We Come with This Place is a remarkable book, as rich, varied and surprising as the vast landscape in which it is set. Debra Dank has created an extraordinary mosaic of vivid episodes that move about in time and place to tell an unforgettable story of country and people. There is great pain in these pages, and anger at injustice, but also great love, in marriage and in family, and for the land. Dank faces head on the ingrained racism, born of brutal practice and harsh legislation, that lies always under the skin of Australia, the racism that calls a little Aboriginal girl names and beats and rapes and disenfranchises the generations before hers. She describes sudden terrible violence, between races and sometimes at home. But overwhelmingly this is a book about strong, beloved parents and grandparents, guiding and teaching their children and grandchildren what country means, about joyful gatherings and the pleasures of eating food provided by the place that nourishes them, both spiritually and physically. Dank calibrates human emotions with honesty and insight, and there is plenty of dry, down-to-earth humour. You can feel and smell and see the puffs of dust under moving feet, the ever-present burning heat, the bright exuberance of a night-time campfire, the emerald flash of a flock of budgerigars, the journeying wind, the harshness of a station shanty, the welcome scent of fresh water. We Come with This Place is deeply personal, a profound tribute to family and the Gudanji Country to which Debra Dank belongs, but it is much more than that. Here is Australia as it has been for countless generations, land and people in effortless balance, and Australia as it became, but also Australia as it could and should be.

Debra Dank (Author), Debra Dank (Narrator)

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History & Culture Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir