Social Science Audiobooks | Non-Fiction

The New Breed: How to Think About Robots

Brought to you by Penguin. A bold, optimistic exploration of the relationship between robots and humans based on our history with animals, from a renowned MIT researcher The robots are here. They make our cars, they deliver fast food, they mine the sea floor. And in the near-future their presence will increasingly enter our homes and workplaces - making human-robot interaction a frequent, everyday occurrence. What will this future look like? What will define the relationship between humans and robots? Here Kate Darling, a world-renowned expert in robot ethics, shows that in order to understand the new robot world, we must first move beyond the idea that this technology will be something like us. Instead, she argues, we should look to our relationship with animals. Just as we have harnessed the power of animals to aid us in war and work, so too will robots supplement - rather than replace - our own skills and abilities. A deeply original analysis of our technological future and the ethical dilemmas that await us, The New Breed explains how the treatment of machines can reveal a new understanding of our own history, our own systems and how we relate - not just to non-humans, but also to each other. 'A must read for anyone interested in the emerging ethics of robotics' Irene M. Pepperberg 'Endless ink has been spilled on AI and our robot future. Just when it seems there's nothing left to be said, along comes Kate Darling's book. For the first time, it seems we're having the conversation we ought to be having' Tim O'Reilly © Kate Darling 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Kate Darling (Author), Hillary Huber (Narrator)

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[French] - Comment devenir antiraciste

En 2000, Ibram X. Kendi, jeune étudiant, donna un discours dans le cadre du concours d'éloquence Martin Luther King Jr. et il présenta la jeunesse noire comme la source de tous les problèmes de la communauté. Ce discours raciste déclencha chez lui un processus d'introspection profonde. Véritable manuel d'éthique raciale du XXIe siècle, cet ouvrage met fin à l'idée qu'il est possible de ne pas être raciste. Nous sommes soit racistes - ceux qui laissent les idées racistes proliférer sans s'y opposer-, soit antiracistes - ceux qui dénoncent ces idées à chaque fois qu'ils les rencontrent-. Des concepts les plus élémentaires aux possibilités visionnaires, Ibram X. Kendi nous inviteà remarquer toutes les formes de racisme, à comprendre leurs conséquences désastreuses et à nous y opposer. Une prise de conscience nécessaire qui contribuera à la formation d'une société juste et équitable ! Ibram X. Kendi est le directeur et fondateur du Centre de recherche de politiques antiracistes de l'American University. Professeur d'histoire et de relations internationales, il est également conférencier et journaliste pour The Atlantic. Son précédent ouvrage, Stamped from the Beginning, a remporté le National Book Award.

Ibram X. Kendi (Author), Pierre Desuyemon (Narrator)

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Greek Myths: Digitally narrated using a synthesized voice

This recording has been digitally produced, by DeepZen Limited, using a synthesized version of an audiobook narrator’s voice under license. DeepZen uses Emotive Speech Technology to create digital narrations that offer a similar listening experience to human narration. Plato dismissed Greek mythology as ‘old wives’ chatter’ but such chatter, from the Minotaur to the Trojan Horse, from Zeus to Prometheus, Heracles to the Argonauts, has been of immense influence for thousands of years. Those tales of deities and beasts, and of heroes and villains, must have possessed some quality to have lasted so long. Thousands of years on, we still refer in our every day lives to Achilles, Pandora and Narcissus. From Hades in the Underworld to Pegasus in flight, Greek Myths & Legends is an accessible introduction to the world of such characters as the Titans, Aphrodite and Poseidon. The book tells the story of Greek mythology from its creation myths and gods to its tales of mortals. Along the way we see the development of the pantheon of the major Greek deities, the dynastic struggles among the early gods, the creation of the Underworld and we learn how Ariadne, Medea and Perseus, among many others, fit into the mythic universe. The book also examines how Greek myths have survived in written texts, ceramics, art and architecture, and the legacy of Greek mythology in Roman culture and the Middle Ages, as well as its revival in the Renaissance and its enduring appeal today. Greek Myths & Legends is an engaging, highly informative exploration of a fascinating world and will appeal to anyone interested in legends and ancient cultures.

Martin J. Dougherty (Author), William Birch (male Synthesized Voice) (Narrator)

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The American Indian: A Standing Indictment Against Christianity and Statism in America

Long before state health care or food stamps, before the creation of welfare ghettoes in our major cities, America’s first experiment with socialism and government dependency practically destroyed the American Indian. Government experts created the Indian reservations. America’s churches whole-heartedly supported it, convinced the reservation would be the key to winning souls for Christianity. In 1944 young R. J. Rushdoony arrived at the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Nevada as a missionary to the Shoshone and the Paiute Indians. For eight years he lived with them, worked with them, ministered to them and listened to their stories. He came to know them intimately, both as individuals and as a people. This is his story, and theirs. It is also the story of an experiment that failed, disastrously—and exercise in statist paternalism and ineffective Christian meddling whose effects ravage the Indians to this day. The reservation system debased the people it was meant to serve, and the churches failed in their mission; until, in the end, the proud and resourceful Indian was transformed into “a defeated man, lacking in character.” This is Rushdoony’s eyewitness testimony to that failure. Today, as America’s leaders expand the welfare state and radically transform the entire nation, we’d do well to reconsider this first experiment in government dependency and a Christianity stripped of God’s law—before all of the United States is transformed into a massive reservation on a continental scale. Rushdoony’s description of our past is also an indictment of our statist future.

R. J. Rushdoony (Author), Nathan Conkey (Narrator)

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Schlacht der Identitäten: 20 Thesen zum Rassismus-und wie wir ihm die Macht nehmen

Der Kampf gegen den Rassismus ist eine Menschheitsaufgabe Hamed Abdel-Samad hat Rassismus erlebt: In Agypten wurde er als hellhAutiger Kreuzritterbastard denunziert, in Deutschland ist seine Haut manchen zu dunkel, sein Name anderen zu muslimisch. Dieses erfahrungssatte Buch ist kein Bericht der Betroffenheit. Es ist die Analyse eines durch Globalisierung, Migration und VorfAlle in den USA auch hierzulande angeheizten Themas. Die RadikalitAt der Debatte, die in Deutschland weit Uber das Thema Rassismus hinaus Fragen von IdentitAt, ZugehOrigkeit, Rederecht und Redeverbot behandelt, droht die Gesellschaft tief zu spalten. Abdel-Samad sucht die Auseinandersetzung zu rationalisieren und zeigt im Individualismus einen Ausweg aus der zwanghaft identitAtsfixierten ZugehOrigkeitsdebatte

Hamed Abdel-Samad (Author), Klaus B. Wolf (Narrator)

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Make Your Own Sunshine: Inspiring Stories of People Who Find Light in Dark Times

These are the kinds of stories we need right now. While the news is filled with villains and villainy, we do see a few famous heroes now and again. But what about the everyday heroes? The people going out of their way bring a little love into someone else's life? They deserve a time in the spotlight to inspire us all. Life can be tough—but it helps to know other people have come through hard times with a smile on their face. In Make Your Own Sunshine, Janice Dean shares inspiring stories that will lift your spirit and touch your heart. Good people are all around us doing selfless deeds, from a firefighter who bravely battled for his colleague’s health after 9/11 to a good Samaritan who secretly pays for the coffees of everyone in line behind him. You can’t help but smile reading about the teacher who cut her hair to make her student feel better. And you may shed a tear when you hear the story of the dad who never missed writing a napkin note for his daughter, including stashing extra notes in case he lost his batter with cancer. From a young man who makes bow ties for dogs waiting to be adopted to an Uber driver who brightened a new mom’s day by helping her buy baby clothes, the heroes in this story will warm your heart and stick in your mind. Janice has made it her mission to uncover and document these good stories to inspire us and gives us a much-needed boost of optimism. All we have to do is open our minds and our hearts, to look for the light on a cloudy day. Because as she reminds us, if we don’t make our own sunshine—who will? Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Janice Dean (Author), Janice Dean (Narrator)

Audiobook

Parent Like It Matters: How to Raise Joyful, Change-Making Girls

An accessible blueprint to embolden our daughters to be critical thinkers, fearless doers, and joyful change agents for our future-from the proud mother of teen activist Marley Dias, founder of 1000BLACKGIRLBOOKS. "A stunning and pathbreaking how-to guide and memoir for every mom, dad, or caregiver who believes in rearing children to be healthy individuals and caring citizens."-Khalil Gibran Muhammad, author of The Condemnation of Blackness Renowned sociologist Janice Johnson Dias has devoted her life to nurturing and training girls to become changemakers-whether through her investment in her daughter Marley's humanitarian projects or through her work with the GrassROOTS Community Foundation "SuperCamp" she co-founded for girls. In these unprecedented times, her work has never been more urgent, as parents find themselves asking: How do we teach girls to change the world? Dr. Johnson Dias knows that self-realized girls are created through intentional parenting. And so she asks parents to make deliberate choices-from babyhood through adolescence-that will give their girls the resources and foundation to take hold of their own futures and to create sustainable social change. Unlike other parenting experts, Dr. Johnson Dias doesn't urge parents to focus solely on their children. Instead, she tasks them with a personal challenge: to find their own joy. Just as Dr. Johnson Dias brings her own jubilant passion to parenting, mentoring, and teaching, she inspires caregivers to do the same. Using cutting-edge research and Dr. Johnson Dias's own experiences, the book offers information and strategies for making discussions of racism and sexism a daily practice, identifying heroes and mentors, educating yourselves together, and uncovering your girl's passions and what issues drive her the most. Parenting is enormous work; it can be as overwhelming as it is fulfilling. Within the pages of Parent Like It Matters, parents will find the invaluable tools they need to raise resilient, optimistic girls who determine for themselves what their world will look like. * This audiobook includes a bonus pdf of assignments, appendices and a list of resources from the book.

Janice Johnson Dias (Author), Jacqueline Woodson, Janice Johnson Dias (Narrator)

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The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir

"A beautiful book… an instant classic of the genre." -Dwight Garner, New York Times • A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice MIT psychologist and bestselling author of Reclaiming Conversation and Alone Together, Sherry Turkle's intimate memoir of love and work For decades, Sherry Turkle has shown how we remake ourselves in the mirror of our machines. Here, she illuminates our present search for authentic connection in a time of uncharted challenges. Turkle has spent a career composing an intimate ethnography of our digital world; now, marked by insight, humility, and compassion, we have her own. In this vivid and poignant narrative, Turkle ties together her coming-of-age and her pathbreaking research on technology, empathy, and ethics. Growing up in postwar Brooklyn,Turkle searched for clues to her identity in a house filled with mysteries. She mastered the codes that governed her mother's secretive life. She learned never to ask about her absent scientist father--and never to use his name, her name. Before empathy became a way to find connection, it was her strategy for survival. Turkle's intellect and curiosity brought her to worlds on the threshold of change. She learned friendship at a Harvard-Radcliffe on the cusp of coeducation during the antiwar movement, she mourned the loss of her mother in Paris as students returned from the 1968 barricades, and she followed her ambition while fighting for her place as a woman and a humanist at MIT. There, Turkle found turbulent love and chronicled the wonders of the new computer culture, even as she warned of its threat to our most essential human connections. The Empathy Diaries captures all this in rich detail--and offers a master class in finding meaning through a life's work.

Sherry Turkle (Author), Jill Larson (Narrator)

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Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe: Four Weeks that Shaped a Pandemic

From the BC doctor who has become a household name for leading the response to the pandemic, a personal account of the first weeks of COVID, for readers of Sam Nutt's Damned Nations and James Maskalyk's Life on the Ground Floor. Dr. Bonnie Henry has been called 'one of the most effective public health figures in the world' by The New York Times. She has been called 'a calming voice in a sea of coronavirus madness,' and 'our hero' in national newspapers. But in the waning days of 2019, when the first rumours of a strange respiratory ailment in Wuhan, China began to trickle into her office in British Columbia, these accolades lay in a barely imaginable future. Only weeks later, the whole world would look back on the previous year with the kind of nostalgia usually reserved for the distant past. With a staggering suddenness, our livelihoods, our closest relationships, our habits and our homes had all been transformed. In a moment when half-truths threatened to drown out the truth, when recklessness all too often exposed those around us to very real danger, and when it was difficult to tell paranoia from healthy respect for an invisible threat, Dr. Henry's transparency, humility, and humanity became a beacon for millions of Canadians. And her trademark enjoinder to be kind, be calm, and be safe became words for us all to live by. Coincidentally, Dr. Henry's sister, Lynn, arrived in BC for a long-planned visit on March 12, just as the virus revealed itself as a pandemic. For the four ensuing weeks, Lynn had rare insight into the whirlwind of Bonnie's daily life, with its moments of agony and gravity as well as its occasional episodes of levity and grace. Both a global story and a family story, Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe combines Lynn's observations and knowledge of Bonnie's personal and professional background with Bonnie's recollections of how and why decisions were made, to tell in a vivid way the dramatic tale of the four weeks that changed all our lives. Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Safe is about communication, leadership, and public trust; about the balance between politics and policy; and, at heart, about what and who we value, as individuals and a society. The authors' advance from the publisher has been donated to charities with a focus on alleviating communities hit particularly hard by the pandemic: True North Aid with its Covid-19 response in Northern Indigenous communities, and First Book Canada, with its focus on reading and literacy for underserved, marginalized youth.

Bonnie Henry, Lynn Henry (Author), Dawn Harvey, Erin Moon (Narrator)

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Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America

The story of one woman's struggle to care for her seriously ill husband-and a revealing look at the role unpaid family caregivers play in a society that fails to provide them with structural support. Already Toast shows how all-consuming caregiving can be, how difficult it is to find support, and how the social and literary narratives that have long locked women into providing emotional labor also keep them in unpaid caregiving roles. When Kate Washington and her husband, Brad, learned that he had cancer, they were a young couple: professionals with ascending careers, parents to two small children. Brad's diagnosis stripped those identities away: he became a patient and she his caregiver. Brad's cancer quickly turned aggressive, necessitating a stem-cell transplant that triggered a massive infection, robbing him of his eyesight and nearly of his life. Kate acted as his full-time aide to keep him alive, coordinating his treatments, making doctors' appointments, calling insurance companies, filling dozens of prescriptions, cleaning commodes, administering IV drugs. She became so burned out that, when she took an online quiz on caregiver self-care, her result cheerily declared: "You're already toast!" Through it all, she felt profoundly alone, but, as she later learned, she was in fact one of millions: an invisible army of family caregivers working every day in America, their unpaid labor keeping our troubled healthcare system afloat. Because our culture both romanticizes and erases the realities of care work, few caregivers have shared their stories publicly. As the baby-boom generation ages, the number of family caregivers will continue to grow. Readable, relatable, timely, and often raw, Already Toast-with its clear call for paying and supporting family caregivers-is a crucial intervention in that conversation, bringing together personal experience with deep research to give voice to those tasked with the overlooked, vital work of caring for the seriously ill.

Kate Washington (Author), Siiri Scott (Narrator)

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Uprooted: Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind

'A superior exploration of the consequences of the hollowing out of our agricultural heartlands.'-Kirkus Reviews In the tradition of Wendell Berry, a young writer wrestles with what we owe the places we've left behind. In the tiny farm town of Emmett, Idaho, there are two kinds of people: those who leave and those who stay. Those who leave go in search of greener pastures, better jobs, and college. Those who stay are left to contend with thinning communities, punishing government farm policy, and environmental decay. Grace Olmstead, now a journalist in Washington, DC, is one who left, and in Uprooted, she examines the heartbreaking consequences of uprooting-for Emmett, and for the greater heartland America. Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, Uprooted wrestles with the questions of what we owe the places we come from and what we are willing to sacrifice for profit and progress. As part of her own quest to decide whether or not to return to her roots, Olmstead revisits the stories of those who, like her great-grandparents and grandparents, made Emmett a strong community and her childhood idyllic. She looks at the stark realities of farming life today, identifying the government policies and big agriculture practices that make it almost impossible for such towns to survive. And she explores the ranks of Emmett's newcomers and what growth means for the area's farming tradition. Avoiding both sentimental devotion to the past and blind faith in progress, Olmstead uncovers ways modern life attacks all of our roots, both metaphorical and literal. She brings readers face to face with the damage and brain drain left in the wake of our pursuit of self-improvement, economic opportunity, and so-called growth. Ultimately, she comes to an uneasy conclusion for herself: one can cultivate habits and practices that promote rootedness wherever one may be, but: some things, once lost, cannot be recovered.

Grace Olmstead (Author), Grace Olmstead (Narrator)

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I Had a Miscarriage: A Memoir, a Movement

Sixteen weeks into her second pregnancy, psychologist Jessica Zucker miscarried at home, alone. Suddenly, her career, spent specializing in reproductive and maternal mental health, was rendered corporeal, no longer just theoretical. She now had a changed perspective on her life's work, her patients' pain, and the crucial need for a zeitgeist shift. Navigating this nascent transition amid her own grief became a catalyst for Jessica to bring voice to this ubiquitous experience. She embarked on a mission to upend the strident trifecta of silence, shame, and stigma that surrounds reproductive loss-and the result is her striking memoir meets manifesto. Drawing from her psychological expertise and her work as the creator of the #IHadaMiscarriage campaign, I Had a Miscarriage is a heart-wrenching, thought-provoking, and validating book about navigating these liminal spaces and the vitality of truth telling-an urgent reminder of the power of speaking openly and unapologetically about the complexities of our lives. Jessica Zucker weaves her own experience and other women's stories into a compassionate and compelling exploration of grief as a necessary, nuanced personal and communal process. She inspires her readers to speak their truth and, in turn, to ignite transformative change within themselves and in our culture.

Jessica Zucker (Author), Jessica Zucker (Narrator)

Audiobook

Social Science Audiobooks in Non-Fiction