David Baker has narrated 19 audiobooks on Listento.it by 20 authors, with an average listener rating of 3.9★ across 175 ratings. The most-rated is Enemy at the Gates.
Enemy at the Gates
Summary
A classic work of World War II history that brings to vivid, dramatic life one of the bloodiest battles ever fought - and the beginning of the end for the Third Reich. On August 5, 1942, giant pillars of dust rose over the Russian steppe, marking the advance of the 6th Army, an elite German combat unit dispatched by Hitler to capture the industrial city of Stalingrad and press on to the oil fields of Azerbaijan. The Germans were supremely confident; in three years, they had not suffered a single defeat. The Luftwaffe had already bombed the city into ruins. German soldiers hoped to complete their mission and be home in time for Christmas. The siege of Stalingrad lasted five months, one week, and three days. Nearly two million men and women died, and the 6th Army was completely destroyed. Considered by many historians to be the turning point of World War II in Europe, the Soviet Army's victory foreshadowed Hitler's downfall and the rise of a communist superpower. Best-selling author William Craig spent five years researching this epic clash of military titans, traveling to three continents in order to review documents and interview hundreds of survivors. Enemy at the Gates is the enthralling result: the definitive account of one of the most important battles in world history. The book was the inspiration for the 2001 film of the same name, starring Joseph Fiennes and Jude Law.
©1973 William Craig; This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
Graceling
Summary
Set in a world where some people are born with a Grace - a unique, sometimes uncanny, gift - this is the story of Katsa, whose Grace, demonstrated at an uncomfortably early age, is for killing. This makes her a perfect tool for her uncle, King Randa. But Katsa chafes at the way she is being used - and even more at the injustices she sees around her. Then she meets Prince Po, who has a Grace to match hers... perhaps. Featuring FCA favorite Chelsea Mixon as Katsa, and sensational newcomer Zachary Exton as Prince Po, the most fascinating and praised fantasy debut of 2008 now springs to life in a sensational full-cast recording.
©2008 Kristin Cashore (P)2009 Full Cast Audio
A Long Walk to Water
Summary
Audie Award Finalist, Children's Titles for Ages 8-12, 2014 In 1985 southern Sudan is ravaged by war. Rebels and government forces battle for control, with ordinary people…people like the boy, Salva Dut…caught in the middle. When Salva's village is attacked, he must embark on a harrowing journey that will propel him through horror and heartbreak, across a harsh desert, and into a strange new life. Years later, in contemporary South Sudan, a girl named Nya must walk eight hours a day to fetch water. The walk is grueling, but there is unexpected hope. How these two stories intersect is told in this fascinating dual narrative, performed by David Baker and Cynthia Bishop, with the assistance of dialect coach James Achueil…who actually made the same journey across Africa when he was one of the "Lost Boys of the Sudan."
©2010 Linda Sue Park (P)2013 Full Cast Audio
Human Diversity
Summary
All people are equal but, as Human Diversity explores, all groups of people are not the same - a fascinating investigation of the genetics and neuroscience of human differences. The thesis of Human Diversity is that advances in genetics and neuroscience are overthrowing an intellectual orthodoxy that has ruled the social sciences for decades. The core of the orthodoxy consists of three dogmas: Gender is a social construct. Race is a social construct. Class is a function of privilege. The problem is that all three dogmas are half-truths. They have stifled progress in understanding the rich texture that biology adds to our understanding of the social, political, and economic worlds we live in. It is not a story to be feared. "There are no monsters in the closet," Murray writes, "no dread doors we must fear opening." But it is a story that needs telling. Human Diversity does so without sensationalism, drawing on the most authoritative scientific findings, celebrating both our many differences and our common humanity. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2020 Charles Murray (P)2020 Twelve
Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, The Cheat Sheet
Summary
Please note: This is a review and summary of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, not the original book. Improve your emotional intelligence the easy way! Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves is a skill-based book with a single purpose: to increase your emotional intelligence and thus enhance every single aspect of your life. Emotional Intelligence 2.0, The Cheat Sheet is a quick, easy-to-use reference tool that captures the principles found in Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and distills them down to a format that makes the content easy to quickly digest and absorb. Inside, you'll find: Quick, to-the-point summaries of the key concepts found in Emotional Intelligence 2.0 Action steps to improve your emotional intelligence quickly and effectively Discussion questions A review quiz to further cement the main principles in your consciousness Please note that this summary is intended to be used as a supplement to Emotional Intelligence 2.0, rather than as a replacement.
©2015 SpeedReader Summaries (P)2016 SpeedReader Summaries
The Allies Strike Back, 1941-1943
Summary
By June 1941, Germany's war machine looked to be unstoppable. The Nazi blitzkrieg had taken Poland, France, and Holland with shocking speed. The Luftwaffe had bombed London, while German U-boats wrought havoc on Allied shipping on the Atlantic. And yet, as James Holland shows at the start of The Allies Strike Back, 1941-1943 - the second volume in his magisterial narrative of World War II in the West - cracks were already appearing in Germany's apparent invincibility. Shortages of food and materiel were becoming critical. And, having failed to defeat Britain, Adolf Hitler fatefully pivoted east to invade the Soviet Union - territory he felt compelled to conquer for Germany's protection - and on June 22, 1941 precipitated the largest clash of arms the world had ever seen. Built for speed and quick conquest, German forces by that fall were bogged down in a horrible war of attrition that blunted the Nazi momentum. The Allies Strike Back offers fascinating new perspective on the critical middle years in World War II's western theatre, as the advantage between Axis and Allied forces swung back and forth on the Atlantic and eastern front, and in north Africa and Europe. Acclaimed historian James Holland has spent years conducting original research and interviews, mining newly available archives, visiting battlefields and uncovering letters and diaries previously unread. Acknowledging that strategy and tactics have been the focus of previous histories, he gives equal space to the logistics and supply of men and materiel without which no war can be fought. Allied and Axis leaders criss-cross Holland's narrative, but he also memorably introduces listeners to heretofore unknown participants: Sgt. Ralph Schaps, who experienced the Louisiana Maneuvers that propelled him into Europe; Colonel Hermann Balck, in command of a German panzer regiment in Africa; U-boat captain Teddy Suhren, operating against Allied shipping in the Atlantic; Billy Drake, squadron commander in Britain's Desert Air Force that helped turn the tide in North Africa; and many others. Following the acclaimed first volume of his trilogy, The Rise of Germany, and offering frank assessments of successes and failures on both sides, James Holland has crafted a masterful and gripping narrative of the events that ultimately determined the outcome of World War II. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2017 James Holland (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
A Storm in Flanders
Summary
A Storm in Flanders is novelist and prizewinning historian Winston Groom's gripping history of the four-year battle for Ypres in Belgian Flanders, the pivotal engagement of World War I that would forever change the way the world fought - and thought about - war. This is Groom's account of what would become the most dreaded place on Earth. In 1914, Germany launched an invasion of France through neutral Belgium - and brought the wrath of the world upon itself. Ypres became a place of horror, heroism, and terrifying new tactics and technologies: poison gas, tanks, mines, air strikes, and the unspeakable misery of trench warfare. Drawing on the journals of the men and women who were there, Winston Groom has penned a breathtaking drama of politics, strategy, and the human heart.
©2002 Winston Groom. The Source Notes on pages 266-267 are an extension of the copyright page. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Third Reich Victorious
Summary
This book is a stimulating and entirely plausible insight into how Hitler and his generals might have defeated the Allies, and a convincing sideways look at the Third Reich's bid at world domination in World War II. What would have happened if, for example, the Germans captured the whole of the BEF at Dunkirk? Or if the RAF had been defeated in the Battle of Britain? What if the U-Boats had strangled Britain with an impregnable blockade, if Rommel had been triumphant in North Africa, or the Germans had beaten the Red Army at Kursk? The authors, writing as if these and other world-changing events had really happened, project realistic scenarios based on the true capabilities and circumstances of the opposing forces. Third Reich Victorious is a spirited and terrifying alternate history, and a telling insight into the dramatic possibilities of World War II.
©2015 Peter Tsouras (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
Under the Red Sea Sun
Summary
A gripping first-hand description of the salvage operations at the port of Massawa on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea during the early days of World War II. When forced from the region, Italian troops had scuttled many ships to block the important harbour, which was vital to the British war effort. Ellsberg, an American salvage officer, was placed in charge and a small group of workers under his direction accomplished an almost Herculean task with virtually no resources. The book paints a realistic picture of confusion and incompetence in the early days of the war.
©1946 Edward E. Pollard and Ann P. Heilakka (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Left Out
Summary
Landon Dorch longs to play football, and he is definitely built for the game. Unfortunately two things stand in his way: his mother's worries and the fact that he is deaf. Landon hopes that the family's move to a new town will offer him a fresh start and that he can leave behind the teasing and taunts that marred life at his former school. But his speech problems and his cochlear implants seem to invite bullying. Luckily he is not without help, starting with his loving and quirky family and then a great new friend on the team. Even so, in the end it will be up to Landon himself to battle his way past bullies and misunderstandings until he is no longer left out. Author Tim Green scores again with this masterful and heartwarming story of family and football!
©2016 Tim Green (P)2016 Full Cast Audio
Special Deliverance
Summary
A motley collection of humans and one robot, all from alternate universes, must make their way through a strange alien puzzle-world of danger and mystery in this classic science fiction allegory by an award-winning maestro. Following a conversation with a talking slot machine, Professor Edward Lansing finds himself mysteriously transported to a tavern on a long and empty road. It is immediately obvious to the educator that he is no longer on campus - or even Earth - and that he is not alone. Lansing's new companions - a female engineer, a military officer, a humorless priest, a poetess, and a robot named Jurgens - all hail from separate alternate realities and share Lansing's confusion. What is clear, however, is that they must continue down the road together, encountering a series of bizarre sights, dangerous obstacles, and perplexing puzzles along the way: an abandoned, decaying city; a set of doorways; a large blue cube; a tower that sings. Soon it is apparent they are all being tested for some eerie, inexplicable reason, and the choices each must make will determine his or her future. For those who fail, the alien trail will never be seen again. A provocative science fiction allegory, Special Deliverance is Hugo and Nebula Award winner Clifford D. Simak's Pilgrim's Progress - a tale of great trials and hidden agendas that expose the foibles of humanity and a fantastic exploration of the human condition. A science fiction classic brimming with intelligence, invention, and wonder, it is yet another extraordinary creation from one of the genre's most revered grandmasters.
©1982 Clifford D. Simak; This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Almost a Miracle
Summary
In this gripping chronicle of America's struggle for independence, award-winning historian John Ferling transports listeners to the grim realities of that war, capturing an eight-year conflict filled with heroism, suffering, cowardice, betrayal, and fierce dedication. As Ferling demonstrates, it was a war that America came much closer to losing than is now usually remembered. General George Washington put it best when he said that the American victory was "little short of a standing miracle."
Almost a Miracle offers an illuminating portrait of America's triumph, offering vivid descriptions of all the major engagements, revealing how these battles often hinged on intangibles such as leadership under fire, heroism, good fortune, blunders, tenacity, and surprise. The author paints sharp-eyed portraits of the key figures in the war, including General Washington and other American officers and civilian leaders. Some do not always measure up to their iconic reputations, including Washington himself.
Others, such as the quirky, acerbic Charles Lee, are seen in a much better light than usual. The book also examines the many faceless men who soldiered, often for years on end, braving untold dangers and enduring abounding miseries. Ferling's narrative is also filled with compassion for the men who comprised the British army and who, like their American counterparts, struggled and died at an astonishing rate in this harsh war. Nor does Ferling ignore the naval war, describing dangerous patrols and grand and dazzling naval actions. Finally, Almost a Miracle takes listeners inside the legislative chambers and plush offices of diplomats to reveal countless decisions that altered the course of this war. The story that unfolds is at times a tale of folly, at times one of appalling misinformation and confusion, and now and then one of insightful and dauntless statesmanship.
©2007 John Ferling (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
A Novel Introduction to Corporate Finance
Summary
Many introductory Corporate Finance textbooks tout their engaging, real-world examples, but they often fail to hold students' interest. A Novel Introduction to Corporate Finance offers a unique, innovative, and refreshing contrast. Structured as a work of literary fiction, the book successfully uses a compelling narrative to tell the “story” of corporate finance. Students read about struggling finance major Derek Foster, and his relationship with Eric Bensen, the CEO of Caspian Sea Drinks. Eric becomes a mentor to Derek. The two meet weekly as Eric shares the story of how Caspian Sea Drinks grew from a humble lemonade stand to a publicly traded company. Their conversations provide an engaging context in which the fundamental concepts and principles of Corporate Finance are presented, both to Derek and to the student reader. Plot twists provide opportunities for additional examination and discussion of ethics in the corporate world. A Novel Introduction to Corporate Finance successfully employs fiction to provide students with a realistic, coherent view of what a corporation is, how it comes to be, and why finance plays an important role in corporate development and growth.
©2012 Cognella, Inc. (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
Merian C. Cooper's King Kong
Summary
A hulking freighter waits at a darkened pier. Aboard, filmmaker Carl Denham prepares for a strange voyage to a distant island, an island where he hopes to make the most exciting movie of all time. First mate Jack Driscoll has concerns about the journey, concerns that only grow deeper when Denham talks a down-on-her-luck beauty named Ann Darrow into joining them. And what waits for them at the end of the journey? More danger and excitement than any of the three could have imagined. For what waits at the end of the journey is Kong. Join the showman, the sailor, the blonde, and the beast for one of the greatest adventures of all time, as the actors of Full Cast Audio sweep you into the pulse-pounding epic of King Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World!
©2005 Richard M. Cooper, LLC (P)2005 Full Cast Audio
Brothers Down
Summary
A deeply personal and never-before-told account of one of America's darkest days, from the best-selling author of The Admirals and MacArthur at War. The surprise attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 remains one of the most traumatic events in American history. America's battleship fleet was crippled, thousands of lives were lost, and the United States was propelled into a world war. Few realize that aboard the iconic, ill-fated USS Arizona were an incredible 79 blood relatives. Tragically, in an era when family members serving together was an accepted, even encouraged practice, 63 of the Arizona's 1,177 dead turned out to be brothers. In Brothers Down, acclaimed historian Walter R. Borneman returns to that critical week of December, masterfully guiding us on an unforgettable journey of sacrifice and heroism, all told through the lives of these brothers and their fateful experience on the Arizona. Weaving in the heartbreaking stories of the parents, wives, and sweethearts who wrote to and worried about these men, Borneman draws from a treasure trove of unpublished source material to bring to vivid life the minor decisions that became a matter of life or death when the bombs began to fall. More than just an account of familial bonds and national heartbreak, what emerges promises to define a turning point in American military history. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2019 Walter R. Borneman (P)2019 Hachette Audio
The Pirate
Summary
In a raging sandstorm, two men with their pregnant wives fatefully meet in the desert: Samir Al Fay, a Muslim doctor whose son will be named heir to the Prince of Beirut; and Isaiah Ben Ezra, a grizzled Jewish militant Zionist heading to the Promised Land. The women give birth - Samir's unconscious wife delivers a stillborn girl, Ben Ezra's wife dies delivering a healthy boy. Transcending their differences, Ben Ezra gives his son to Samir. Only these two men know the truth of the boy's origin, and Samir vows to raise him as his true son - naming him Badyr. Years later, Badyr - now known as "The Pirate" - has become one of the wealthiest and most powerful Arabic entrepreneurs in the Middle East. Educated in the West, Badyr is more western than Arabic - but remains grounded in his perceived heritage and distrustful of Jews. The Pirate is seemingly invincible, and with his looks, charm, and unending supply of money, no woman can resist him. But two women have power over his fate: one a long-lost love, another obsessed with the search for her missing father. However, it's not just Badyr's heart at risk. A web of political intrigue, corruption and terrorism threatens the business empire he worked to build, and he is drawn into a shadowy world of decadence, passion, and betrayal. Soon Badyr must decide whom he can trust, risking his life, family and fortune in that decision - and finds allies in the most unlikely of places, shocked by the reality he discovers. From the author of The New York Times number one best-seller The Carpetbaggers comes a compelling tale of decadence, luxury, greed, and international intrigue set against a backdrop of Middle East oil and global terrorism. The Pirate was later adapted into the star-studded CBS miniseries featuring Anne Archer, Eli Wallach, Christopher Lee, Ian McShane, Armand Assante, and more.
©2014 RosettaBooks LLC (P)2014 Audible Inc.
Time and Again
Summary
After 20 years, a vanished space voyager returns to Earth bearing a dangerous truth that will alter the universe in this powerful, thought-provoking science fiction classic from one of the golden age greats.
Twenty years ago, Asher Sutton vanished somewhere in the star system 61 Cygni, an inaccessible corner of the universe that humankind has thus far been unable to explore. Now Asher has returned to Earth, having impossibly survived catastrophic damage to his spacecraft. But the star traveler is not the same man he was when he began his journey two decades earlier. He is, in fact, no longer completely human. And he isn't alone. But he has a message to convey that could have reality-altering consequences for the human galaxy conquerors who consider themselves almost gods and for the nearly human androids they create, enslave, and oppress.
It is Asher's destiny to change everything. His mission has made him a hero to some, a pariah to others - and a target for determined time-traveling assassins from the future whose mission it is to silence him at all costs before everything they cherish is obliterated.
A true science fiction visionary, SFWA Grand Master Clifford D. Simak infused thrilling stories of time travel, space exploration, artificial intelligence, and alien contact with powerful, thought-provoking ideas. An enthralling masterwork of speculative fiction that astonishes while exploring humanity in all its disparate aspects, Time and Again can be counted among the prolific, multiple Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author's most brilliantly imagined and successfully realized creations.
©1951 Clifford D. Simak; This edition published in 2015 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
MacArthur at War
Summary
The definitive account of General Douglas MacArthur's rise during World War II, from the author of the best seller The Admirals. World War II changed the course of history. Douglas MacArthur changed the course of World War II. Macarthur at War goes deeper into this transformative period of his life than previous biographies, drilling into the military strategy that Walter R. Borneman is so skilled at conveying and exploring how personality and ego translate into military successes and failures. Architect of stunning triumphs and inexplicable defeats, General MacArthur is the most intriguing military leader of the 20th century. There was never any middle ground with MacArthur. This in-depth study of the most critical period of his career shows how MacArthur's influence spread far beyond the war-torn Pacific.
©2016 Walter R. Borneman (P)2016 Hachette Audio
Behind Japanese Lines
Summary
The extraordinary firsthand account of an American special forces unit in the jungles of southeast Asia and their guerilla operations against the Japanese during World War II! In early 1942, with World War II going badly, President Roosevelt turned to General William "Wild Bill” Donovan, now known historically as the Father of Central Intelligence,” with orders to form a special unit whose primary mission was to prepare for the eventual reopening of the Burma Road linking Burma and China by performing guerilla operations behind the Japanese lines. Thus was born OSS Detachment 101, the first clandestine special force formed by Donovan and one that would play a highly dangerous but vital role in the reconquest of Burma by the Allies. Behind Japanese Lines, originally published in 1979, is the exciting story of the men of Detachment 101, who, with their loyal native alliesthe Kachin headhunters fought a guerilla war for almost three years. It was a war not only against a tough and unyielding enemy, but against the jungle itself, one of the most difficult and dangerous patches of terrain in the world. Exposed to blistering heat and threatened by loathsome tropical diseases, the Western-raised OSS men also found themselves beset by unfriendly tribesmen and surrounded by the jungle’s unique perilsgiant leeches, cobras, and rogue tigers. Not merely a war narrative, Behind Japanese Lines is an adventure story, the story of unconventional men with an almost impossible mission fighting an irregular war in supremely hostile territory. Drawing upon the author’s own experiences as a member of Detachment 101, interviews with surviving 101 members, and classified documents, Dunlop’s tale unfolds with cinematic intensity, detailing the danger, tension, and drama of secret warfare. Never before have the activities of the OSS been recorded in such authentic firsthand detail.
©2014 Richard Dunlop (P)2013 Audible Inc.