Audiobooks narrated by James Chen

“No one can doubt that the wave of the future is not the conquest of the world by a single dogmatic creed, but the liberation of the diverse energies of free nations and free men. No one can doubt that cooperation in the pursuit of knowledge must lead to freedom of the mind and freedom of the soul.” —President John F. Kennedy, from a speech at University of California, March 23, 1962 In a world gone wrong, heroes and villains are not always easy to distinguish and every individual has the ability to contribute something powerful. In this stunning collection of original and rediscovered stories of tragedy and hope, the stars are a diverse group of students, street kids, good girls, kidnappers, and child laborers pitted against their environments, their governments, differing cultures, and sometimes one another as they seek answers in their dystopian worlds. Take a journey through time from a nuclear nightmare of the past to society’s far future beyond Earth with these eleven stories by masters of speculative fiction.

Cindy Pon, Daniel H. Wilson, Ph.D., Ellen Oh, Greg Van Eekhout, K. Tempest Bradford, Ken Liu, Malinda Lo, Paolo Bacigalupi, Rahul Kanakia, Ursula K. Le Guin (Author), Catherine Ho, James Chen, Jasmin Walker, Kurt Kanazawa, Neil Shah, Nick Walther, Shaun Taylor-Corbett (Narrator)

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Crushing on You

Anna Tang doesn’t date Asian guys. Her own Chinese family is bad enough, and she's not looking to double the trouble. Besides, she's busy chasing her dream of becoming a music journalist, and she's going to march towards it single-mindedly—and single, if need be. But when she meets a handsome stranger on a flight to a wedding, she's charmed. Intrigued. Seduced. Too bad he’s Asian, and not her type. Ian Gao has a great tech job and rock-hard abs from years of climbing. His parents hope he’ll settle down soon, but he’s drawn to the fierce and lovely Anna, who doesn’t plan on getting married. Ever. But the more time they spend together, the more it feels like coming home. Does Ian have what it takes to make her to stay? Or are the walls around her heart too hard to climb?

Jen Trinh (Author), Emily Woo Zeller, James Chen (Narrator)

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AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future

Brought to you by Penguin. In this ground-breaking blend of imaginative storytelling and scientific forecasting, a pioneering AI expert and a leading writer of speculative fiction join forces to answer an imperative question: How will artificial intelligence change our world within twenty years? AI will be the defining development of the twenty-first century. Within two decades, aspects of daily human life will be unrecognizable. AI will generate unprecedented wealth, revolutionize medicine and education through human-machine symbiosis, and create brand new forms of communication and entertainment. In liberating us from routine work, however, AI will also challenge the organizing principles of our economic and social order. Meanwhile, AI will bring new risks in the form of autonomous weapons and smart technology that inherits human bias. AI is at a tipping point, and people need to wake up-both to AI's radiant pathways and its existential perils for life as we know it. In this provocative, utterly original work of 'scientific fiction,' Kai-Fu Lee, the former president of Google China and bestselling author of AI Superpowers, joins forces with celebrated novelist Chen Qiufan to imagine our world in 2041 and how it will be shaped by AI. In ten gripping short stories, set twenty years in the future, they introduce readers to an array of eye-opening 2041 settings: In San Francisco, a new industry, 'job reallocation,' arises to serve displaced workers In Tokyo, a music fan is swept up in an immersive form of celebrity worship In Mumbai, a teenage girl rebels when AI gets in the way of romance In Seoul, virtual teachers offer orphaned twins new ways to learn and connect In Munich, a rogue quantum computer scientist's revenge plot imperils the world By gazing toward a not-so-distant horizon, AI 2041 offers urgent insights into our collective future-while reminding readers that, ultimately, humankind remains the author of its destiny. © Chen Qiufan 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Chen Qiufan, Kai-Fu Lee (Author), Emily Woo Zeller, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Feodor Chin, James Chen, Mirron Willis, Siho Ellsmore, Soneela Nankani (Narrator)

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The President's Daughter: A Thriller

James Patterson and Bill Clinton—the “dream team” (Lee Child)—return with a thriller even more compelling than The President Is Missing. Every detail is accurate— because one of the authors is President Bill Clinton. The drama and action never stop— because the other author is James Patterson. Matthew Keating, a one-time Navy SEAL—and a past president—has always defended his family as staunchly as he has his country. Now those defenses are under attack. A madman abducts Keating’s teenage daughter, Melanie—turning every parent’s deepest fear into a matter of national security. As the world watches in real time, Keating embarks on a one-man special-ops mission that tests his strengths: as a leader, a warrior, and a father. The authors’ first collaboration, The President Is Missing, a #1 New York Times bestseller and the #1 bestselling novel of 2018, was praised as “ambitious and wildly readable” (New York Times Book Review) and “a fabulously entertaining thriller” (Pulitzer Prize–winning author Ron Chernow).

Bill Clinton, James Patterson (Author), Amanda Dolan, Dion Graham, Fajer Al-Kaisi, James Chen, January Lavoy, Jeremy Davidson, Mary Stuart Masterson, Peter Ganim, Soneela Nankani, Tony Goldwyn, Tony Tony Goldwyn (Narrator)

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The President’s Daughter: the #1 Sunday Times bestseller

Brought to you by Penguin. James Patterson and Bill Clinton - the 'dream team' (Lee Child) - return with a thriller even more compelling than global number one bestseller The President is Missing. Every detail is accurate because one of the authors is President Bill Clinton. The drama and action never stop because the other author is James Patterson. ALL PRESIDENTS HAVE NIGHTMARES. THIS ONE IS ABOUT TO COME TRUE. Matthew Keating, a one-time Navy SEAL and a former US President, has always defended his family as fiercely as he has his country. Now these defences are under attack. And it's personal. Keating's teenage daughter, Melanie, has been abducted, turning every parent's deepest fear into a matter of national security. As the world watches, Keating embarks on a one-man special-ops mission that tests his strengths: as a leader, a warrior, and a father. Because Keating knows that in order to save Melanie's life he will have to put his own on the line . . . 'Propulsive, exhilarating, and unnervingly believable. You won't just read The President's Daughter, you'll devour it.' KARIN SLAUGHTER 'A thriller with inside secrets and riveting excitement that only the partnership of Patterson and Clinton could produce.' WALTER ISAACSON, internationally bestselling author 'A smart, taut, utterly fantastic roller coaster that had me holding on for dear life' CHRIS BOHJALIAN, bestselling author of The Flight Attendant 'Highly entertaining' New York Times 'Rich with the authenticity only a president can deliver' ROBERT CRAIS, bestselling author of the Elvis Cole series 'James Patterson, the grand master of American storytelling, is on fire here and Bill Clinton's two terms in the White House give the book an authenticity that, quite frankly, the competition will never come even close to matching.' TONY PARSONS, bestselling author of Your Neighbour's Wife 'So cinematic ... off the chart ... so exciting ... When I finished it I felt like I had just come off a holiday' MATT FORDE Real reader reviews: 'The previous collaboration between the two authors was one of my favourite thrillers ever ... this one was even better!' 'A thriller with all the punch and authenticity expected from the two authors' 'Mind-blowing ... like, did I really just read that?' 'Outstanding ... has you on the edge of your seat' 'An exciting rollercoaster of a page-turning read' 'A great story, believable characters ... I couldn't put it down' 'A terrific pulse-racing thriller' 'Absolutely blown away' Praise for the authors' previous collaboration, THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING: 'The political thriller of the decade' LEE CHILD 'Thoroughly enjoyable ... a quick, slick, gripping read' THE TIMES 'A bullet train of a thriller' AJ FINN 'Unmatchable psychological veracity ... the outcome of a conversation between one writer with an unusual skill at thriller plotting and another with an exceptional grasp of global politics. The literary running mates have earned a second term.' GUARDIAN 'The plotting is immaculate... the writing is taut' SUNDAY TIMES 'Heart-pounding, gripping, terrifying ... a genuinely masterful thriller' LOUISE PENNY 'Truly authentic ... I read it in one gulp. You will too.' HARLAN COBEN 'High-octane ... addictive' TELEGRAPH 'This book moves like Air Force One' MICHAEL CONNELLY 'Engrossing from page one' DAVID BALDACCI © Bill Clinton, James Patterson 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

James Patterson, President Bill Clinton (Author), Amanda Dolan, Dion Graham, Fajer Al-Kaisi, James Chen, January Lavoy, Jeremy Davidson, Mary Stuart Masterson, Peter Ganim, Soneela Nankani, Tony Goldwyn (Narrator)

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The Tiger's Apprentice

Soon to be an animated movie! Don’t miss this middle grade fantasy adventure about a boy, a magical tiger, an outlaw dragon, and a mischievous monkey who carry the fate of the world on their shoulders. From two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Laurence Yep (Dragonwings, Dragon’s Gate), now with an all-new cover and introduction! Tom Lee’s life changes forever the day he meets a talking tiger named Mr. Hu and discovers that he has magical powers and great responsibilities that he never imagined. Despite his doubts and fears, Tom joins Mr. Hu’s ragtag band of creatures in their fight to keep an ancient talisman out of the hands of the worst possible enemy. This action-packed fantasy from two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Laurence Yep reveals a hidden world within our own where animals take human form, where friendship is the final weapon in the battle between good and evil, and where a young boy is responsible for saving the world he knows . . . and the one he is just discovering. This updated edition includes an all-new introduction by Laurence Yep!

Laurence Yep (Author), James Chen (Narrator)

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New Waves: A Novel

A wry and edgy debut novel about race and startup culture, secrecy and surveillance, social media and friendship "A knowing, witty, and thought-provoking exploration of love, modern isolation, and what it means to exist-especially as a person of color-in our increasingly digital age."-Celeste Ng, bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere Lucas and Margo are fed up. Margo is a brilliant programmer tired of being talked over as the company's sole black employee, and while Lucas is one of many Asians at the firm, he's nearly invisible as a low-paid customer service rep. Together, they decide to steal their tech startup's user database in an attempt at revenge. The heist takes a sudden turn when Margo dies in a car accident, and Lucas is left reeling, wondering what to do with their secret-and wondering whether her death really was an accident. When Lucas hacks into Margo's computer looking for answers, he is drawn into her private online life and realizes just how little he knew about his best friend. With a fresh voice, biting humor, and piercing observations about human nature, Kevin Nguyen brings an insider's knowledge of the tech industry to this imaginative novel. A pitch-perfect exploration of race and startup culture, secrecy and surveillance, social media and friendship, New Waves asks: How well do we really know one another? And how do we form true intimacy and connection in a tech-obsessed world? Praise for New Waves "Nguyen's stellar debut is a piercing assessment of young adulthood, the tech industry, and racism. . . . Nguyen impressively holds together his overlapping plot threads while providing incisive criticism of privilege and a dose of sharp humor. The story is fast-paced and fascinating, but also deeply felt; the effect is a page-turner with some serious bite."-Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A blistering sendup of startup culture and a sprawling, ambitious, tender debut."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Kevin Nguyen (Author), Adenrele Ojo, Allyson Ryan, James Chen (Narrator)

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Picture Us In the Light

When Danny discovers a taped-up box in his father's closet filled with old letters and a file on a powerful Silicon Valley family, he realizes there's much more to his family's past than he ever imagined. Danny has been an artist for as long as he can remember, and it seems his path is set, with a scholarship to RISD and his family's blessing to pursue the career he's always dreamed of. Still, contemplating a future without his best friend, Harry Wong, by his side makes Danny feel a panic he can barely put into words. Harry and Danny's lives are deeply intertwined, and as they approach the one-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook their friend group to its core, Danny can't stop asking himself if Harry is truly in love with his girlfriend, Regina Chan. When Danny digs deeper into his parents' past, he uncovers a secret that disturbs the foundations of his family history, and the carefully constructed façade his parents have maintained begins to crumble. With everything he loves in danger of being stripped away, he must face the ghosts of the past in order to build a future that belongs to him.

Kelly Loy Gilbert (Author), James Chen (Narrator)

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An Excess Male: A Novel

From debut author Maggie Shen King, An Excess Male is the chilling dystopian tale of politics, inequality, marriage, love, and rebellion, set in a near-future China, that further explores the themes of the classics The Handmaid's Tale and When She Woke. Under the One Child Policy, everyone plotted to have a son. Now 40 million of them can't find wives. China's One Child Policy and its cultural preference for male heirs have created a society overrun by 40 million unmarriageable men. By the year 2030, more than twenty-five percent of men in their late thirties will not have a family of their own. An Excess Male is one such leftover man's quest for love and family under a State that seeks to glorify its past mistakes and impose order through authoritarian measures, reinvigorated Communist ideals, and social engineering. Wei-guo holds fast to the belief that as long as he continues to improve himself, his small business, and in turn, his country, his chance at love will come. He finally saves up the dowry required to enter matchmaking talks at the lowest rung as a third husband-the maximum allowed by law. Only a single family-one harboring an illegal spouse-shows interest, yet with May-ling and her two husbands, Wei-guo feels seen, heard, and connected to like never before. But everyone and everything-walls, streetlights, garbage cans-are listening, and men, excess or not, are dispensable to the State. Wei-guo must reach a new understanding of patriotism and test the limits of his love and his resolve in order to save himself and this family he has come to hold dear. In Maggie Shen King's startling and beautiful debut, An Excess Male looks to explore the intersection of marriage, family, gender, and state in an all-too-plausible future.

Maggie Shen King (Author), Elaine Kao, James Chen, Tim Chiou (Narrator)

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The Fortunes

Inspired by three figures who lived at pivotal moments in Chinese-American history, and drawing on his own mixed-race experience, Peter Ho Davies plunges us into what it is like to feel, and be treated, like a foreigner in the country you call home. Ranging from the mouth of the Pearl River to the land of golden opportunity, this remarkable novel spans 150 years to tell a tale of familial bonds denied, of tenacity and pride, of prejudice and the universal need to belong.

Peter Ho Davies (Author), James Chen (Narrator)

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The Fortunes

Ah Ling, the son of a prostitute and a "ghost"-a white man-is sent from his homeland to make his way alone in California. From humble laundry worker, he will rise to valet for a powerful railroad baron and unwittingly ignite an explosion in Chinese labor. Anna May Wong, the first Chinese film star in Hollywood, is forbidden to kiss a white man onscreen. Shut out of leading roles, cast only as Dragon Lady or Butterfly, she must find her place between two worlds and two cultures. Vincent Chin, aspiring all-American, is killed by a pair of Detroit auto workers simply for looking Japanese. He will become the symbol for a community roused to action in the face of hatred. John Ling Smith, though half-Chinese, doesn't speak the language. When he visits China for the first time to adopt a baby girl, he sees the long history of both cultures coming together in the spark of a new century. Inhabiting four lives-three inspired by real historical characters-The Fortunes captures and capsizes more than a century of our history, recasting the story of America through the lives of Chinese Americans. It brilliantly reimagines the multigenerational novel, looking through the prismatic fractures of immigrant experience, and showing that even as family bonds are denied and broken, a community can survive-as much through love as through blood. Building fact into fiction, spinning fiction around fact, The Fortunes is sly, funny, intelligent, and artfully structured. It proves, once again, that, in the words of Elizabeth McCracken, Peter Ho Davies "can do anything, and he does." In this wonder of a novel, Davies offers not just marvelous storytelling, not just prose that sings and humor that bites, but also a rallying, hopeful vision of what it might mean to be American.

Peter Ho Davies (Author), James Chen (Narrator)

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A Superior Man

For more than thirty years, Paul Yee has written about his Chinese-Canadian heritage in award-winning books for young readers as well as adult non-fiction. Here, in his first work of fiction for adults, he takes us on a harrowing journey into a milestone event of Canadian history: the use of Chinese coolies to help build the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia in hazardous conditions. After the CPR is built in 1885, Yang Hok, a former coolie, treks along the railway to return his half-Chinese/half-Native son to the boy's mother where he confronts the conflicts arising from road-building among the Chinese and Native peoples. Hok's guide on the often perilous trip, Sam Bing Lew, also of mixed Chinese-Native blood, urges Hok to take his son to China, while Hok has dreams of finding fortune in America. The two men agree on little, as many issues fester between Chinese and Natives at a time when both races were disdained as inferior by whites ("redbeards"). This far-reaching novel crackles with the brutal, visceral energy of the time-a period marked by contraband, illegal gambling, disfigurement, and death. It also depicts the bawdy world of Chinese "bachelors," whose families remained in China while they worked in Canada, and who enjoyed more freedom to live their lives without restraint. Yang Hok is not an easy man to like; but through the blood and sweat of his experience, he aspires to become the "superior man" he knows he should be. Boldly frank and steeped in history, A Superior Man paints a vivid portrait of the experience of the Chinese in North America in the 19th century. Paul Yee's twenty-seven books for young people include the Governor General's Award-winning Ghost Train. This is his first novel for adults.

Paul Yee (Author), James Chen (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by James Chen