Audiobooks narrated by David Reynolds

America: Empire of Liberty: The complete BBC Radio 4 series

David Reynolds’ major BBC Radio 4 series explores the origins of contemporary USA from its beginnings to the present dayThis epic narrative tells America’s story through the voices of those who lived it - presidents and farmers, mothers and children, settlers and soldiers, slaves and Indians. The series celebrates the country’s achievements but also examines its paradoxes by investigating three abiding themes of American life: empire, liberty and faith.Empire of Liberty: From the arrival of Native Americans from Asia, to the slave trade and the forced relocation of the Indians, the first series describes how the US expanded to cover a whole continent, laying the foundations of a superpower - if the country could remain united.Power & Progress: The second series depicts the tragedy and heroism of the Civil War (1861-65), which finally ended slavery - though not racial discrimination - and the dynamism of the reunited nation as it grew into an industrial giant. America’s role in the Second World War is also examined.Empire & Evil: The final series chronicles America’s long struggle with the Soviet Union, and examines the effect of that confrontation on American values, particularly in Vietnam and Watergate. The country’s struggle to overcome its racist past led from the Civil Rights Movement to its first black president. Also examined is the impact of Elvis on popular music, the battle over abortion and the story of the personal computer and the information revolution.

David Reynolds (Author), David Reynolds (Narrator)

Audiobook

America Empire Of Liberty: Volume 1: Liberty And Slavery

This epic narrative tells the saga of the United States through the voices of those who lived it, exploring three abiding national themes: empire, liberty and faith. Empire & Evil, the final series of thirty episodes, chronicles America’s long struggle with the Soviet Union through the Cuban missile crisis to the collapse of what Ronald Reagan dubbed the ‘evil empire’ and examines the corrosive effect of that confrontation on American values, particularly in Vietnam and Watergate. The country also struggled to overcome the evils of its own racist past, from the Civil Rights Movement to the election of its first black president. Woven into the tapestry are vivid threads from ordinary life, such as the impact of Elvis on popular music, the battle over abortion and the story of the personal computer and the information revolution. 'Reynolds's presentation combines enthusiasm with authority, and his insightful and far-ranging text is augmented by a wealth of archive voices, from speeches to people in the street' - The Oldie. 'Reynolds's vigorous presentation of his sweep of American history, and the interwoven voices and news reports of the time, make for striking immediacy' - Observer.

David Reynolds (Author), David Reynolds, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook

America Empire Of Liberty: Volume 1: Liberty And Slavery

This epic narrative tells the saga of the United States through the voices of those who lived it - Presidents and farmers, mothers and children, settlers and soldiers, immigrants and native Americans. In Power & Progress, the second series of thirty episodes, Reynolds depicts the tragedy and heroism of the Civil War (1861-65), which finally ended slavery, though not racial discrimination; and the dynamism of the reunited nation as it grew into an industrial giant. World War One made America a force on the world stage but then the country lost its way, and its nerve, in the Depression, only for another World War to turn it into a nuclear superpower by 1945. This is also the story of how ordinary Americans lived, worked and had fun - with fascinating snapshots of H.J. Heinz, Buffalo Bill, skyscrapers, baseball, the Flappers and Gone With the Wind. 'Reynolds's presentation combines enthusiasm with authority, and his insightful and far-ranging text is augmented by a wealth of archive voices, from speeches to people in the street' - The Oldie. 'Reynolds's vigorous presentation of his sweep of American history, and the interwoven voices and news reports of the time, make for striking immediacy' - Observer.

David Reynolds (Author), David Reynolds, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook

America Empire Of Liberty: Volume 1: Liberty And Slavery

This epic narrative tells America’s story through the voices of those who lived it – Presidents and farmers, mothers and children, settlers and soldiers, slaves and Indians. The series celebrates the country’s achievements but also examines its paradoxes by investigating three abiding themes of American life: empire, liberty and faith. These first thirty episodes start with the Native Americans, who arrived from Asia around 15,000 years ago. In a fascinating journey that takes in the impact of Columbus, the founding of Puritan New England, the Declaration of Independence, the slave trade and the forced relocation of the Indians, Reynolds shows how the U.S. expanded to cover a whole continent, laying the foundations of a superpower – if the country could stay united. And that seemed a big ‘if’ in 1861 as the conflicts over liberty and slavery brought America to the brink of Civil War.

David Reynolds (Author), David Reynolds, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by David Reynolds