Alex Perry has 4 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 4 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 15 ratings. The most-rated is The Good Mothers.
The Good Mothers
Summary
We live in their buildings, work in their companies, shop in their stores, eat in their restaurants and elect politicians they fund. Founded more than 150 years ago by shepherding families in the toe of Italy, the 'Ndrangheta is today the world's most powerful mafia, with a crushing presence in Southern Italy, a market-moving size in global finance and a reach that extends to 50 countries around the world. And yet, remarkably, few of us have ever heard of it. The 'Ndrangheta's power rests on a code of silence, omertà, enforced by a claustrophobic family hierarchy and murderous misogyny. Men and boys rule. Girls are married off as teenagers in arranged clan alliances. Beatings are routine. A woman who is 'unfaithful' - even to a dead husband - can expect her sons, brothers or father to kill her to erase the 'family shame'. In 2009, when abused wife Lea Garofalo 'disappears' after giving evidence against her mafiosi husband, prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti realises the 'Ndrangheta's bigotry may be its great flaw. The key to bringing down this criminal empire is to free its women and allow them to speak out and testify. When Alessandra finds two collaborators inside Italy's biggest crime families, she must persuade them to cooperate and save themselves and their children. The stakes could not be higher. Alessandra is fighting to save a nation. The mafiosi are fighting for their existence. The women are fighting for their lives. Not all will survive.
©2018 Alex Perry (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
The Good Mothers
Summary
As seen in The New Yorker. An unprecedented look inside a deadly and obscenely wealthy branch of the Italian mafia and the electrifying story of the women who risked everything to bring them down. The Calabrian Mafia - known as the ’Ndrangheta - is one of the richest and most ruthless crime syndicates in the world, with branches stretching from America to Australia. It controls 70 percent of the cocaine and heroin supply in Europe, manages billion-dollar extortion rackets, brokers illegal arms deals - supplying weapons to criminals and terrorists - and plunders the treasuries of both Italy and the European Union. The ’Ndrangheta’s power derives from a macho mix of violence and silence - omertà. Yet it endures because of family ties: you are born into the syndicate, or you marry in. Loyalty is absolute. Bloodshed is revered. You go to prison or your grave and kill your own father, brother, sister, or mother in cold blood before you betray The Family. Accompanying the ’Ndrangheta’s reverence for tradition and history is a violent misogyny among its men. Women are viewed as chattel, bargaining chips for building and maintaining clan alliances and beatings - and worse - are routine. In 2009, after one abused ’Ndrangheta wife was murdered for turning state’s evidence, prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti considered a tantalizing possibility: that the ’Ndrangheta’s sexism might be its greatest flaw - and her most effective weapon. Approaching two more mafia wives, Alessandra persuaded them to testify in return for a new future for themselves and their children. A feminist saga of true crime and justice, The Good Mothers is the riveting story of a high-stakes battle pitting a brilliant, driven woman fighting to save a nation against ruthless mafiosi fighting for their existence. Caught in the middle are three women fighting for their children and their lives. Not all will survive.
©2018 Alex Perry (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers
Lifeblood
Summary
In 2006, the Wall Street pioneer and philanthropist Ray Chambers flicked through some holiday snapshots taken by his friend, development economist Jeff Sachs, and remarked on the placid beauty of a group of sleeping Malawian children. "They're not sleeping," Sachs told him. "They're in malarial comas. A few days later, they were all dead." Chambers had long avoided the public eye, but this moment sparked his determination to coordinate an unprecedented, worldwide effort to eradicate a disease that has haunted humanity since before the advent of medicine. Award-winning journalist Alex Perry obtained unique access to Chambers, now the UN Special Envoy for Malaria. In this book, Perry weaves together science and history with on-the-ground reporting and a riveting exposé of the workings of humanitarian aid to document Chambers' campaign. By replacing traditional ideas of assistance with business acumen and hustle, Chambers saved millions of lives, and upturned current notions of aid, forging a new path not just for the developing world but for global business and philanthropy.
©2011 Alex Perry (P)2011 Audible, Inc.
Minivan Mogul
Summary
Trying to be confident in today’s world is tough. Brutal, actually. When was the last time you got on social media and thought, “Man, that really helped me feel better about myself?" Give me a break! Sound familiar? Then, hop in; we’re going for a ride. Okay, so you’ve got some confidence issues. Of course you do! Who doesn’t these days? In a world where women are constantly bombarded by unrealistic beauty standards, “Sunday best” glimpses into the lives of others via social media, and TEDx talks on how to give perfect TEDx talks, where does an Average Jane fit in? Meet Alex Perry: successful entrepreneur, speech language pathologist, TEDx speaker, and one proud, minivan-driving mom from the Midwest. Having started her business from the ground up and navigated around road blocks, potholes, and traffic jams, she understands what it’s like to struggle with confidence, especially when it feels like the road ahead is always bumpy. Through her honest and delightfully awkward personal anecdotes, Alex encourages women to apply the brakes when confronted with confidence dead ends - pointless comparisons, insincerity, and stubborn independence, oh my! - and instead steer toward authenticity, support, and determination. Her witty, insightful, and caring guide will empower you to cruise through life’s twists and turns with more joy, peace, and the kind of success that is only found through true confidence. Now grab yourself a cold drink, climb in, and hold on tight; it’s time for your crash course. Seriously, hold on tight, bring some extra Cheetos, and please don’t make Alex parallel park.
©2020 Alex Perry (P)2020 Alex Perry