Audiobooks narrated by Traber Burns

Habits of a Peacemaker: 10 Habits to Change Our Potentially Toxic Conversations into Healthy Dialogu

"Learn the practical skills that can help you build bridges, heal relationships, and engage in productive conversation about even the hardest topics. Imagine turning what could be a contentious conversation with a family member, a friend, or a coworker into a fruitful exchange that enlightens everyone’s minds and inches both of you toward a solution. Steven T. Collis, one of the world’s leading experts on civil discourse, reveals ten practical habits that can help you navigate the potential minefields of hard topics and leave you and those you converse with feeling thoughtful and productive. Most people have experienced the slippery slope of dialogue that descends into polarized argument. We yell at each other. We gaslight. We twist one another’s words and meanings. We embrace facts that support our conclusions and ignore those that don’t. Or we sit in silence, afraid to discuss anything of substance. If how you treat others matters to you, this book offers powerful new habits that can give you the confidence to engage in dialogue about hard topics while building and strengthening relationships. Learn successful habits that will allow you to, among other things: Reframe conversations to make them more productive Engage in real learning by breaking free from technological manipulation Ask questions of others to understand their true motivations Recognize gaslighting and not allow it Know when and how to use humor Take time for long reflection Embrace the discomfort of non-closure Whether you’re motivated by a desire for more fruitful discussions about politics or simply bringing more peace to your home, Habits of a Peacemaker offers you the tools to engage in constructive and healthy dialogue."

Steven T. Collis (Author), Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

An Ocean of Courage and Fear

"Based on survivor accounts, this gripping novel opens days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and details three years of sea battles that spanned between Hawaii and the shores of Okinawa with the crew of one of the most decorated ships of the Pacific War. Onboard the heavy cruiser USS Salt Lake City, Lieutenant Commander Justin Collier was 230 miles west of Pearl Harbor accompanying the USS Enterprise on a secret mission when Japan attacked the United States. Upon his return to Honolulu, the gravity of the war begins to change him, as does every subsequent mission, including a rare beach landing with an Army infantry division. He fears his wounds of war, both physical and mental, will be incurable. Meanwhile, on the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, hundreds of wounded men lay scattered in cots and stretchers in and around the naval hospital, and volunteer nurse Heidi Collier feels overwhelmed by the number of casualties. She had watched the bombing by Japanese planes as she huddled with her two children in front of their home, hoping that her husband aboard the USS Salt Lake City was safe wherever he was. In her prayers, she feels he is still alive. Lieutenant Riley Bracken feels the sudden g-force of his catapult-launched observation floatplane with each harrowing mission. Alerting the USS Salt Lake City of enemy ships gives him purpose, which is why no one can know about his recent bouts of vertigo. He can’t risk losing what he loves most. Fifteen-year-old Al Jowdy lied about his age in order to join the Navy. Whatever he believed Navy life would be was shot out of the water—twice—when his ships were torpedoed. Now aboard the Salt Lake City, he fears his luck may have run out. An Ocean of Courage and Fear reveals the harrowing, never-before-told events that surrounded the crew of the USS Salt Lake City as they endure all the major action in the Pacific War."

Jerry Borrowman (Author), Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story; The Seven Battles and Mutiny of At

"Mark Helprin, New York Times bestselling author of Winter’s Tale and A Soldier of the Great War, returns with a fast-paced, beautifully written novel about the majesty of the sea; a life dedicated to duty, honor, and country; and the gift of falling in love. A Navy captain near the end of a decorated career, Stephen Rensselaer is disciplined, intelligent, and determined always to do what’s right. In defending the development of a new variant of warship, he makes an enemy of the president of the United States, who assigns him to command the doomed line’s only prototype––Athena, Patrol Coastal 15––with the intent to humiliate a man who should have been an admiral. Rather than resign, Rensselaer takes the new assignment in stride, and while supervising Athena’s fitting out in New Orleans, encounters a brilliant lawyer, Katy Farrar, with whom he falls in last-chance love. Soon thereafter, he is deployed on a mission that subjects his integrity, morality, and skill to the ultimate test and which ensures that Athena will live forever in the annals of the Navy. As in the Odyssey, Katy is the force that keeps him alive and the beacon that lights the way home through seven battles, mutiny, and court martial. In classic literary form, an enthralling new novel that extolls the virtues of living by the laws of conscience, decency, and sacrifice, The Oceans and the Stars is nothing short of a masterpiece."

Mark Helprin (Author), Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Power of Positive Fishing: A Story of Friendship and the Quest for Happiness

"Michael Tougias and Adam Gamble had good lives: married with two children each, nice homes in the suburbs, jobs that paid the bills, and frequent fishing trips out on the ocean. But those comfortable lives had cracks in them and soon they found themselves hit by a rogue wave of divorce, financial hardship, addiction, and career upheaval. What kept them going—and helped them navigate the rough waters of middle age—was fishing and friendship. Alone on the ocean they not only learned some of the successful secrets of striped bass fishing, but they were also brutally honest in their advice for each other. They began to see their time spent on Adam’s boat, the Scout, as a way to explore new ways of thinking and dreaming big. The two not only discovered ways forward but achieved goals far beyond what they thought possible."

Adam Gamble, Michael J. Tougias (Author), Malcolm Hillgartner, Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

Gunmetal Mountain

"The second in the action-packed new series from Ralph Compton writer, John Shirley, takes traditional Westerns on a wild ride with the epic adventures of master gunfighter, horseman, and Civil War veteran Cleveland Trewe as he and his strong partner, Bernice, fight for survival in 1880s Nevada … Civil War veteran Cleveland Trewe stumbles onto a bizarre cult in the Sierra Nevada mountains—where the faithful are healed and fates are sealed … in blood. They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. But it’s hard to know what’s going on inside the twisted mind of Magnus Lamb, the charismatic leader of an isolated logging town known for its healing hot springs. Some might say he’s created a peaceful utopia here on Gunmetal Mountain. But for Cleveland Trewe and his lovely traveling companion Berry, this little piece of heaven is more like hell on Earth … Cleve and Berry first discover the town after an encounter with a dangerous band of Indians. Cleve vows to find “the Coyote,” a young brave last seen headed for the strange settlement of Lambsville. At first, Cleve and Berry are charmed by the town’s natural beauty and simple way of life. But soon they see the community for what it really is: a brainwashed cult with some oddball beliefs, a rigid caste system, and a leader who thinks he’s the new Messiah. This not-so-innocent Lamb has heard about Cleve’s legendary gunfighting skills and wants him to lead an army to expand his power across the West. It’s bound to be a blood-soaked mission, and Cleve wants no part of it. But if he refuses, there’ll be hell to pay …"

John Shirley (Author), Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Ghost Sequences

"“A haunting is a moment of trauma, infinitely repeated. It extends forward and backward in time. It is the hole grief makes. It is a house built by memory in-between your skin and bones.” A lush and elegant collection of tales—many having appeared in various “Best Of” anthologies—teeming with frightful and tragic events, yet profoundly and intimately human. These chilling tales will engross and enthrall. For readers of Kelly Link, Carmen Maria Machado, and Angela Carter, this is a must have collection of ghostly tales set to deliver a frisson of terror and glee."

A.C. Wise (Author), Alex Boyles, Andrew Gibson, Bradford Hastings, Emily Lawrence, Erica Sullivan, Hillary Huber, Kate Mulligan, Kevin Kenerly, Krystal Hammond, Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cloak of Darkness

"In a quiet London pub, Bob Renwick, founder of counter-terrorist agency Interintell, is handed a list of names. The Minus List has been compiled by the ruthless executive of an international munitions firm, engaged in training terrorists and arms dealing, and he intends to remove anyone who might get in his way. To be on the list means death for the target, their friends and family, and Renwick’s name is third. On a desperate mission that takes him from New York to Paris, from Zurich to Djibouti, Renwick must unmask his nemesis to save all that he holds dear."

Helen Macinnes (Author), Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

Get Your Knee Off Our Necks: From Slavery to Black Lives Matter

"The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the ensuing trial of Derek Chauvin for murder a year later has rubbed raw the bloodiest stain on the United States’ history and its world reputation. The nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds during which Chauvin’s knee crushed the spark of life out of Floyd was not unusual in the history of the United States. Before the US Civil War, slaves were routinely beaten to death for disobeying orders or running away, then often lynched. In roughly two centuries, Blacks have achieved nominal freedom. But, as this audiobook’s opening chapter and expert essays that follow indicate, freedom has been conditional based on inequity of wealth, social, and legal discrimination. None of this is new in the United States; what is new is the number of people rising up in protest, a figure in the millions around the world after Floyd’s murder. This audiobook supplies a readable, scholarly account of recent issues in race and racism in the United States that will be useful for general readers, undergraduate students, and their professors. It will be useful in many fields, including Black studies, other ethnic pursuits, United States history, law, criminal justice, intercultural communication, et al. The work contains a powerful historical narrative followed by several important essays on subjects including George Floyd’s murder, the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and many other victims of systematic racism."

Adebowale Akande, Bruce E. Johansen (Author), Adenrele Ojo, Chris Abell, David Colacci, David Linski, Janina Edwards, Kevin Kenerly, Lisa Ivory, Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Hidden Target

"For Nina O’Connell, a trip round the world was the holiday of a lifetime. Traveling in a group led by the attractive James Kiley and his friend Tony Shawfield, she is surprised when she runs into an old flame on a sunny Amsterdam street. But Robert Renwick, ex-army major attached to NATO, is not there by chance. He is on the hunt for two terrorists who have left a trail of bombings and murder in their wake, and now he must keep Nina safe while trying to discover their next target. Soon Nina is caught up in a grim game of life or death that stretches from the back streets of Bombay to the highest reaches of Washington’s political elite."

Helen Macinnes (Author), Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

Prelude to Terror

"New York art expert Colin Grant is sent to Vienna and bid on a priceless Old Master on behalf of a Texan millionaire. No sooner has Grant landed in Austria than his seemingly simple assignment turns into a nightmare, as he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy to unleash a wave of international terrorism."

Helen Macinnes (Author), Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

Combined Destinies: Whites Sharing Grief About Racism

"By beginning a conversation that encourages self-examination and compassion, Combined Destinies invites readers to look at how white Americans have been hurt by the very ideology that their ancestors created. Editors Ann Todd Jealous and Caroline T. Haskell, both experienced psychotherapists skilled at facilitating dialogue about racial issues, are cognizant of the challenges that even the thought of such conversations often presents. Their book is based on the premise that for positive and lasting change to occur, hearts as well as minds must be opened. This courageous anthology posits that unearned privilege has damaged the psyche of white people as well as their capacity to understand racism. Drawing on the intimate stories of diverse contributors, Combined Destinies is organized thematically, with individual chapters focusing on topics such as guilt, shame, silence, and resistance."

Ann Todd Jealous, Caroline T. Haskell (Author), Ann Richardson, Barbara Henslee, Bernadette Dunne, Caroline Shaffer, Carrington Macduffie, Dion Graham, Hillary Huber, Johnny Heller, Justine Eyre, Pamela Almand, Patrick Lawlor, Robert Fass, Robin Miles, Suzanne Toren, Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Lockhart Plot: Love, Betrayal, Assassination, and Counter-Revolution in Lenin's Russia

"During the spring and summer of 1918, with World War I still undecided, British, French and American agents in Russia developed a breathtakingly audacious plan. Led by Robert Hamilton Bruce Lockhart, a dashing, cynical, urbane thirty-year-old Scot, they conspired to overthrow Lenin’s newly established Bolshevik regime, and to install one that would continue the war against Germany on the Eastern Front. Lockhart’s confidante and chief support, with whom he engaged in a passionate love affair, was the mysterious, alluring Moura von Benkendorff, wife of a former aide-de-camp to the Tsar. The plotters’ chief opponent was ‘Iron Felix’ Dzerzhinsky. He led the Cheka, ‘Sword and Shield’ of the Russian Revolution and forerunner of the KGB. Dzerzhinsky loved humanity—in the abstract. He believed socialism represented humanity’s best hope. To preserve and protect it he would unleash unbounded terror. Revolutionary Russia provided the setting for the ensuing contest. In the back streets of Petrograd and Moscow, in rough gypsy cabarets, in glittering nightclubs, in cells beneath the Cheka’s Lubianka prison, the conspirators engaged in a deadly game of wits for the highest possible stakes—not merely life and death, but the outcome of a world war and the nature of Russia’s post-war regime. Confident of success, the conspirators set the date for an uprising, September 8, 1918, but the Cheka had penetrated their organization and pounced just beforehand. The Lockhart Plot was a turning point in world history, except it failed to turn. At a time when Russian meddling in British and American politics now sounds warning bells, however, we may sense its reverberations and realize that it is still relevant."

Jonathan Schneer (Author), Traber Burns (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Traber Burns