Asia Audiobooks | Travel

Considered one of China’s great classical novels, Wu Ch’êng-ên's Journey to the West was translated by Arthur Waley in abridged form as Monkey in 1942 and has delighted English readers ever since. It is a riveting adventure story about a priest's quest to obtain holy Buddhist scriptures for the Tang emperor; joining him on this rollicking journey: Sandy, Pigsy and the mischievous Monkey King, Sun Wukong, whose flying cloud and magic cudgel are never far from his infamous deeds. Waley's accessible rendition of Wu Ch’êng-ên's novel has become a classic in its own right: Gods, demons and disobedient monkey spirits all come alive in this entertaining work.

Wu Ch'êng-ên (Author), Kenneth Williams (Narrator)

Audiobook

Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia-Pacific War, Vol 1: July 1937-May 1942

An eye-opening, pathbreaking account of the onset of the Asia-Pacific War, by the acclaimed author of Downfall and Guadalcanal. In 1937, the swath of the globe east from India to the Pacific Ocean enclosed half the worlds population, all save a fraction enduring under some form of colonialism. Japans onslaught into China that year unleashed a tidal wave of events that fundamentally transformed this region and killed about twenty-five million people. From just two nation states with real sovereignty, Thailand and Japan, and two with compromised sovereignty, China and Mongolia, the region today encompasses at least nineteen major sovereign nations. This extraordinary World War II narrative vividly describes the battles across this entire region and links those struggles on many levels with their profound twenty-firstcentury legacies. Beginning with Chinas long-neglected years of heroic, costly resistance, Tower of Skulls explodes outward to campaigns including Singapore, the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies, India, and Burma, as well as across the Pacific to Pearl Harbor. These pages cast penetrating light on how struggles in Europe and Asia merged into a tightly entwined global war. They feature not just battles, but also the sweeping political, economic, and social effects of the war, and are graced with a rich tapestry of individual characters from top-tier political and military figures down to ordinary servicemen, as well as the accounts of civilians of all races and ages. In this first volume of a trilogy, award-winning historian Richard B. Frank draws on rich archival research and recently discovered documentary evidence to tell an epic story that gave birth to the world we live in now.

Richard B. Frank (Author), L.J. Ganser (Narrator)

Audiobook

Vietnam: An Epic History of a Divisive War 1945-1975

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A masterful performance' Sunday Times 'Magnificent... One by one, the sacred canons of right and left are obliterated. The war is laid bare, with all its uncomfortable truths exposed' The Times 'An altogether magnificent historical narrative.' Tim O'Brien Vietnam became the Western world's most divisive modern conflict, precipitating a battlefield humiliation for France in 1954, then a vastly greater one for the United States in 1975. Max Hastings has spent the past three years interviewing scores of participants on both sides, as well as researching a multitude of American and Vietnamese documents and memoirs, to create an epic narrative of an epic struggle. He portrays the set pieces of Dienbienphu, the Tet offensive, the air blitz of North Vietnam, and less familiar battles such as the bloodbath at Daido, where a US Marine battalion was almost wiped out, together with extraordinary recollections of Ho Chi Minh's warriors. Here are the vivid realities of strife amid jungle and paddies that killed 2 million people. Many writers treat the war as a US tragedy, yet Hastings sees it as overwhelmingly that of the Vietnamese people, of whom forty died for every American. US blunders and atrocities were matched by those committed by their enemies. While all the world has seen the image of a screaming, naked girl seared by napalm, it forgets countless eviscerations, beheadings and murders carried out by the communists. The people of both former Vietnams paid a bitter price for the Northerners' victory in privation and oppression. Here is testimony from Vietcong guerrillas, Southern paratroopers, Saigon bargirls and Hanoi students alongside that of infantrymen from South Dakota, Marines from North Carolina, Huey pilots from Arkansas. No past volume has blended a political and military narrative of the entire conflict with heart-stopping personal experiences, in the fashion that Max Hastings' readers know so well. The author suggests that neither side deserved to win this struggle with so many lessons for the 21st century about the misuse of military might to confront intractable political and cultural challenges. He marshals testimony from warlords and peasants, statesmen and soldiers, to create an extraordinary record.

Max Hastings (Author), Peter Noble (Narrator)

Audiobook

Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was destroyed by the first atom bomb ever dropped on a city. This book, John Hersey's journalistic masterpiece, tells what happened on that day. Told through the memories of survivors, this timeless, powerful and compassionate document has become a classic 'that stirs the conscience of humanity' (The New York Times). Almost four decades after the original publication of this celebrated book, John Hersey went back to Hiroshima in search of the people whose stories he had told. His account of what he discovered about them is now the eloquent and moving final chapter of Hiroshima.

John Hersey (Author), George Guidall (Narrator)

Audiobook

Pacific Payback: The Carrier Aviators Who Avenged Pearl Harbor at the Battle of Midway

Sunday, December 7, 1941, dawned clear and bright over the Pacific.... But for the Dauntless dive-bomber crews of the USS Enterprise returning to their home base on Oahu, it was a morning from hell. Flying directly into the Japanese ambush at Pearl Harbor, they lost a third of their squadron and witnessed the heart of America's Navy broken and smoldering on the oil-slicked waters below. The next six months, from Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Midway-a dark time during which the Japanese scored victory after victory-this small band of aviators saw almost constant deployment, intense carrier combat, and fearsome casualties. Many were killed by enemy Zero fighters, antiaircraft fire, or deadly crash landings in the Pacific, while others were captured and spent years in POW camps. Yet the Enterprise's Dauntless crews would be the first to strike an offensive blow against Japanese installations in the Marshall Islands, would be the first to sink a Japanese warship, and would shepherd the Doolittle Raiders' bombing of Tokyo. Not until Midway, though, would Dauntless crews get the chance to settle the score. In June 1942, Japan mobilized the best of its Navy to draw out the smaller American carrier fleet for a final showdown designed to destroy the U.S. Navy once and for all. What they didn't anticipate was the gutsy dive-bombing pilots and gunners whose courage and skill would change the course of World War II. Drawing on dozens of new interviews and oral histories, author Stephen L. Moore brings to life inspiring stories of individual sacrifice and bravery-and the sweeping saga of one of America's greatest triumphs.

Stephen L. Moore (Author), Don Hagen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution

The dramatic real life stories of four young people caught up in the mass exodus of Shanghai in the wake of China's 1949 Communist revolution. Shanghai has historically been China's jewel, its richest, most modern, and westernized city. The bustling metropolis was home to sophisticated intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and a thriving middle class when Mao's proletarian revolution emerged victorious from the long civil war. Terrified of the horrors the Communists would wreak upon their lives, citizens of Shanghai who could afford to fled in every direction. Benny, who as a teenager became the unwilling heir to his father's dark wartime legacy, must decide either to escape to Hong Kong or navigate the intricacies of a newly Communist China. The resolute Annuo, forced to flee her home with her father, a defeated Nationalist official, becomes an unwelcome exile in Taiwan. The financially strapped Ho fights deportation from the U.S. in order to continue his studies while his family struggles at home. And Bing, given away by her poor parents, faces the prospect of a new life among strangers in America. The lives of these men and women are marvelously portrayed, revealing the dignity and triumph of personal survival.

Helen Zia (Author), Nancy Wu (Narrator)

Audiobook

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

In Wild Swans Jung Chang recounts the evocative, unsettling, and insistently gripping story of how three generations of women in her family fared in the political maelstrom of China during the 20th century. Chang's grandmother was a warlord's concubine. Her gently raised mother struggled with hardships in the early days of Mao's revolution and rose, like her husband, to a prominent position in the Communist Party before being denounced during the Cultural Revolution. Chang herself marched, worked, and breathed for Mao until doubt crept in over the excesses of his policies and purges. Born just a few decades apart, their lives overlap with the end of the warlords' regime and overthrow of the Japanese occupation, violent struggles between the Kuomintang and the Communists to carve up China, and, most poignant for the author, the vicious cycle of purges orchestrated by Chairman Mao that discredited and crushed millions of people, including her parents.

Jung Chang (Author), Joy Omanski, Joy Osmanski (Narrator)

Audiobook

Guadalcanal Diary: 2nd Edition

This celebrated classic gives a soldier's-eye-view of the Guadalcanal battles; crucial to World War II, the war that continues to fascinate us all. Unlike some of those on Guadalcanal in the fall of 1942, Richard Tregaskis volunteered to be there. One of only two on-location news correspondents, he lived alongside the soldiers: sleeping on the ground--only to be awoken by air raids--eating meager rations, and braving some of the most dangerous battlefields of World War II. He more than once narrowly escaped the enemy's fire, and so we have this incisive and exciting inside account of the groundbreaking initial landing of U.S. troops on Guadalcanal. This 2nd edition features a new Introduction by Mark Bowden, renowned journalist and author of Black Hawk Down.

Richard Tregaskis (Author), Pete Cross (Narrator)

Audiobook

History of Thailand: Ayutthaya and the Development of Bangkok

Do you want to learn more about the fascinating history of Thailand and the land of Siam? Look no further than this comprehensive and informative book. Through this book, you will discover the rich and vibrant history of the land of Siam. You will learn about the many kings and rulers who reigned over this land, the wars fought, and the culture and traditions that have been carried down through the centuries. You will explore the various religions, superstitions, and folklore that make up the unique culture of Thailand. This book is an indispensable source of knowledge and understanding, and perfect for anyone interested in the history of Thailand and the land of Siam.

History Retold (Author), Will Forrest (Narrator)

Audiobook

History of the Philippines: A guide on Philippines history

Unlock the secrets of Philippine history with this comprehensive audiobook! Spanning hundreds of years, this detailed audio guide will take you through the fascinating events, people, and places that have shaped the Philippines as we know it today. From Spanish colonization to American occupation and independence to modern challenges. - discover everything you need to understand this incredible country and its people. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to discover the fascinating stories of the people who have shaped the Philippines Order Your Copy Now!

Days Of History (Author), James Smith (Narrator)

Audiobook

Philippine History: How the Philippines developed into the amazing country of today

Get to know the Philippines like never before with this engaging audiobook on its history.Dive into hundreds of years of exploration and discovery, uncovering stories of resilience, courage, and strength in the face of adversity. Follow a timeline from Spanish colonization to independence, explore key moments in Philippine history, learn about influential figures throughout time and gain a greater understanding of how this nation has developed into what it is today. Buy Your copy today and gain a comprehensive insight into the country's rich cultural heritage!

Secrets Of History, Will Forrest (Author), Dean Ericson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Roberts Ridge: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan

In this gripping you-are-there account based on stunning eyewitness testimony and painstaking research, journalist Malcolm MacPherson thrusts us into a drama of rescue, tragedy, and valor from the war in Afghanistan. For an elite team of SEALs, the mission seemed straightforward enough: to take control of a towering 10,240-foot mountain peak called Takur Ghar, a key post in their plan to smash Taliban al Qaeda in eastern Afghanistan. But the enemy was waiting, and when the Special Forces chopper was shredded by enemy fire, a red-haired SEAL named Neil Roberts was thrown from the aircraft. Roberts's fellow SEALs were determined to bring him out-no matter what the cost. This harrowing true account captures in dramatic detail their seventeen-hour battle, fought against near-impossible odds, to save one of their own. "An impressively detailed account of one heart-wrenching battle in the invasion of Afghanistan. MacPherson gives readers a rare, behind-the-scenes look....A Great read."-St. Petersburg Times

Malcolm Macpherson (Author), Joe Barrett (Narrator)

Audiobook

Asia Audiobooks in Travel