John Chester has narrated 4 audiobooks on Listento.it by 4 authors. The most-rated is Never Say Die.
The First Shall Be Last
Summary
The First Shall Be Last is both a poignant love story and a realistic portrayal of the brutality of war.
Two young lovers separated by war cling to hope and sanity by exchanging passionate letters. As Howard heads to his first battle on the Pacific island of Peleliu, Helen fulfills her call to duty by working at a local factory. They soon discover they have more to worry about than the elite Japanese forces deeply entrenched on the island. One of Howard's platoon members, Judd Stone, seeks revenge against a black stretcher bearer by the name of Josiah Jackson. Howard fears Stone may go to any length to get what he wants, even murder.
Sixty years later, Reverend Byron Butler enters the hospital room of an old Marine who wants to confess a dark secret. But Butler can't discover the whole truth until he investigates other leads - Helen and Howard's letters, Josiah Jackson's son, and a mysterious footlocker. Known as the "forgotten battle," Peleliu marked the first time segregated black troops mixed with white Marines on the front lines. The integration wasn't mandated. It was attributed to the ferocity of the battle as black soldiers aided the wounded.
The novel is based on the memoirs of James E. Ellis, the author's father.
©2012 Joe C. Ellis (P)2017 Joe C. Ellis
The Northwoods Chronicles
Summary
Children disappear in Vargas County. There's no soft or kind way to put it. In days long past, I lost a sister and then my Weesie and I lost our son. Some live in peace with the specter, some rise up and make accusations, but all of us breathe a sigh of relief when our young'uns reach puberty and we don't have to worry about them anymore.
©2008, 2012, 2015 Elizabeth Engstrom (P)2015 Elizabeth Engstrom
Carolina Blue
Summary
A Soviet dissident poet, a Lithuanian basketball phenom, a baseball legend, a KGB spy, and a dormitory full of oddballs, all together on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. What more could you want in a love story?
©2012 Donn Weinholtz (P)2017 Donn Weinholtz
Never Say Die
Summary
A quarter of a million people braved miserable conditions at Epsom Downs on June 2, 1954, to see the 175th running of the prestigious Derby Stakes. Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Winston Churchill were in attendance, along with thousands of Britons who were all convinced of the unfailing superiority of English bloodstock and eager to see a British colt take the victory. They were shocked when a Kentucky-born chestnut named Never Say Die galloped to a two-length triumph at odds of 33-1, winning Britain's greatest race and beginning an important shift in the world of Thoroughbred racing. Never Say Die traces the history of this extraordinary colt, beginning with his foaling in Lexington, Kentucky, when a shot of bourbon whiskey revived him and earned him his name. It also tells the stories of the influential individuals brought together by the horse and his victory - from the heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune to the Aga Khan. Most fascinating is the tale of Mona Best of Liverpool, England, whose well-placed bet on the long-shot Derby contender allowed her to open the Casbah Coffee Club. There, her son met musicians John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison and later joined their band. Featuring a foreword by the original drummer for the Beatles, Pete Best, this remarkable book reveals how an underdog's surprise victory played a part in the formation of the most successful and influential rock band in history and made the Bluegrass region of Kentucky the center of the international Thoroughbred industry.
©2013 The University Press of Kentucky (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks