History Audiobooks | LoveReading

Emily Goldstein (Author), Kurt Heintz (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Art of Resistance: My Four Years in the French Underground

A gripping memoir written by a 96-year-old Jewish Holocaust survivor about his escape from Nazi-occupied Poland in the 1930's and his adventures with the French Resistance during World War II In 1937, as the Nazi Party tightened its grip on the city of Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland), Justus Rosenberg’s parents made the wrenching decision to send their son to Paris, where he would have the hope of finishing high school and going on to university in safety. He was sixteen years old, and he would not see his family again for sixteen years more. Even after war broke out in 1939, life in France was peaceful for a time—but when the Nazis pushed toward Paris in the spring of 1940, Justus was forced to flee south to Toulouse. There, a chance meeting put Justus in contact with Varian Fry, the American journalist who ran a refugee network that aided several thousand Jews in escaping Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. With his German background, understanding of French cultural, and fluency in several languages, including English, Justus was ideally positioned to thrive in Fry’s network, coming to master an underworld of counterfeit documents, whispered passwords, black market currency, opportunistic gangsters, and clandestine mountain passes. Justus would spend the rest of the war working for Fry and later the French Resistance, helping to provide safe passage for many intellectuals and artists on the run from the Nazis, among them Hannah Arendt, Marc Chagall, Andre Breton, and Max Ernst. Along the way, he would have a number of close scrapes of his own: on one occasion, he was rounded up to be sent to a labor camp in Poland, and had to make a daring escape to save his life; on another, he narrowly survived after his jeep hits a landmine. An epic saga of survival, with the soul of a spy thriller, The Art of Resistance is also an uplifting story of personal triumph. (Several years after the war, Justus was finally able to track down his family, who he feared had died at the Nazis’ hands.) As Justus writes, “I survived the war through a rare combination of good fortune, resourcefulness, optimism, and, most important, the kindness of many good people.”

Justus Rosenberg (Author), Rob Shapiro (Narrator)

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The Napoleonic Wars: A Captivating Guide to the Conflicts That Began Between the United Kingdom and

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Napoleonic Wars, then pay attention... The Napoleonic Wars, which took place between 1803 and 1815, were spearheaded by probably France’s best tactician and military strategist to date, General Napoleon Bonaparte. His tactics and strategies were so grounded that it has served as the basis for many major warfare campaigns and maneuvers, both during his lifetime as well as after his demise. Even France’s sworn enemy for most of the medieval era, the British, acknowledged his ingenuity despite his ultimate defeat at the hands of the British army at the end of life. In The Napoleonic Wars: A Captivating Guide to the Conflicts That Began Between the United Kingdom and France During the Rule of Napoleon Bonaparte and How They Stemmed from the French Revolution, you will discover topics such as - The French Revolution and Post-Revolution France - The French Revolutionary Wars: A Divided Europe - The Political Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte - The Rise of Bonapartism: An Alternative Monarchy Readying for the Napoleonic Wars - The Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars - The Napoleonic Wars, Part 1 - The Napoleonic Wars, Part 2 - The French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars from a British Socio-Political Perspective - What Led to the Fall of Napoleon - And much, much more! So if you want to learn more about the Napoleonic Wars, scroll up and click the 'add to cart' button!

Captivating History (Author), Jason Zenobia (Narrator)

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The Fight for Zimbabwe: The History and Legacy of the British Empire’s Attempt to Establish a Colony

The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismark, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together, to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war. This event—known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885—galvanized a phenomenon that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa. The conference established two fundamental rules for European seizure of Africa. The first of these was that no recognition of annexation would granted without evidence of a practical occupation, and the second, that a practical occupation would be deemed unlawful without a formal appeal for protection made on behalf of a territory by its leader, a plea that must be committed to paper in the form of a legal treaty. This began a rush, spearheaded mainly by European commercial interests in the form of Chartered Companies, to penetrate the African interior and woo its leadership with guns, trinkets and alcohol, and having thus obtained their marks or seals upon spurious treaties, begin establishing boundaries of future European African colonies. The ease with which this was achieved was due to the fact that, at that point, traditional African leadership was disunited, and the people had just staggered back from centuries of concussion inflicted by the slave trade. Thus, to usurp authority, to intimidate an already broken society, and to play one leader against the other was a diplomatic task so childishly simple, the matter was wrapped up, for the most part, in less than a decade. Despite this, the amaNdebele, notwithstanding their eventual military defeat, commanded enormous respect from the British.

Charles River Editors (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

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Emperor Hirohito: The Life and Legacy of Japan's Ruler during World War II

The man known to most of the world as Emperor Hirohito ruled during some of the most tumultuous years in Japanese history. When he came to the throne in 1926, he inherited control of a country which had only recently emerged as a major industrial and world power, and through the aggressive expansion and wars of the 1930s, Hirohito was at the head of one of the world’s foremost powers. Throughout the maelstrom of World War II, he remained in power, a distant and, to most outsiders, inscrutable factor in the rise of the Japanese Empire. Before and during the war, many people in America and elsewhere believed that Emperor Hirohito was at least partly responsible for both the confrontational Japanese approach to foreign affairs, and for the often brutal conduct of the Japanese armed forces during the wars which followed. As such, when the war ended, there were plenty of calls for the emperor to be indicted for war crimes along with other senior figures in Japan. However, a new feeling emerged at that time, suggesting that in reality Hirohito had been little more than a figurehead taken along by a tide of militarism, helpless to intervene or influence the course of events. This book looks at the role of the enigmatic leader in the rise, fall and rebirth of modern Japan. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Emperor Hirohito like never before.

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)

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19th Century America's Most Influential Naval Officers: The Lives, Careers, and Battles of Stephen D

Americans had few things to celebrate during the Barbary Wars or the War of 1812, but one of them was the growing prestige of the U.S. Navy, and among those who were instrumental in its development, few were as influential as Stephen Decatur Jr. Decatur had an impact on nearly every war America fought in between the 1780s until his death in 1820, and his stardom ensured that he was a fixture among Washington, D.C.'s elite in his own lifetime. While generals like Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman received the lion's share of the credit for Union victories, especially in the Western Theater, naval forces were instrumental in the capture of New Orleans and Vicksburg, as well as at Fort Donelson and Fort Henry, and Farragut was immediately recognized for his service. Congress made him the nation's first Rear Admiral in history in 1862, and Farragut would also go on to become the first man in the history of the U.S. Navy to attain the rank of Admiral. Similarly, Porter was recognized throughout the Civil War for his service, even as he was subjected to the kind of politicking that marked the war effort in Washington, and he became just the second man in the history of the U.S. Navy to attain the rank of Admiral. He would also have a distinguished career after the war as he helped reform the Navy. The Spanish-American War was famously labeled a 'splendid little war'. by John Hay, US Ambassador to the United Kingdom, in a letter to Theodore Roosevelt, and while it is often overlooked today due to its brief and one-sided nature, the conflict produced one of the most popular military heroes in American history.A former veteran of various naval engagements in the Civil War, Dewey managed to find himself in charge of the Asiatic Squadron, and in its most famous battle at Manila Bay, Dewey scored a decisive victory that destroyed Spain's Pacific fleet and subdued Manila's shore batteries while suffering just one American death.

Charles River Editors (Author), Gregory T. Luzitano (Narrator)

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Scott Joplin: The Life and Legacy of the King of Ragtime

Despite a general dearth of African American names rising to musical prominence during the years of Reconstruction, black talent existed in good measure for both popular and classical genres, and among the most notable musicians celebrated in the present day is composer Scott Joplin, who in his day earned the moniker “King of Ragtime.” Joplin’s use of ragtime as a piano genre was as natural to African American dances as the waltz was to Europeans. The new African-based musical language grew to such popularity that piano rags were programmed on formal classical programs. Originally employed as a verb, as in to “rag” a rhythm, the genre was first referred to as the “jig-piano” style. Ragtime features off-beat rhythms, a heavily accented first beat with the left hand making fast leaps to include the harmony. Pieces of the genre are as visually distinctive as they are in sound. Popular with honky-tonk pianists working along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, ragtime became the “predominant style of American popular music” by the end of the 19th century. Dance steps like the cakewalk, inspired by minstrel shows featuring modes of black banjo playing, were unlikely to be incorporated into white dance for many years to come, but white musicians incorporated the sound into their own daily repertoires as a pleasing style of melody and rhythm. The days of minstrel performances, in which white performers costumed themselves in black face without societal backlash, were eventually replaced by black performers such as Joplin and others like him. Once free from such mockery, black artists were free to produce musical offerings from the authentic culture. The term “rag,” according to Joplin’s use of the term, represented a musical evolution, an abrupt, edgy approach to the musical phrase, suggesting a “ragged movement.” Scott Joplin: The Life and Legacy of the King of Ragtime profiles how he became one of 20th century music’s most influential figures.

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)

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100 historias secretas de la Segunda Guerra Mundial

La Segunda Guerra Mundial encierra todavía muchos secretos. Millones de documentos esperan todavía a ser desclasificados, pero poco a poco vamos conociendo historias impactantes y sorprendentes que se han mantenido ocultas durante décadas. En esta obra, el lector podrá conocer los planes aliados para secuestrar a Hitler, asesinar científicos enemigos o atacar las ciudades alemanas con bombas bacteriológicas. También descubrirá los esfuerzos realizados para esconder de la luz pública accidentes y tragedias que se saldaron con centenares de muertos, así como el turbio pasado de colaboración con el régimen nazi de marcas comerciales que hoy gozan de un gran prestigio. Un velo de silencio cayó también sobre la vida personal de los grandes protagonistas de la contienda; la imagen virtuosa de Roosevelt, Eisenhower o Patton quedó salvaguardada durante años al encubrir sus relaciones extramatrimoniales. Pero en otros casos menos frívolos, como las muertes de Mussolini o Himmler, el misterio sobre las extrañas circunstancias en que se produjeron- y que siguen archivadas bajo el sello de alto secreto- continúan alimentando todo tipo de especulaciones.... Grabado en español ibérico (España).

Jesús Hernández (Author), Arturo Valdemar (Narrator)

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سلامي عليك يا زمن

'سلامي عليك يا زمان...مشاغبات وهموم صحفي عربي في الثمانينات' هذا هو عنوان الكتاب الذي صدر بمناسبة الذكرى الأولى لوفاة الصحفي والأديب والمؤرخ صلاح عيسى، حيث لم يُنشر هذا الكتاب من قبل وفيه كشف الكاتب بعضًا من السيرة الشخصية له؛ أماكن العمل التي تنقَّل بينها، والسجون التي أُودِع بها، والقرية التي هجرها، والمدينة التي عاش وتعلَّم فيها، والأُسرة التي انتمى إليها.... كما أبرز عيسى من خلال كتابه بعض الخلل الذي طرأ في تلك الفترة بالمناخ السياسي والاجتماعي، وكيف أثّر به وما تعمله من دروس وعبر، في تلك الفترة، وما الذي خلص إليه في النهاية، من تلك الكبوات. تناول الكتاب أيضا، الانتصارات على المستوى المهني، والشخصي لعيسى، وما حققه في تلك الحقبة، والتي وصفها قائلا: 'نهاية الثمانينيات العجيبة'. إنّه رحلة تأملية مثيرة إلى زمان مضى، وأحوال لم تتغير كثيرًا.

صلاح عيسى (Author), جهاد أبو العينين (Narrator)

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Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America

From civil rights to Ferguson, Franchise reveals the untold history of how fast food became one of the greatest generators of black wealth in America. Often blamed for the rising rates of obesity and diabetes among black Americans, fast food restaurants like McDonald's have long symbolized capitalism's villainous effects on our nation's most vulnerable communities. But how did fast food restaurants so thoroughly saturate black neighborhoods in the first place? In Franchise, acclaimed historian Marcia Chatelain uncovers a surprising history of cooperation among fast food companies, black capitalists, and civil rights leaders, who-in the troubled years after King's assassination-believed they found an economic answer to the problem of racial inequality. With the discourse of social welfare all but evaporated, federal programs under presidents Johnson and Nixon promoted a new vision for racial justice: that the franchising of fast food restaurants, by black citizens in their own neighborhoods, could finally improve the quality of black life. Synthesizing years of research, Franchise tells a troubling success story of an industry that blossomed the very moment a freedom movement began to whither.

Marcia Chatelain (Author), Machelle Williams (Narrator)

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Whitehall 1212: The Murder of Duncan Frazier

Wyllis Cooper (Author), Full Cast (Narrator)

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Where War Ends: A Combat Veteran's 2,700-Mile Journey to Heal-Recovering from PTSD and Moral Injury

An Iraq War veteran's riveting journey from suicidal despair to hope. After serving in a scout-sniper platoon in Mosul, Tom Voss came home carrying invisible wounds of war-the memory of doing or witnessing things that went against his fundamental beliefs. This was not a physical injury that could heal with medication and time but a 'moral injury'-a wound to the soul that eventually urged him toward suicide. Desperate for relief from the pain and guilt that haunted him, Voss embarked on a 2,700-mile journey across America, walking from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the Pacific Ocean with a fellow veteran. Listeners walk with these men as they meet other veterans, Native American healers, and spiritual teachers who appear in the most unexpected forms. At the end of their trek, Voss realizes he is really just beginning his healing. He pursues meditation training and discovers sacred breathing techniques that shatter his understanding of war and himself, and move him from despair to hope. Voss's story will give inspiration to veterans, their friends and family, and survivors of all kinds.

Rebecca Anne Nguyen, Tom Voss (Author), Tom Voss (Narrator)

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