Tavis Smiley has 5 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 3 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 5 ratings. The most-rated is Death of a King.
Death of a King
Summary
A revealing and dramatic chronicle of the 12 months leading up to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. Martin Luther King, Jr. died in one of the most shocking assassinations the world has known, but little is remembered about the life he led in his final year. New York Times best-selling author and award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley recounts the final 365 days of King's life, revealing the minister's trials and tribulations - denunciations by the press, rejection from the president, dismissal by the country's black middle class and militants, assaults on his character, ideology, and political tactics, to name a few - all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty, and militarism that threatened to destroy our democracy. Smiley's Death of a King paints a portrait of a leader and visionary in a narrative different from all that have come before. Here is an exceptional glimpse into King's life - one that adds both nuance and gravitas to his legacy as an American hero.
©2014 Tavis Smiley and David Ritz (P)2014 Hachette Audio
Before You Judge Me
Summary
A powerful chronicle of the 16 weeks leading up to King of Pop Michael Jackson's death Michael Jackson's final months were like the rest of his short and legendary life: filled with deep lows and soaring highs, a constant hunt for privacy, and the pressure and fame that made him socially fragile and almost - ultimately - unable to live. With the insight and compassion that he brought to his best-selling telling of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s final year, Tavis Smiley provides a glimpse into the superstar's life in this emotional, honest, yet celebratory audiobook. Listeners will witness Jackson's campaign to recharge his career - hiring and firing managers and advisors, turning to and away from family members, fighting depression and drug dependency - while his one goal remained: to mount the most spectacular series of shows the world had ever seen. Before You Judge Me is a humanizing look at Jackson's last days.
©2016 Tavis Smiley and David Ritz (P)2016 Hachette Audio
Accountable
Summary
Accountable provides real-life examples of how crucial issues - including health care, education, the economy, unequal justice, and the environment - manifest themselves in our communities. The book demonstrates the urgent need to hold politicians and ourselves responsible, because the stakes have never been higher. Accountable examines present-day conditions and the consequences for America. At its core, this book is a tool with which the community can evaluate the successes or failures of its political leaders and of itself. This insightful book acknowledges the mistakes of the past while offering hope and inspiration for a better future.
©2009 The Smiley Group, Inc. (P)2009 Simon and Schuster
Tavis Smiley with Phil Donahue: Success After Failure
Summary
Is there success after failure? Talk show greats Tavis Smiley and Phil Donohue discuss.
©2011 92nd Street Y (P)2011 92nd Street Y
My Journey with Maya
Summary
Tavis Smiley recounts the story of his friendship with Maya Angelou Tavis Smiley and Maya Angelou met in 1986, when he was 21 and she was 58. For the next 28 years, Angelou was a teacher and a maternal figure to Smiley, and they talked often of art, politics, history, music, religion, and race. In My Journey with Maya, Smiley beautifully recounts a friendship filled with conversation that began when he, a recent college graduate and a poor kid from a big family in the Midwest, accompanied the revered writer on a sojourn to Ghana. Smiley stumbled into a relationship with her that shaped his future and affected the man he became. Like a mother to him, she was generous, challenging, and inspirational - as she was to so many. Here he shares his portrait of Angelou - a highly complex individual who left an indelible imprint on American culture.
©2015 Tavis Smiley (P)2015 Hachette Audio