Audiobooks narrated by Johnny Heller

Fighting Fifteen: The Navy's Top Ace and the Deadliest Hellcat Squadron of the Pacific War

"The inspiring, action-packed tale of VF-15, the elite group of U.S. Navy "top gun" pilots that destroyed more enemy planes than any other Pacific War squadron. David McCampbell ended his tour of duty as the navy's "ace of aces," with thirty-four confirmed enemy planes shot down, and received the Medal of Honor. His "Fighting Fifteen" played a major part in bringing an end to the Pacific War. But when the squadron was commissioned in 1943, most of its men-some barely out of their teenage years-were completely new to aerial combat. A string of deadly crashes during training in their rugged new F6F-3 Hellcats led the men to be booted off their first carrier. With their commander fired and McCampbell installed in his place, the group's future looked bleak. But McCampbell transformed this ragged group of talented but disparate individuals into a selfless team of well-trained aviators, and by the time they formally entered the Pacific War with a series of daring island strikes, they were ready. Nicknamed 'Satan's Playmates,' during six critical months of combat the squadron destroyed a record-setting 660 enemy planes across air and ground. Twenty-six of the men would eventually become aces, ascending to an elite fraternity and immortalizing the "Fabled Fifteen." Now, using previously unknown accounts from the aviators themselves, military historian Stephen L. Moore places readers in the heart of the action as McCampbell and his flying band of brothers battle the Japanese navy and its formidable Zero fighters to the death."

Stephen L. Moore (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Life, and Death, and Giants: An Emotional, Moving Literary Novel full of Magic and Everyday Miracles

"'A rare novel . . . Unbearably moving, yet hopeful and transcendent in all the best ways. Just read it. Lose yourself in it. Be changed by it' JENNIE GODFREY, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things A remarkable child transforms a small rural community - and, soon, the world . . . In Lakota, Wisconsin, a young, unmarried Amish woman births a miraculous, eighteen-pound baby, and no one in the community knows what to make of the boy. Raised by his brother on a struggling farm, Gabriel Fisher walks at eight months, communicates with animals and possesses astonishing athletic abilities. When his brother dies, Gabriel is taken in by his devout grandparents and, for a time, he disappears into the anonymity of Amish life. But then, aged seventeen and nearly eight feet tall, Gabriel is spotted working in a hayfield by the local football coach and his life changes for ever . . . In Life, and Death, and Giants, Gabriel's extraordinary, timeless story is told by those whose lives are transformed by him: the veterinarian who delivers him and becomes his mentor; his grandmother, who is troubled by a deep void in her faith; the salty bar owner who acts as a bridge between the Amish and English communities in Lakota; and the football coach who tries to counsel Gabriel as his fame explodes, with consequences that no one could have anticipated. An epic and unforgettable story of faith, family, buried secrets and everyday miracles for fans of Elizabeth Strout and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. 'Life, and Death, and Giants is an intriguing and alluring novel from beginning to end. The events are startling, sad, amusing, invigorating and informative. Reading it is like meeting a family that you never knew existed and becoming close friends in a few weeks. Highly recommended' - JANE SMILEY, author of A Thousand Acres"

Ron Rindo (Author), Christina Moore, Johnny Heller, Roger Wayne, Will Damron (Narrator)

Audiobook

Departure 37

"‘If you loved The Twilight Zone, this is for you. It's a mind-blower.’ STEPHEN KING 'The future of warfare – if not humanity – changed on a hot August day on the grounds of a naval base more than 1,000 miles from the nearest ocean. The discovery involved a single scientist and a model airplane.' When every pilot in the country receives a call from their mother begging them not to fly, air travel comes to a halt. But none of the mothers remember making these calls – and some weren’t alive to make them. As senior officials scramble for answers, a teenager named Charlie makes online documentaries about her new home, a place where locals insist they saw passengers survive a plane crash, only to be reported as dead. And, unknown to Charlie, a place where renowned scientist Marty Hazleton once conducted experiments for making planes disappear… With the growing threats of nuclear weaponry and artificial intelligence, what begins as a ground stop becomes a threat to civilization as we know it in this high-octane, political thriller perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Frederick Forsyth. ‘Part Cold War thriller, part Twilight Zone episode and part Stephen King-like yarn about regular people in extraordinary circumstances.’ NEW YORK TIMES –––––––––––––––– PRAISE FOR SCOTT CARSON ‘One of the best of the best.’ MICHAEL CONNELLY ‘Terrific suspense.’ DEAN KOONTZ ‘DEPARTURE 37 is a rollicking, and at times terrifying, mashup of the 20th and 21st century political, nuclear, and technological tensions and ambitions. It's smart, inventive, breathlessly paced, and most importantly, humane.’ PAUL TREMBLAY ‘In this striking thriller, Carson nimbly entwines a contemporary coming-of-age story with a tale of Cold War paranoia. It’s a winner.’ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ‘Wildly imaginative and genuinely, nailbitingly suspenseful.’ BOOKLIST"

Scott Carson (Author), Catherine Ho, Johnny Heller, Mia Barron (Narrator)

Audiobook

Johnny Cash's American Recordings

"This title offers a superb investigation of what is arguably Johnny Cash's greatest album, focusing on his enduring mythology. When Johnny Cash signed to Rick Rubin's record label in 1993, he was a country music legend who, like his fellow Highwaymen Willie, Waylon and Kris, remained a fondly regarded yet completely marginalized Nashville figure, unheard on the radio and unseen on the charts. Cash's odyssey from oldies act to folk hero pivots on his first American Recordings album, a document of almost unbearable solitude and directness. It is a singular record, an instance in which a musical giant has been granted a kind of midnight reprieve, a chance to regain and renew his legend. Tony Tost illuminates the ways in which American Recordings is the crossroads where cultural, spiritual and mythic archetypes come together in the figure of The Man in Black. Ultimately, this is a guidebook to myth and mystery, a means of apprehending the stark beauty of Cash's greatest record, the sound of a man alone and fighting for his soul, one song at a time."

Tony Tost (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Elvis Presley's From Elvis in Memphis

"'I had to leave town for a little while--' with these words, Elvis Presley truly came home to rock and roll. A little over a month earlier he had staged rock’s first and greatest comeback in a television program, forever known as ''The ’68 Comeback Special.'' With this show, he resurrected himself--at the age of 33, no less--from the ashes of a career mired in bad movies and soundtracks. So where to go from here? Like a killer returning to the scene of the crime, Elvis came back home to Memphis, where it had all begun. Eschewing the fancier studios of Nashville and Hollywood, he set up shop at the ramshackle American Sound Studio, run by a maverick named Chips Moman with an in-house backing band now known as ''The Memphis Boys,'' and made the music of his life. The resulting work, From Elvis in Memphis, would be the finest studio album of his career, an explosion of mature confidence and fiery inspiration. It was the sound of Elvis establishing himself as a true rock and roll artist--and proving his status as a legend."

Eric Wolfson (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Enough Is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell

"A brief and humorous 500-year history of the Simplified Spelling Movement from advocates like Ben Franklin, C. S. Lewis, and Mark Twain to texts and Twitter. Why does the G in George sound different from the G in gorge? Why does C begin both case and cease? And why is it funny when a philologist faints, but not polight to laf about it? Anyone who has ever had the misfortune to write in English has, at one time or another, struggled with its spelling. So why do we continue to use it? If our system of writing words is so tragically inconsistent, why haven’t we standardized it, phoneticized it, brought it into line? How many brave linguists have ever had the courage to state, in a declaration of phonetic revolt: “Enough is enuf”? The answer: many. In the comic annals of linguistic history, legions of rebel wordsmiths have died on the hill of spelling reform, risking their reputations to bring English into the realm of the rational. This book is about them: Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, Eliza Burnz, C. S. Lewis, George Bernard Shaw, Charles Darwin, and the innumerable others on both sides of the Atlantic who, for a time in their life, became fanatically occupied with writing thru instead of through, tho for though, laf for laugh, beleev for believe, and dawter for daughter (and tried futilely to get everyone around them to do it too). Henry takes his humorous and informative chronicle right up to today as the language seems to naturally be simplifying to fit the needs of our changing world thanks to technology—from texting to Twitter and emojis, the Simplified Spelling Movement may finally be having its day. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook."

Gabe Henry (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Too Good to Fact Check: Flying the Skies with Stars, Scotch, and Scandal (Mostly Mine)

"A peek into the world of celebrity and how the journalists who cover them live even more outrageous lives. What happens when magazine editors behave worse than the celebrities they feature? Shock, comedy, and farce, expertly chronicled in Jeremy Murphy's Too Good to Fact Check, a firsthand account of his ten years traveling with stars as the editor of a glossy magazine. In between taking Julianna Marguiles to the Côte d'Azur, Neil Patrick Harris aboard the Orient Express, and LL Cool J to Paris among other locales, the author lived a wild, decadent life that rivaled anyone he was covering, and recounts the most outrageous moments in colorful, candid detail. Celebrities! Bar fights! Hotel bans! Airplane arrest! Fires! Singing to Mary J Blige! Too Good to Fact Check provides a fascinating look at the rarefied worlds of celebrity, fashion, magazines, and glamour through the eyes of someone who may have been blacked out. Sarcastic, dishy, self-deprecating, surprising, and fun, Too Good to Fact Check is the fall's guiltiest pleasure."

Jeremy Murphy (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America

"“Audiobook narrator Johnny Heller has a brisk, ardent manner, moving through events at a spirited trot, conveying the urgency and high stakes of Revere’s mission.”—The Washington Post Timed for the 250th anniversary of one of America’s most famous founding events: Paul Revere’s legendary ride, newly told with fresh research into little-known aspects of the story Americans have heard since childhood but hardly understood On April 18, 1775, a Boston-based silversmith, engraver, and anti-British political operative named Paul Revere set out on a borrowed horse to fulfill a dangerous but crucial mission: to alert American colonists of advancing British troops, which would seek to crush their nascent revolt. Revere was not the only rider that night, and indeed, he had completed at least 18 previous rides across New England and other colonies, disseminating intelligence about British movements. But this ride was like no other, and its consequences in the months and years to come—as the American Revolution morphed from isolated skirmishes to a full-fledged war—became one of our founding legends. In The Ride, Kostya Kennedy presents a dramatic new narrative of the events of April 18 and 19, 1775, informed by fresh primary and secondary source research into archives, family letters and diaries, contemporary accounts, and more. Kennedy reveals Revere’s ride to be more complex than it is usually portrayed—a loosely coordinated series of rides by numerous men, near-disaster, capture by British forces, and finally success. While Revere was central to the ride and its plotting, Kennedy reveals the other men (and, perhaps, a woman with information about the movement of British forces) who helped to set in motion the events that would lead to America’s independence. Thrillingly written in a dramatic, unstoppable narrative, The Ride retells an essential American story for a new generation of listeners. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press."

Kostya Kennedy (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World's Most Revered and Reviled Bird

"A 'quirky, endlessly entertaining' look at the surprising history of the pigeon (Simon Winchester). Domesticated since the dawn of man, pigeons have been used as crucial communicators in war by every major historical superpower from ancient Egypt to the United States and are credited with saving thousands of lives. They have been worshipped as fertility goddesses and revered as symbols of peace. Charles Darwin relied heavily on pigeons to help formulate and support his theory of evolution. Yet today they are reviled as 'rats with wings.' To research this lively history of the humble pigeon, the author traveled across the United States and Europe to meet with pigeon fanciers and pigeon haters in a quest to find out how we came to misunderstand one of mankind’s most helpful and steadfast companions. Pigeons captures a Brooklyn man's quest to win the Main Event (the pigeon world's equivalent of the Kentucky Derby), as well as a convention dedicated to breeding the perfect bird. The author participates in a live pigeon shoot where entrants pay $150; he tracks down Mike Tyson, the nation's most famous pigeon lover; he spends time with Queen Elizabeth's Royal Pigeon Handler; and he sheds light on a radical 'pro-pigeon underground' in New York City. In Pigeons, Andrew D. Blechman reveals for the first time the remarkable story behind this seemingly unremarkable bird."

Andrew D. Blechman (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Harpo Speaks

"First published in 1961, this is the autobiography of Harpo Marx, the silent comedian of The Marx Brothers fame. Always silent on the stage and screen, Harpo speaks for the first time and shares the story of his remarkable life with humor, intelligence, and love. A truly gifted musician, brilliant comic, and wonderful person, Harpo comes alive in Harpo Speaks."

Harpo Marx (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Beyond the Call of Duty: The Life of Colonel Robert Howard, America's Most Decorated Green Beret

"As a child, Robert Howard was taught by his Granny Callie to always face his threats head-on. Some thirty years later, he emerged from the Vietnam War as America's most decorated Green Beret. For the first time, Robert Howard's story is being told in full. Respected military historian Stephen L. Moore takes readers into the heart of the Vietnam War's covert Special Ops jungle warfare in this immersive, suspenseful read. Through family sources, National Archives documents, and dozens of testimonials from the Green Berets who fought alongside him, this "one-man army" will finally be given the recognition he deserves. Robert Howard grew up in poverty in a small town in Alabama, with a strong sense of faith and determination. When he enlisted in the army at age seventeen, his Granny Callie's words echoed in his head, and he pledged to follow them to the bitter end. In the most dire of combat experiences, Howard ran directly toward his opponents, sacrificing his body to protect others and to complete the mission above all else. Time and time again, he survived battles that should have claimed his life, suffering countless bullets, a spinal injury, and shrapnel and blast wounds. Recon commanders who ran missions with him declared him to be the bravest man they had ever met. In return, Howard received a staggering number of awards and ribbons for valor and distinctive service in combat-over fifty in all, including the Medal of Honor, eight Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, and four Bronze Stars. He holds the distinction of being the only soldier nominated for the Medal of Honor three times in only a thirteen-month period. In total, Howard spent a grueling, treacherous forty months in combat duty in Vietnam, including over two years with MACV-SOG's elite covert group."

Stephen L. Moore (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Essential Bukowski: Poetry

"Edited by Abel Debritto, the definitive collection of poems from an influential writer whose transgressive legacy and raw, funny, and acutely observant writing has left an enduring mark on modern culture. Few writers have so brilliantly and poignantly conjured the desperation and absurdity of ordinary life as Charles Bukowski. Resonant with his powerful, perceptive voice, his visceral, hilarious, and transcendent poetry speaks to us as forcefully today as when it was written. Encompassing a wide range of subjects—from love to death and sex to writing—Bukowski’s unvarnished and self-deprecating verse illuminates the deepest and most enduring concerns of the human condition while remaining sharply aware of the day to day. With his acute eye for the ridiculous and the troubled, Bukowski speaks to the deepest longings and strangest predilections of the human experience. Gloomy yet hopeful, this is tough, unrelenting poetry touched by grace. This is Essential Bukowski."

Charles Bukowski (Author), Johnny Heller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Johnny Heller