Nicholas Hormann has narrated 14 audiobooks on Listento.it by 22 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 36 ratings. The most-rated is World Order.
World Order
Summary
Henry Kissinger has traveled the world, advised presidents, and been a close observer and participant in the central foreign policy events of our era. Now he offers his analysis of the twenty first century's ultimate challenge: how to build a shared international order in a world of divergent historic perspectives, violent conflict, proliferating technology, and ideological extremism. There has never been a true "world order," Kissinger observes. For most of history, civilizations defined their own concepts of order. Each considered itself the center of the world, and envisioned its distinct principles as universally relevant. China conceived of a global cultural hierarchy with the Emperor at its pinnacle. In Europe, Rome imagined itself surrounded by barbarians; when Rome fragmented, European peoples refined a concept of an equilibrium of sovereign states and sought to export it across the world. Islam considered itself the world's sole legitimate political unit, destined to expand indefinitely until the world was brought into harmony by Muslim principles. The United States was born of a conviction about the universal applicability of democratic principles - a conviction that has guided its policies ever since. Now international affairs take place on a global basis, and these historic concepts of world order are meeting. Every region participates in questions of high policy in every other, often instantaneously. Yet there is no consensus among the major actors about the rules and limits guiding this process, or its ultimate destination. The result is mounting tension. Grounded in Kissinger's deep study of history and experience as national security advisor and secretary of state, World Order guides readers on a tour of the globe. It examines the events and ideas that formed the historic concepts of order, their manifestations in contemporary controversies, and the ways in which they might ultimately be reconciled.
©2014 Henry Kissinger (P)2014 Penguin Audio
On China
Summary
The eminent historian and strategist reflects on how China's past illuminates its 21st-century trajectory, drawing on 40 years of intimate acquaintance with the country and its leaders. In On China, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book length to the country he has known intimately for decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. Drawing on historical records as well as on his conversations with Chinese leaders over the past 40 years, Kissinger examines how China has approached diplomacy, strategy, and negotiation throughout its history and reflects on the consequences for the 21st-century world. As Kissinger underscores, the unique conditions under which China developed continue to shape its policies and attitudes toward the outside world. For centuries, China rarely encountered other societies of comparable size and sophistication. China was the "Middle Kingdom", treating the peoples on its periphery as vassal states. At the same time, Chinese statesmen - facing threats of invasion from without and the contests of competing factions within - developed a canon of strategic thought that prized the virtues of subtlety, patience, and indirection over feats of martial prowess. On China examines key episodes in Chinese foreign policy, from the earliest days through the 20th century, with a particular emphasis on the modern era. Kissinger illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such events as the initial encounters between China and modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, the opening of relations with the United States, the Tiananmen Square crackdown, and China's accession to the World Trade Organization. With a final chapter on China's 21st-century world role, On China provides a sweeping historical perspective on Chinese foreign policy from one of the premier statesmen of the 20th century.
©2011 Henry Kissinger (P)2011 Penguin
Romeo and Juliet
Summary
The most iconic love story of all time, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is an epic-scale tragedy of desire and revenge. Despite the bitter rivalry that exists between their families, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet have fallen madly in love. But when the long-running rivalry boils over into murder, the young couple must embark on a dangerous and deadly mission to preserve their love at any cost. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Calista Flockhart as Juliet; Matthew Wolf as Romeo; Julie White as Nurse; Alan Mandell as Friar Laurence; Richard Chamberlain as Prince Escalus; Nicholas Hormann as Lord Capulet; Josh Stamberg as Mercutio; Mark J. Sullivan as Benvolio and others; Logan Fahey as Tybalt and Balthasar; Alfred Molina as Chorus; Henry Clarke as Paris and others; Lily Knight as Lady Capulet; Janine Barris as Young Lady, Boy Page to Paris and others; Darren Richardson as Sampson and Peter; Alan Shearman as Lord Montague and others; André Sogliuzzo as Gregory and others; and Sarah Zimmerman as Lady Montague and others. Directed by Martin Jarvis. Recorded at the Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in January, 2012.
©2012 L.A. Theatre Works (P)2012 L.A. Theatre Works
Everything Under the Heavens
Summary
From the former New York Times Asia correspondent and author of China's Second Continent, an incisive investigation of China's ideological development as it becomes an ever more aggressive player in regional and global diplomacy. For many years after its reform and opening in 1978, China maintained an attitude of false modesty about its ambitions. That role, reports Howard French, has been set aside. China has asserted its place among the global heavyweights, revealing its plans for pan-Asian dominance by building its navy, increasing territorial claims to areas like the South China Sea, and diplomatically bullying smaller players. Underlying this attitude is a strain of thinking that casts China's present-day actions in decidedly historical terms, as the path to restoring the dynastic glory of the past. If we understand how that historical identity relates to current actions, in ways ideological, philosophical, and even legal, we can learn to forecast just what kind of global power China stands to become - and to interact wisely with a future peer. Steeped in deeply researched history as well as on-the-ground reporting, this is French at his revelatory best.
©2017 Howard W. French (P)2017 Random House Audio
Fathers and Sons
Summary
The epic sweep of Turgenev’s 19th century literary masterpiece is brought to the stage by one of Ireland’s greatest dramatists. Fathers and Sons captures the ongoing clash of generations and philosophies. Set in a Russian country estate, Friel’s powerful and resonant adaptation examines the inevitable conflict between the urgency of youth and the entrenchment of age. Directed by Martin Jarvis Producing Director Susan Albert Loewenberg James Callis as Bazarov Harry Hamlin as Pavel Nicholas Hormann as Prokofyich/Timofeich Jane Kaczmarek as Arina/Princess Olga Alfred Molina as Vassily/Nikolai Molly C. Quinn as Katya John Sloan as Arkady Devon Sorvari as Fenichka Daniel David Stewart as Piotr Jocelyn Towne as Dunyahsa Joanne Whalley as Anna Recorded before a live audience at the UCLA James Bridges Theater in March 2016. Associate Producer: Anna Lyse Erikson Recording Engineer, Sound Designer, Mixer: Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood Sound Effects Artist: Aaron Lyons Production Manager: Aurora Culver Editor: Mitchell Lindskoog Piano Performed by: Nicholas Hormann and Stephen Van Dorn Cello Performed by: Anna Lyse Erikson Accordion Performed by: Paul Baird
Public Domain (P)2016 L.A. Theatre Works
Too Much Money
Summary
The last two years have been monstrously unpleasant for high-society journalist Gus Bailey. His propensity for gossip has finally gotten him into trouble - $11 million worth. His problems begin when he falls hook, line, and sinker for a fake story from an unreliable source and repeats it on a radio program. As a result of his flip comments, Gus becomes embroiled in a nasty slander suit brought by Kyle Cramden, the powerful congressman he accuses of being involved in the mysterious disappearance of a young woman, and he fears it could mean the end of him. The stress of the lawsuit makes it difficult for Gus to focus on the novel he has been contracted to write, which is based on the suspicious death of billionaire Konstantin Zacharias. It is a story that has dominated the party conversations of Manhattan's chattering classes for more than two years. The convicted murderer is behind bars, but Gus is not convinced that justice was served. There are too many unanswered questions, such as why a paranoid man who was usually accompanied by bodyguards was without protection the very night he perished in a tragic fire. Konstantin's hot-tempered widow, Perla, is obsessed with climbing the social ladder and, as a result, she will do anything to suppress this potentially damaging story. Gus is convinced she is the only thing standing between him and the truth.
©2009 Dominick Dunne (P)2009 Random House
A Fly Fisher's World
Summary
By turns canny, hilarious, inquiring, and philosphical, A Flyfisher's World is a rich collection of articles and essays by one of America's most popular writers about fly-fishing. Nick Lyons writes of a revealing fishing trip he had with his grown son, odd characters he has met while pursuing his passion, reflections he had from a hospital bed, and more.
©1996 Nick Lyons (P)2013 Audible, Inc.
Profiles in Leadership
Summary
The best historians in the land consider examples of great leadership, well known and surprising, from Washington to Willkie and more. What made FDR a more successful leader during the Depression crisis than Hoover? Why was Eisenhower more effective as supreme commander during World War II than he was as president? Why was Grant one of the best presidents of his day, if not in all of American history? What drove Bobby Kennedy into the scrum of electoral politics? Who was Pauli Murray and why was she one of the most decisive figures in the movement for civil rights? Find the surprising and revelatory answers to these questions and more in this collection of new essays by great historians, including Sean Wilentz, Alan Brinkley, Annette Gordon-Reed, Jean Strouse, Robert Dallek, Frances FitzGerald, and others. Entertaining and insightful individually, taken together the essays represent a valuable set of reflections on the enduring ingredients of leadership.
©2010 Walter Isaacson (P)2010 Random House Audio
White House Burning
Summary
America is mired in debt—more than $30,000 for every man, woman, and child. Bitter fighting over deficits, taxes, and spending bedevils Washington, D.C., even as partisan gridlock has brought the government to the brink of default. Yet the more politicians on both sides of the aisle rant and the citizenry fumes, the more things seem to remain the same. In White House Burning, Simon Johnson and James Kwak—authors of the national best seller 13 Bankers and cofounders of The Baseline Scenario, a widely cited blog on economics and public policy—demystify the national debt, explaining whence it came and, even more important, what it means to you and to future generations. They tell the story of the Founding Fathers’ divisive struggles over taxes and spending. They chart the rise of the almighty dollar, which makes it easy for the United States to borrow money. They account for the debasement of our political system in the 1980s and 1990s, which produced today’s dysfunctional and impotent Congress. And they show how, if we persist on our current course, the national debt will harm ordinary Americans by reducing the number of jobs, lowering living standards, increasing inequality, and forcing a sudden and drastic reduction in the government services we now take for granted. But Johnson and Kwak also provide a clear and compelling vision for how our debt crisis can be solved while strengthening our economy and preserving the essential functions of government. They debunk the myth that such crucial programs as Social Security and Medicare must be slashed to the bone. White House Burning looks squarely at the burgeoning national debt and proposes to defuse its threat to our well-being without forcing struggling middle-class families and the elderly into poverty. Carefully researched and informed by the same compelling storytelling and lucid analysis as 13 Bankers, White House Burning is an invaluable guide to the central political and economic issue of our time. It is certain to provoke vigorous debate.
©2012 Simon Johnson (P)2012 Random House
Simon Bloom, The Octopus Effect
Summary
In Simon Bloom, The Gravity Keeper, Simon Bloom and his friends used the Book of Physics to narrowly defeat villainess Sirabetta. Now Simon's nemesis, stuck as a helpless 13-year-old, wants revenge. In this exciting sequel, Simon and company must enter the mysterious undersea realm of the Order of Biology to find Sirabetta before she can restore her powers. Aided by old allies and some new ones, the kids struggle with fierce beasts, dangerous enemies, and their own evolving abilities. Blending humor, suspense, and science - and throwing new octopus powers into the mix - Michael Reisman brings us another outstandingly original adventure.
©2009 Michael Reisman (P)2009 Random House
Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper
Summary
Ordinary sixth-grader Simon Bloom has just made the biggest discovery since gravity - and it literally fell into his lap. Or onto his head, anyway. You see, Simon has found the Teacher's Edition of Physics, a magical reference book containing the very formulas that control the laws that govern the universe! By reciting the formulas out loud, he's able to do the impossible - like reverse the force of gravity to float weightlessly, and reduce friction to zoom across any surface! But a book that powerful isn't safe with Simon for long. Before he knows it, he is being pursued by evil forces bent on gaining control of the formulas. And they'll do anything to retrieve them. Now, Simon and his friends must use their wits and the magic of science in a galactic battle for the book, and the future of the universe, in this funny, fast-paced science fiction adventure from first-time author Michael Reisman.
©2008 Michael Reisman (P)2008 Listening Library
You Never Can Tell
Summary
You Never Can Tell was originally born out of a bet that Shaw couldn't write a "seaside comedy" (a popular theatrical genre at that time). The result is perhaps the most surprising of Shaw's plays, complete with marital mayhem, tangled romance, and even doubtful dentistry. Despite the play's lighthearted tone, it's really another of Shaw's brilliantly observed social treatises, this time in the guise of a light comedy. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording featuring: James Callis, Siobhan Hewlett, Nicholas Hormann, Martin Jarvis, Christopher Neame, Moira Quirk, Susan Sullivan, Simon Templeman, and Matthew Wolf. Directed by Rosalind Ayres and recorded before a live audience.
Public Domain (P)2015 L.A. Theatre Works
Spill
Summary
In April of 2010, British Petroleum gave orders to speed up production on its colossal drilling rig, the Deepwater Horizon. Despite the objections of many on the rig, safety measures were ignored or overlooked. On April 20th, the Deepwater Horizon exploded. Eleven men paid the ultimate price and countless thousands who call the Gulf Coast home found their lives irrevocably altered. Spill is part of our Relativity Series, presented with major funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world. Directed by Martin Jarvis. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast recording, starring: Elisa Bocanegra as Arleen Weise, Andrea Fleytas Gilbert Glenn Brown as Obama, Jorey Danos, Christopher Pleasant Nicholas Hormann as Bob Bea, Pat O'Bryan, Gary Bartholemy, Wyman Wheeler Travis Johns as Keith Jones, Steve Bertone, Jonathan Henderson Jane Kaczmarek as Narrator, Lillian Miller James Morrison as Bill Anderson, Randy Ezell, Billy Nungesser Darren Richardson as Tony Hayward, Jimmy Harrell, Gordon Jones, Don Vidrine Kate Steele as Shelley Anderson, Jolene Danos Mark Jude Sullivan as Jason Anderson, Mike Williams Production Manager, Nikki Hyde. Music Supervisor, Ronn Lipkin. Associate Artistic Director, Anna Lyse Erikson. Editor, Julian Nicholson. Recording Engineer, Sound Designer and Mixer, Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood.
©2018 Leigh Fondakowski (P)2018 L.A. Theatre Works
Kissinger on Kissinger
Summary
In a series of riveting interviews, America's senior statesman discusses the challenges of directing foreign policy during times of great global tension. As national security advisor to Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger transformed America's approach to diplomacy with China, the USSR, Vietnam, and the Middle East, laying the foundations for geopolitics as we know them today. Nearly 50 years later, escalating tensions between the US, China, and Russia are threatening a swift return to the same diplomatic game of tug-of-war that Kissinger played so masterfully. Kissinger on Kissinger is a series of faithfully transcribed interviews conducted by the elder statesman's longtime associate Winston Lord that captures Kissinger's thoughts on the specific challenges that he faced during his tenure as NSA, his general advice on leadership and international relations, and stunning portraits of the larger-than-life world leaders of the era. The result is a frank and well-informed overview of US foreign policy in the first half of the '70s - essential listening for anyone hoping to understand tomorrow's global challenges.
©2019 Winston Lord, Henry Kissinger, and K.T. McFarland (P)2019 Macmillan Audio