Current Affairs, Law, & Politics Audiobooks | Non-Fiction

Made in America: The dark history that led to Donald Trump

Edward Stourton (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Black Public Joy: No Permit Or Permission Required

"From writer, award-winning placemaker and urbanist, Jay Pitter, this is a profoundly beautiful and essential text that asserts, with intimacy and insight, our collective responsibility to protect and enhance each other's public joy. When Jay Pitter was growing up in a poorly designed government housing neighbourhood, her mom inundated her with public space etiquette rules in hopes of helping her to transcend the city's oppressive margins. Pitter's mother believed that for Black people, especially poor Black people like them, survival and dignity hinged on presenting well in public. Despite a deep regard for her mother's efforts, decades later, Pitter has emerged as an award-winning placemaker and urban planning lecturer advocating for equitable public spaces where people aren't made to present well or repress healthy self-expression. Authored during a global pandemic and sparked in large part by the public execution of George Floyd, Black Public Joy is an intimate narrative contextualizing these and other events while evoking Pitter's personal experiences navigating public spaces. She locates polarizing media headlines and neighbourhood debates in actual public spaces expertly guiding readers on a revelatory collective journey. The book explores themes such as the contemporary significance of the "slave" action block, invisible urban policies that continue to restrict Black peoples' freedom, and the trauma of constantly assessing racial safety risks. She reminds us too of Black people's sacred place-based wisdom and vibrant pageantry. In a book both urgent and necessary, Pitter deepens our understanding of Black public joy as a democratic right and summons everyone to become each others' safe(r), sacred space. "

Jay Pitter (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian America

"An intersectional analysis of evangelical purity culture's influence on gender, sexuality, race, and national identity in the United States. With a foreword by Linda Kay Klein, author of Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free. In After Purity, purity scholar Sara Moslener conducts a nuanced investigation of purity culture in white evangelical Christianity, revealing its profound impact on gender, sexuality, race, and national identity in the United States. Moslener shares exclusive stories of participants from her research on the After Purity Project to discuss how purity culture affected women-particularly white women-who grew up in the evangelical church. These stories depict how white supremacy has a hand in constructing idealized "traditional" or "biblical" views of family, white racial identity, sexuality, gender expression, and religion, and how our physical bodies are situated within systems of power and oppression. With a blend of history, current research, and sustained analysis, Moslener explores how white evangelicalism has become so politically powerful, why gender and sexuality are positioned at the center of debate, and how those debates aim to obscure deeper histories of white evangelical racism. She describes the full disturbing effect of the "True Love Waits" movement and how purity teachings displaced all other forms of religious education in evangelicalism. From her interviewees in the After Purity Project, she shares stories of oppressive personal piety, sexual repression, disembodiment, self-hatred, mandatory hetero-normativity, and the many layers of obligation and shame in sexuality before reaching adulthood and navigating their way out of the church. Moslener also describes her own story of being a teen advocate for purity culture to becoming a researcher, scholar, and advocate for people harmed by purity. After Purity provides a window into the world of white evangelicalism and how its leaders and political allies have manufactured socio-sexual panic to justify the elimination of sexual and religious diversity that thrive in a flourishing democracy."

Sara Moslener (Author), Melanie Carey (Narrator)

Audiobook

24 Hours at the Capitol: An Oral History of the January 6th Insurrection

"The 24 Hours in Charlottesville author offers a minute-by-minute account of the January 6 riots through never-before-heard stories of those who were there Neus goes beyond mainstream reporting to reveal important truths about the US white nationalist movement This bracing account reconstructs what it was actually like in and around the Capitol during those 24 hours. - Lawmakers recount donning gas masks and being evacuated to safe rooms. - Police officers recall insurrectionists screaming at them and calling them traitors. - Staffers remember "walking over pools of blood" as they ran for their lives. - A young Asian-American staffer recalls locking herself in a room just feet from the rioters, mentally preparing to be raped. - A mostly Black janitorial staff began cleaning the blood of insurrectionists off the marble floor on the Capitol before the building was even officially secured. Neus's sources include original interviews, court documents, firsthand accounts, the US Capitol Historical Society's oral history project on the insurrection, and the work of Tim Heaphy, chief investigator of the congressional January 6 Select Committee. January 6 was largely planned right out in the open, but lawmakers and government officials underestimated the threat in part because it was coming from white people. Neus examines the underlying racial implications of not only the attack itself, but also in the planning and coordination of the response."

Nora Neus (Author), Amara Jasper (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Great Heist: China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets

Andrew Badger, David R. Shedd (Author), Fred Sanders (Narrator)

Audiobook

In Trudeau’s Kitchen: My Unexpected Journey with Sophie Trudeau – Power and the Politics of Intuitio

"In Trudeau’s Kitchen is a shocking revelation of how an ordinary citizen can become the target of not only the political world—but of an invisible empire of covert systems, governmental agencies, and even the corporations we depend on daily. Brown’s story exposes the dark arsenal wielded by power-brokers to direct human consciousness through cyber-manipulation, algorithmic polarization, and targeted surveillance. With bold new language, this book calls out the ‘techno-terrorists’ and ‘invisi-bullies’ who influence our online and offline communities. In a visceral and deeply relatable way, In Trudeau’s Kitchen exposes the true nature of abuse of power, while arming us with the tools to confront it head-on. The reader will come away equipped to better protect themselves from those who seek to utilize technology to turn us against ourselves, and each other. In Trudeau’s Kitchen is more than an exposé on the invisible world operating behind the scenes. This book also represents the archetypal Hero’s Journey. It is the candid account of a lone wolf citizen, steadfastly committed to exposing truth to power, while facing unimaginable attack and betrayal."

Jeff Brown (Author), Jeff Brown (Narrator)

Audiobook

American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now

"How did Americans come to elect Barack Obama—and then Donald Trump? Those choices capture what Paul Starr calls the American contradiction. The whole truth about America, Starr argues in this new history of the United States since the 1950s, has never been contained in one consistent set of values or interests. Our nation was born in the contradiction between freedom and slavery. Today it is beset by a contradiction between a changing people and a resisting nation, a nation with entrenched institutions that have empowered those who fear the changes and look to restore an old America of their imagining. Starr tells this history from the dual standpoints of the progressive movements that changed the American people and of the movements that emerged in response. Black Americans, he argues, served as a model minority, setting in motion America’s twentieth-century revolutions in gender as well as race and rights. With industry’s decline and the rise of economic inequality, millions of Americans have felt dispossessed and want the old America back. Trump is their revenge. American Contradiction tells the story of how 1950s America became the almost unrecognizable America of the 2020s."

Paul Starr (Author), Mark Bramhall (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Book of Kin: On Absence, Love, and Being There

"A remarkable debut that explores the imperfect ways we care for one another, and how we seek repair when care fails. “What’s our obligation to each other?” asks Jennifer Eli Bowen in this propulsive exploration of community, solitude, and love. Drawing on her experiences as a mother, daughter, and founder of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, the country’s largest and most enduring prison-based literary organization, she examines the wild spectrum of shapes that care can take. She investigates the role of community across the world and in her own neighborhood, driven by a curiosity to uncover what might be gleaned from various vanishments in her own life: the shadow of her father, disappeared backyard chickens, a Moleskine notebook that passes in and out of her Little Free Library. Tracing both connection and its lack, Bowen uncovers what happens when it’s missing, how we find it, and how it heals individuals, communities, and systems—from the incarcerated caretakers of newborn foals in Norway to the time-bending drama of watching children grow into adults. And through this winding quest to understand love, she moves readers out of their complacency not only about the state of American incarceration, but about what we owe ourselves and society. Unflinching, vulnerable, and surprisingly funny, The Book of Kin encourages us not to abandon each other, reminding us that “harm is shared, and healing is too.”"

Jennifer Eli Bowen (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Honest Book of Presidents: The Men Who Shaped America

"A guide to the fascinating history of the American presidency from top experts. Only the most remarkable Americans have been granted the title, President of the United States. In this short keepsake volume, PragerU’s world-renowned historians, political thinkers, and bestselling authors will give you a glimpse into those remarkable Americans’ inspiring stories, recounting the history that too often goes untold. Covering every president from Washington to Trump, The Honest Book of Presidents refutes the revisionist historical narratives now dominant in the education system, and shows how our leaders formed and preserved the ideals of the nation’s founding. It covers many of the key facts from presidential history, such as John Adams’ pivotal role behind the scenes in the Revolution, why Warren Harding is overlooked while his vice president is underrated, and how Lincoln changed history in two minutes. You’ll learn how these leaders and others overcame their vices with virtue, achieved victory in war, and formed new political parties—Republicans, Democrats, and Whigs included. We owe our liberty to these leaders. They set America on the path we still follow, and they had complex lives, often full of contradictions and trials. The Honest Book of Presidents is a unique overview of American history. You’ll be glad you read it, and more deeply thankful to be an American."

Prager University (Author), Allen Estrin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Infected: How Power, Politics, and Privilege Use Science Against the World’s Most Vulnerable

"In this groundbreaking new book, award-winning scientist Muhammad H. Zaman delves into the history of US epidemics, from the earliest cases of syphilis, cholera, and smallpox to AIDS and the recent COVID crisis, to show how the country's response (or lack thereof) to infectious disease in America is part of a critical, time-tested strategy in America's toolbox of oppression of the weak, the poor, and the non-white. In the vein of Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Dorothy Roberts's Fatal Invention, Infected is the epic story of white supremacists, compromised doctors, racist politicians, and the heroes who challenged them. Zaman shows that exclusionary immigration acts, the Tuskegee syphilis experiments, the development of biological weapons, the early response to the AIDS epidemic, the fake CIA vaccination campaign in Pakistan, and the xenophobic rhetoric sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic are all parts of the same deeper story—one of medical science twisted in the service of social control. This is a story that continues today, on Native American reservations, in foreign zones occupied by the US military, and on our borders, where asylum seekers are denied lifesaving medicines. Melding cutting-edge science and history, Infected presents infection as a key to understanding our recent past, present, and future."

Muhammad H. Zaman (Author), Shawn K. Jain (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Coroner's Silence: Death Records and the Hidden Victims of Police Violence

"For readers of His Name Is George Floyd and Under the Skin A landmark investigation into forensic medicine that exposes the systematic concealment of state-sanctioned violence through death investigations Each year, police officers kill over 1,000 people they've sworn to protect and serve. While some cases, like George Floyd's and Sandra Bland's, capture national attention, most victims remain nameless, their stories untold. The Coroner's Silence reveals a disturbing truth about these cases: coroners and other death investigators are often complicit in obscuring the violent circumstances of in-custody deaths. Through rigorous research-including critical records analysis, public health studies, and interviews with victims' families-this book unmasks the systemic failures within forensic medicine. Terence Keel shows how incomplete autopsy reports, mishandled medical documents, and strategically lost evidence effectively shield law enforcement from accountability. The Coroner's Silence uncovers how the current system of death investigation operates as a mechanism of institutional safeguarding. By highlighting the structural powerlessness of coroners and their disconnection from the communities most affected by police violence, Keel demonstrates how bureaucratic processes can render human suffering invisible. True accountability requires more than procedural reform. It demands a fundamental reimagining of how we investigate, document, and understand deaths at the hands of state institutions. The Coroner's Silence is a crucial intervention that challenges us to confront the deeply ingrained mechanisms that perpetuate systemic violence."

Terence Keel (Author), André Santana (Narrator)

Audiobook

My Mother's Money: A Guide to Financial Caregiving

"A comprehensive, compassionate guide for navigating end-of-life financial decisions for an aging parent or other loved one-from an award-winning journalist who is also a Certified Financial Planner Have you just gotten the dreaded phone call-a parent or loved one has taken a turn for the worse and suddenly the burden is on you to manage their affairs? Or are you simply hoping to navigate complex financial conversations with your aging mother or father well in advance so you don't encounter problems later? This is the book for you. In this practical handbook, award-winning MarketWatch columnist and financial expert Beth Pinsker walks you through everything you need to know about the complex world of end-of-life financial planning. Weaving personal stories from her experience caring for her elderly mother with best practices gleaned from more than 100 experts and family caregivers, My Mother's Money is a much-needed lifeline to those facing one of life's most challenging transitions. Drawing on the latest legal, financial, and healthcare resources, Beth offers clear, actionable advice on common scenarios millions of people will face: - How to become a parent's legally authorized healthcare and financial proxy - Budget templates for projecting long-term care costs - Easy-to-understand advice on settling an estate or handling insurance - Scripts for broaching tricky conversations with aging parents - Strategies to avoid potential financial shortfalls - Tips for managing the emotional toll of "caregiver burnout" Watching your parents age can stir up a mix of emotions-nostalgia, concern, and often, a sense of uncertainty about the future. And assuming care for your aging loved ones can be an overwhelming sea of endless checklists, textbook explanations, and mind-numbing paperwork. With this definitive guide to elder financial planning, you can navigate these processes with confidence, saving time, energy, and peace of mind for what really matters. * This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing a resource guide from the book."

Beth Pinsker (Author), Jody Prusan (Narrator)

Audiobook

Current Affairs, Law, & Politics Audiobooks in Non-Fiction