Audiobooks narrated by Rosemary Benson

The beginning is the most important part of your book. The first chapter-probably even the first page-is what makes agents and editors accept or reject a manuscript, and it's what makes readers decide to buy a book or pick another. But writing a compelling opening is hard because there are so many things a great beginning needs to do and so many mistakes to avoid. In this book, Sandra Gerth draws on her experience as an editor and best-selling author to teach you where to start your novel, how to avoid common first chapter problems, and how to hook your readers from the very first page. Each chapter of this practical guide includes concrete examples and exercises that will help you write an irresistible beginning. Whether you're a novice writer working on your first story or an established author with several novels under your belt, this book will help you: - Decide where to start your book, - Understand important elements of every powerful opening such as the inciting incident, - Write a kickass first line, - Hook your readers from the very first page.

Sandra Gerth (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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Women Warriors: An Unexpected History

Who says women don't go to war? From Vikings and African queens to cross-dressing military doctors and WWII Russian fighter pilots, these are the stories of women for whom battle was not a metaphor. The woman warrior is always cast as an anomaly-Joan of Arc, not GI Jane. But women, it turns out, have always gone to war. In this fascinating and lively world history, Pamela Toler not only introduces us to women who took up arms, she also shows why they did it and what happened when they stepped out of their traditional female roles to take on other identities. These are the stories of women who fought because they wanted to, because they had to, or because they could. Among the warriors you'll meet are: * Tomyris, ruler of the Massagetae, who killed Cyrus the Great of Persia when he sought to invade her lands * The West African ruler Amina of Hausa, who led her warriors in a campaign of territorial expansion for more than 30 years * Boudica, who led the Celtic tribes of Britain into a massive rebellion against the Roman Empire to avenge the rapes of her daughters * The Trung sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, who led an untrained army of 80,000 troops to drive the Chinese empire out of Vietnam * The Joshigun, a group of 30 combat-trained Japanese women who fought against the forces of the Meiji emperor in the late 19th century * Lakshmi Bai, Rani of Jhansi, who was regarded as the "bravest and best" military leader in the 1857 Indian Mutiny against British rule * Maria Bochkareva, who commanded Russia's first all-female battalion-the First Women's Battalion of Death-during WWII * Dr. James Barry (née Margaret Buckley), who served as a doctor in the British army in the 19th century, during which time he performed the first ever caesarean section * Buffalo Calf Road Woman, the Cheyenne warrior who knocked General Custer off his horse at the Battle of Little Bighorn * Juana Azurduy de Padilla, a mestiza warrior who fought in at least 16 major battles against colonizers of Latin America and who is a national hero in Bolivia and Argentina today * And many more spanning from ancient times through the 20th century. By considering the ways in which their presence has been erased from history, Toler reveals that women have always fought-not in spite of being women but because they are women.

Pamela D. Toler (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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Who You Were Before Trauma: The Healing Power of Imagination for Trauma Survivors

A key objective of treatment for complex PTSD is to confront the traumatic experience. But survivors still reeling from trauma can find this confrontation traumatic. Thirty years of pioneering work with trauma patients made leading German psychotherapist Luise Reddemann realize: It's immensely beneficial to rebuild survivors' sense of self before trauma confrontation. Reddemann incorporates imagination work at every stage of the three-phase treatment model supported by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies-before, during, and after confrontation. First, the patient reimagines their past self, tapping into forgotten sources of strength. Then, they create a mental cache of personal, positive images for warding off flashbacks and negative thinking. Ultimately, they build an 'internal counterweight' to their trauma-a new identity equipped with self-compassion. Reddemann's approach avoids the counterproductive dynamic where the therapist becomes the patient's only source of comfort. This definitive resource for therapists and patients empowers trauma survivors to be the coauthors of their own recovery narrative.

Luise Reddemann (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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When the News Broke: Chicago 1968 and the Polarizing of America

'The whole world is watching!' cried protestors at the 1968 Democratic convention as Chicago police beat them in the streets. When some of that violence was then aired on network television, another kind of hell broke loose. Some viewers were stunned and outraged; others thought the protestors deserved what they got. No one-least of all Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley-was happy with how the networks handled it. In When the News Broke, Heather Hendershot revisits television coverage of those four chaotic days in 1968-not only the violence in the streets but also the tumultuous convention itself. Ultimately, Hendershot reveals the convention as a pivotal moment in American political history, when a distorted notion of 'liberal media bias' became mainstreamed and nationalized. At the same time, she celebrates the values of the network news professionals who strived for fairness and accuracy. Despite their efforts, however, Chicago proved to be a turning point in the public's trust in national news sources. Since those critical days, the political Right in the United States has amplified distrust of television news, to the point where even the truest and most clearly documented stories can be deemed 'fake.' As Hendershot demonstrates, it doesn't matter whether the 'whole world is watching' if people don't believe what they see.

Heather Hendershot (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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When Food Is Comfort: Nurture Yourself Mindfully, Rewire Your Brain, and End Emotional Eating

Learn Inner Nurturing and End Emotional Eating If you regularly eat when you're not truly hungry, choose unhealthy comfort foods, or eat beyond fullness, something is out of balance. Recent advances in brain science have uncovered the crucial role that our early social and emotional environment plays in the development of imbalanced eating patterns. When we do not receive consistent and sufficient emotional nurturance during our early years, we are at greater risk of seeking it from external sources, such as food. Despite logical arguments, we have difficulty modifying our behavior because we are under the influence of an emotionally dominant part of the brain. The good news is that the brain can be rewired for optimal emotional health. When Food Is Comfort presents a breakthrough mindfulness practice called Inner Nurturing, a comprehensive, step-by-step program developed by an author who was herself an emotional eater. You'll learn how to nurture yourself with the loving-kindness you crave and handle stressors more easily so that you can stop turning to food for comfort. Improved health and self-esteem, more energy, and weight loss will naturally follow.

Julie M. Simon (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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When Abortion Was a Crime: Women, Medicine, and Law in the United States, 1867-1973

When Abortion Was a Crime is the must-listen book on abortion history. Originally published ahead of the thirtieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade, this award-winning study was the first to examine the entire period during which abortion was illegal in the United States, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century and ending with that monumental case in 1973. When Abortion Was a Crime is filled with intimate stories and nuanced analysis, demonstrating how abortion was criminalized and policed-and how millions of women sought abortions regardless of the law. With this edition, Leslie J. Reagan provides a new preface that addresses the dangerous and ongoing threats to abortion access across the country, and the precarity of our current moment. While abortions have typically been portrayed as grim 'back alley' operations, this deeply researched history confirms that many abortion providers-including physicians-practiced openly and safely, despite prohibitions by the state and the American Medical Association. With the right to abortion increasingly under attack, this book remains the definitive history of abortion in the United States, offering vital lessons for every American concerned with health care, civil liberties, and personal and sexual freedom.

Leslie J. Reagan (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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Whatever Works: The Small Cues That Make a Surprising Difference in Our Success at Work - and How to

In Whatever Works, Thalma Lobel explores groundbreaking psychological research on job performance, satisfaction, and creativity. Lobel goes beyond obvious considerations like salary, title, and company culture to shed light on the hidden factors that have profound effects on how well we can do our jobs and how happy we are at work. Did you know that just doodling in a certain way can increase your creativity? That looking at something green for forty seconds will improve your attention? That crossing your legs similarly to an interviewer could get you the job? That the mere presence of a smartphone on your desk can lessen your performance, even if it's turned off? These are the invisible factors that nudge our behavior on a daily basis, and combined, have a real and significant bearing on our success-or failure-at work. In today's competitive market, where even tiny differences can be decisive, exploiting such factors can make all the difference. The more you know about the subtle elements that can help or hinder you on the job, the better equipped you can be to take control and navigate today's competitive work world. Helpful for anyone from individual employees to managers to leaders of large organizations, Whatever Works shares valuable insights and practical takeaways to transform your professional life.

Thalma Lobel (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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What Science Tells Us about Autism Spectrum Disorder: Making the Right Choices for Your Child

What have scientists learned about the causes of autism spectrum disorder? Why do different kids have such different symptoms, and what are the best ways to deal with them? Will there ever be a cure? From leading autism researchers, this accessible guide helps you put the latest advances to work for your unique child. Separating fact from fiction about causes, treatments, and prevention, the book guides you to make lifestyle choices that support the developing brain. From the impact of sleep, exercise, diet, and technology, to which type of professional help might be the right fit, the authors cover it all with expertise and compassion. Learn about the choices you face-and the steps you can take-to build a happier, healthier life for your child and family.

Geraldine Dawson, Joel T. Nigg Phd, Joel T. Nigg, Ph.D., Joel T. Nigg, Phd, Raphael A. Bernier Phd, Raphael A. Bernier, Ph.D., Raphael A. Bernier, Phd (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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Western Jihadism

In forensic and compelling detail, Jytte Klausen traces how Islamist revolutionaries exiled in Europe and North America in the 1990s helped create and control one of the world's most impactful terrorist movements-and how, after the near-obliteration of the organization during the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, they helped build it again. She shows how the diffusion of Islamist terrorism to Europe and North America has been driven, not by local grievances of Western Muslims, but by the strategic priorities of the international Salafi-jihadist revolutionary movement. The jihadists-Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and their many affiliates and associates-also proved to be amazingly resilient. Again and again, the movement recovered from major setbacks. Appealing to disaffected Muslims of immigrant origin and alienated converts to Islam, jihadist groups continue to recruit new adherents in Europe and North America, street-side in neighborhoods, in jails, and online through increasingly clandestine platforms. Taking a comparative and historical approach, deploying cutting-edge analytical tools, and drawing on her unparalleled database of up to 6,500 Western jihadist extremists and their networks, Klausen has produced the most comprehensive account yet of the origins of Western jihadism and its role in the global movement.

Jytte Klausen (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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Victoria Crossing

Driven from Ireland during the potato famine, Protestant Victoria MacPherson and Catholic Maeve O'Reilly find themselves thrown together aboard a Manhattan-bound ship. After a treacherous journey, they arrive in New York City in 1851, with only a small purse of silver and the promise that Maeve's brother will find them there. But when he doesn't show, the girls are quickly conned out of their savings by a smooth-talking scam artist, leaving the two destitute in the tenements of Lower Manhattan. As the women work their way from seamstresses earning pennies a day to proprietresses starting their own shop, their success is endangered by the city's corruption and a disgraceful secret that Victoria has been keeping from Maeve. Jealous rivals, religious prejudice, and the shocking revelation of Victoria's shameful past threaten to break their bond and reduce the women to rags. But will their strength, courage, and spirit be enough to help them survive and thrive once again?

Michael Wallace (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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The Year of Counting Souls

As Japanese forces attack the Philippines in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, US army nurse Louise Harrison waits to be evacuated from Manila. But with the enemy closing in, Louise is forced to flee with a handful of wounded soldiers to a field hospital deep in the mountains. Isolated in an unfamiliar country amid desperate conditions, Louise strikes up a friendship with Sammy Mori, an injured Japanese soldier with a secret. Deemed a traitor for reporting on the atrocities in Nanking, Sammy is being hunted by his brother, Yoshiko, a member of the feared Japanese military secret police. When Yoshiko discovers the hospital camp, Louise and her patients find themselves in even greater danger. Caught between new loyalties and old, Louise and Sammy must trust their unlikely bond to sustain them through deprivation and chaos. It’s a bond that inspires unexpected acts of courage and sacrifice—a light of hope shining through the darkness of war.

Michael Wallace (Author), Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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The Upside of Aging: How Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy, and Pu

What can we do about the challenges of an aging America? Solutions will require the imagination and engagement of government, business, medicine, philanthropy and academia. With commitment -- with a movement -- there is hope and opportunity. Millions of aging individuals are seeking new ways to remain healthy, active, engaged and contributing members of society. Thoughtful leaders are beginning to pay attention and respond to the demographic wave. Solutions are being discussed and developed. From new approaches to wellness and health care, to senior-friendly housing and transportation systems, to encore education and career opportunities, to the use of new technologies and social networks to engage seniors, innovation abounds. The Upside of Aging: How Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy and Purpose will be an edited book by Paul Irving, Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Milken Institute, with chapters written by American leaders who speak to the challenges and promises of our age shift. Each chapter will acknowledge the difficulties to be addressed and the potential solutions to be considered. In sum, this will provide thoughtful and expert analysis about the state of American aging, the opportunity to build a better America, and a call to action to empower seniors and improve aging lives.

Paul Irving (Author), Derek Shetterly, Rosemary Benson (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Rosemary Benson