Audiobooks narrated by Tim Fannon

Thraldom: A History of Slavery in the Viking Age

Nordic slavery is an elusive phenomenon, with few similarities to the systematic exploitation of slaves in households, mines, and amphitheaters in the ancient Mediterranean or the widespread slavery at American plantations during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Scandinavians in the early Middle Ages lived in a society foreign to us, characterized by different and shifting social statuses. A person could be at once socially respected and unfree. It was possible to hand oneself over as a slave to someone else in exchange for protection and food. One could be sentenced temporarily to enslavement for some offense but later purchase his manumission. Young men could enter into a kind of “contract' with a king or chieftain to join his retinue, accepting his authority, patronage, and jurisdiction, while at the same time making a quick social elevation. Slavery was widespread all over Europe during the early Middle Ages and Scandinavians, as Stefan Brink illustrates in this book, became a major player in the northern slave trade. However, the Vikings were not particularly interested in taking slaves to Scandinavia; instead, their “business model” seems to have been to raid, abduct, and then sell captured people at major slave markets. Their goal was not laborers but silver. Using a wide variety of source materials, including archaeology, runes, Icelandic sagas, early law, place names, personal names, and not least etymological and semantic analyses of the terminology of slaves, Thraldom provides the most comprehensive survey of slavery in the Viking Age.

Stefan Brink (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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In Our Stars

Lieutenant Selene Genji has one last chance to save the Earth from destruction in this pulse-pounding science fiction adventure. Earth, 2180 Genetically engineered with partly alien DNA, Lieutenant Selene Genji is different from ordinary humans. And they hate her for it. Still, she's spent her life trying to overcome society's prejudice by serving in the Unified Fleet while Earth's international order collapses into war. Genji is stationed on a ship in orbit when humanity's factional extremism on the planet reaches a boiling point, and she witnesses the utter annihilation of Earth. When the massive forces unleashed by Earth's death warp space and time to hurl her forty years into the past, Genji is given a chance to try to change the future and save Earth--starting with the alien first contact only she knows will soon occur. Earth, 2140 Lieutenant Kayl Owen's ship is on a routine patrol when a piece of spacecraft wreckage appears out of nowhere. To his shock, there is a survivor on board: Selene Genji. Once her strange heritage is discovered, though, it becomes clear that Genji is a problem Earth Guard command wants to dispose of--quietly. After learning the horrifying truth, Owen helps her escape and joins her mission. Together, they have a chance to change the fate of an Earth doomed to die in 2180. But altering history could put Genji's very existence in danger, and Owen wonders if a world without her is one worth saving. . . .

Jack Campbell (Author), Andrea Emmes, TBD, Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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Crypto Crackup: Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX, and SBF's Weird Island Empire

A gripping account of the dramatic life of the man once dubbed crypto’s “J.P. Morgan”—from his meteoric ascent to the epic crash of FTX, his arrest, and indictment. Sam Bankman-Fried—better known as SBF—was at the top of the world and lauded as a leading figure in cryptocurrency, an industry whose popularity has exploded over the past few years. He was being compared to the legendary financier J.P. Morgan and sometimes even rumored to have the potential to become the world’s first trillionaire. He built a crypto empire with trading firm Alameda Research and crypto exchange FTX, which became one of the world’s largest. He attracted leading investors and walked the corridors of power in Congress. Then, seemingly within days, everything collapsed. FTX went bankrupt, and SBF was arrested, extradited from the Bahamas to the United States, and charged with multiple counts of fraud and other criminal offenses. The world was gripped but left wondering: How did SBF burst onto the scene and take the crypto world by storm only to come crashing down? What makes his case so special? And what does effective altruism have to do with it? Crypto Crackup explores his early days—his road from traditional finance to setting up Alameda and FTX, to the massive crash that swept both away and left SBF potentially facing decades in prison. Crypto Crackup will help you better understand SBF’s spectacular journey, even if you know little to nothing about crypto. If you want to understand more about SBF, how FTX’s bankruptcy left a mess that’s been described as “worse than Enron,” and why so much of this played out on Twitter—this book is for you.

Artur Osinski, Ash Bennington, Elizabeth Bachmann (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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Invention and Innovation: A Brief History of Hype and Failure

The world is never finished catching up with Vaclav Smil. In his latest and perhaps most readable book, Invention and Innovation, the prolific author—a favorite of Bill Gates—pens an insightful and fact-filled jaunt through the history of invention. Impatient with the hype that so often accompanies innovation, Smil offers in this book a clear-eyed corrective to the overpromises of new inventions—from cures for diseases to AI. He reminds us that even after we go quite far along the invention-development-application trajectory, we may never get anything real to deploy. Or worse, even after we have succeeded by introducing an invention, its future may be marked by underperformance, disappointment, demise, or outright harm. Drawing on his vast breadth of scientific and historical knowledge, Smil explains the difference between invention and innovation, and looks not only at inventions that failed to dominate as promised (such as the airship, nuclear fission, and supersonic flight) but also at those that turned disastrous (leaded gasoline, DDT, and chlorofluorocarbons). And finally, he offers a “wish list” of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with engaging examples and pragmatic approaches, this book is a sobering account of the folly that so often attends human ingenuity—and how we can, and must, better align our expectations with reality.

Vaclav Smil (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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Return to the River: Reflections on Life Choices During a Pandemic

From #1 international bestselling author, speaker, and humanitarian Dave Pelzer comes the next chapter in his life—how, after spending decades saving others in the military, as a fire captain, and an internationally acclaimed advocate, he needs to confront a way to save himself. On the surface, Dave Pelzer’s life seems like an action movie—he’s walked the red carpet with celebrities and stood shoulder to shoulder with soldiers in Iraq; he’s flown top-secret missions for the U.S. Air Force, obtaining the rank of chief, and battled wildfires in California as a volunteer fire captain. And now—on the eve of the 50-year anniversary of this rescue from horrific childhood of abuse and into the safety of the foster care system—he reflects on the battles he’s fighting in his own heart. From a lifetime spent serving and saving others, can he learn how to serve and save himself? Banished to his basement at age five, Dave Pelzer had cried a river of tears before most children learned to tie their shoes. His now classic books, A Child Called “It”and The Lost Boy, chronicled how he was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who nearly killed him multiple times. But despite the odds stacked against him, he rose to become a #1 New York Times bestselling author, inspirational speaker, and internationally recognized humanitarian. After fighting for years to vanquish his pain and to channel it into service forothers, Pelzer sifts through the psychological rubble of a life that has seemingly crumbled around him. What he shares is deeply transformative and unflinchingly honest. In his struggle to simply survive, he never learned how to just be. Reeling from the loss of a love—and a broken spirit—Pelzer must reconcile his life choices and free himself of blame and shame to find peace and renewed purpose. Amidst the towering redwood trees and the serenity of his childhood utopia of the Russian River, Pelzer reflects on having the courage to move forward in your life, the peace to accept yourself, the vulnerability to strip yourself of facades, and to find the tenacity to carry on when life doesn’t turn out the way you planned. For anyone who has been hurt, victimized, or feels alone, there is hope and there is always a way to rewrite your own story. Pelzer’s soulful and inspiring story will remind you to keep your faith, live with gratitude, and find the well of resilience deep within you.

Dave Pelzer (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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Gradual: The Case for Incremental Change in a Radical Age

Many experts believe that we are at a fulcrum moment in history, a time that demands radical shifts in thinking and policymaking. Calls for bold change are everywhere these days, particularly on social media. But is this actually the best way to make the world a better place? In Gradual, Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox argue that, contrary to the aspirations of activists on both the right and the left, incremental reform is the best path forward. They begin by emphasizing that the very structure of American government explicitly and implicitly favors incrementalism. Particularly in a time of intense polarization, any effort to advance radical change will inevitably engender significant backlash. As Berman and Fox make clear, polling shows little public support for bold change. The public is, however, willing to endorse a broad range of incremental reforms that, if implemented, would reduce suffering and improve fairness. To illustrate how incremental changes can add up to significant change over time, Berman and Fox provide portraits of “heroic incrementalists” who have produced meaningful reforms in a variety of areas, from the expansion of Social Security to more recent efforts to reduce crime and incarceration. Gradual is a bracing call for a “radical realism” that prioritizes honesty, humility, nuance, and respect in an effort to transcend political polarization and reduce the conflict produced by social media.

Aubrey Fox, Greg Berman (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods

With clarity and insight, Richard Brestoff introduces the great acting teachers, explaining their techniques and how they are applied today. Beginning with Quintilian and Delsarte, he guides us to the present with an inside look at what is currently being taught in the major acting schools and private acting studios; The Actors Studio, Yale University, NYU, Juilliard and many more are visited. The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods will help you understand the most important ideas about acting, where they originated and how they are used in training programs today. Some of the teachers focused on are Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Lee Strasberg, Brecht, Stanislavski and Suzuki.

Richard Brestoff (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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The Sanford Meisner Approach: Workbook One, An Actor's Workbook

You can now experience the same training studied by some of out finest actors, including Robert Duvall, Joanne Woodward, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, Mary Steenburgen, Gregory Peck, Jon Voight, Eli Wallach and many others. With a foreword by Academy Award winner and theatre legend Horton Foote, this inspiring new book will strengthen in you the most essential and vital skills of great acting! It will lead you to a very personal way of working, as an actor who is absolutely authentic and tremendously simple—so rare in today's theatre. The Sanford Meisner Approach: An Actor's Workbook Volume One is appropriate for any actor, from beginning student to working professional. As you experience the joy of discovery offered in each lesson, the workbook will awaken within you a profound passion to create and a hunger to express yourself as an artist of the theatre, an actor!

Larry Silverberg (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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License to Travel: A Cultural History of the Passport

Discover the surprising global history of how the passport has shaped art, thought, and human experience to define the modern world. License to Travel exposes the passport as both an instrument of personal freedom and a tool of government surveillance powerful enough to define our very humanity. Patrick Bixby examines the passports of artists and intellectuals, ancient messengers and modern migrants to reveal how these seemingly humble documents implicate us in larger narratives about identity, mobility, citizenship, and state authority. This concise cultural history: • Takes the reader on a captivating journey from pharaonic Egypt and Handynasty China to the passport controls and crowded refugee camps of today. • Connects intimate stories of vulnerability and desire with vivid examples drawn from world cinema, literature, art, philosophy, and politics • Highlights the control that travel documents have over our bodies as we move around the globe. With unexpected discoveries at every turn, from narrow escapes and new starts, tearful departures and hopeful arrivals, License to Travel shares some of our most memorable experiences involving the passport.

Patrick Bixby (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health?With Advice from Experts and Wisdom fr

Written with authority and compassion, this is the essential resource for individuals and families seeking expert guidance on diagnosis, treatment, and recovery, featuring inspiring, true stories from real people in their own words. Millions of people in the United States are affected by mental illness every year. The Covid-19 pandemic not only caused new or aggravated symptoms in people, but further exposed the shortcomings of the American mental health system. Despite advances in telehealth, the healthcare industry remains chaotic, underfunded, and often inaccessible, and many people are asking themselves the same questions: What does it mean when different doctors give me different diagnoses? What if my insurance company won’t cover my treatment? Will I have to be on medication my whole life? Will I ever feel better? Too many of us are confused, afraid, and overwhelmed. Families and friends are often left in the dark about how best to help their loved ones, how to deal with financial and logistical issues, and how to handle the emotional challenges of loving someone who is suffering. You Are Not Alone is here to offer help. Written by Dr. Ken Duckworth with the expertise of a leading psychiatrist and the empathy of a peer, this comprehensive guide provides Relatable first-person stories that illustrate the diversity of mental health journeys Practical guidance on dealing with mental health conditions and navigating care Research-based evidence on what treatments and approaches work Insight and advice from renowned clinical experts and practitioners This singular resource—the first and only book fully supported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness—is a powerful reminder that help is here, and we are not alone.

Ken Duckworth, M.D. (Author), Ken Duckworth, M.D., Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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The Internet is Not What You Think It Is: A History, a Philosophy, a Warning

An original deep history of the internet that tells the story of the centuries-old utopian dreams behind it-and explains why they have died today Many think of the internet as an unprecedented and overwhelmingly positive achievement of modern human technology. But is it? In The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is, Justin Smith offers an original deep history of the internet, from the ancient to the modern world-uncovering its surprising origins in nature and centuries-old dreams of radically improving human life by outsourcing thinking to machines and communicating across vast distances. Yet, despite the internet's continuing potential, Smith argues, the utopian hopes behind it have finally died today, killed by the harsh realities of social media, the global information economy, and the attention-destroying nature of networked technology. Ranging over centuries of the history and philosophy of science and technology, Smith shows how the "internet" has been with us much longer than we usually think. He draws fascinating connections between internet user experience, artificial intelligence, the invention of the printing press, communication between trees, and the origins of computing in the machine-driven looms of the silk industry. At the same time, he reveals how the internet's organic structure and development root it in the natural world in unexpected ways that challenge efforts to draw an easy line between technology and nature. Combining the sweep of intellectual history with the incisiveness of philosophy, The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is cuts through our daily digital lives to give a clear-sighted picture of what the internet is, where it came from, and where it might be taking us in the coming decades.

Justin E. H. Smith (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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Plagues upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History

A sweeping germ's-eye view of history from human origins to global pandemics Plagues upon the Earth is a monumental history of humans and their germs. Weaving together a grand narrative of global history with insights from cutting-edge genetics, Kyle Harper explains why humanity's uniquely dangerous disease pool is rooted deep in our evolutionary past, and why its growth is acceleratedby technological progress. He shows that the story of disease is entangled with the history of slavery, colonialism, and capitalism, and reveals the enduring effects of historical plagues in patterns of wealth, health, power, and inequality. He also tells the story of humanity's escape from infectious disease-a triumph that makes life as we know it possible, yet destabilizes the environment and fosters new diseases. Panoramic in scope, Plagues upon the Earth traces the role of disease in the transition to farming, the spread of cities, the advance of transportation, and the stupendous increase in human population. Harper offers a new interpretation of humanity's path to control over infectious disease-one where rising evolutionary threats constantly push back against human progress, and where the devastating effects of modernization contribute to the great divergence between societies. The book reminds us that human health is globally interdependent-and inseparable from the well-being of the planet itself. Putting the COVID-19 pandemic in perspective, Plagues upon the Earth tells the story of how we got here as a species, and it may help us decide where we want to go.

Kyle Harper (Author), Tim Fannon (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Tim Fannon