When his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson was devastated, afraid he might never be able to communicate with his child. But when Isaacson, a lifelong horseman, rode their neighbor's horse with Rowan, Rowan improved immeasurably. He was struck with a crazy idea: why not take Rowan to Mongolia the one place in the world where horses and shamanic healing intersected?
Che Guevara was a dashing rebel whose epic dream was to end poverty and injustice in Latin America and the developing world through armed revolution. Jon Lee Anderson traces Che's extraordinary life from his comfortable Argentine upbringing to the battlefields of the Cuban revolution, from the halls of power in Castro's government to his failed campaign in the Congo and his assassination in the Bolivian jungle.
Matthew says:
"Encompassing and Fair Look at an Historical Man"
Like Anne Frank, Flory Van Beek was a young girl caught in the ruthless Nazi occupation of Holland. But Flory survived to recount her extraordinary story of persecution and survival. Flory and her husband, Felix, endured the sinking of a ship bound for safety in the New World, the increasing danger of the occupation, and finally a life in hiding. This inspiring account vividly captures the terror of the Holocaust while telling a poignant story of love and courage.
Joanne says:
"A glimmer of light in an otherwise tragic tale"
A Few Seconds of Panic: A 170-Pound, 43-Year-Old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL
UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 37 mins)
By Stefan Fatsis
Narrated By Stefan Fatsis
Whispersync for Voice-ready
Overall
(63)
Performance
(15)
Story
(16)
Stefan Fatsis infiltrates a strikingly different subculture: pro football. After more than a year spent working out with a strength coach and polishing his craft with a gurulike kicking coach, Fatsis molded his fortyish body into one that could stand up - barely - to the rigors of NFL training. And over three months in 2006, he became a Denver Bronco.
Virtually all Americans above a certain age hold strong opinions about Douglas MacArthur. They either worship him or despise him. Now, in this superb book, one of our most outstanding writers, after a meticulous three-year examination of the record, presents his startling insights about the man. The narrative is gripping, because the general's life was fascinating. It is moving, because he was a man of vision. It ends, finally, in tragedy, because his character, though majestic, was tragically flawed.
In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing
UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 23 mins)
By Lee Woodruff, Bob Woodruff
Narrated By Lee Woodruff, Bob Woodruff
Whispersync for Voice-ready
Overall
(32)
Performance
(9)
Story
(9)
A New York Times number-one best-seller, In an Instant is a heartfelt true account of the tragedy that nearly took the life of ABC news anchor Bob Woodruff - and of the subsequent recovery that proves miracles do exist. Lee and Bob Woodruff themselves tenderly narrate this harrowing, yet ultimately redeeming, journey of devotion and hope.
One day in 1957, in the third-grade classroom of St. Brigid's parochial school, an exasperated Sister Mary Lurana bent over a restless young William O'Reilly and said, "William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity." Little did she know that she was, early in his career as a troublemaker, defining the essence of Bill O'Reilly and providing him with the title of his brash and entertaining issues-based memoir.
James says:
"Avid Reader Explains Bold Fresh is a must Listen"
Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home
UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 6 mins)
By Nando Parrado, Vince Rause
Narrated By Arthur Morey
Overall
(193)
Performance
(48)
Story
(48)
Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as their family members and supporters, to an exhibition game in Chile had crashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon learned that many were dead or dying, among them his own mother and sister. Those who remained were stranded on a lifeless glacier at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, with no supplies and no means of summoning help.
John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father
UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 27 mins)
By Peggy Noonan
Narrated By Peggy Noonan
Overall
(47)
Performance
(13)
Story
(13)
As the leader of the Catholic Church, the oldest continuing institution in the Western world, Pope John Paul II was a giant in every sphere he touched: personal, theological, political, ecumenical. In an age rich with heroes, Pope John Paul II was truly the great man of the past century, a man who personally confronted its tragedies, from Nazism to communism.
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Gold Medal, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel offers an unforgettable account of Hitler's horrific reign of terror in Night. This definitive edition features a new translation from the original French by Wiesel's wife and frequent translator, Marion Wiesel.
Saving Milly: Love, Politics, and Parkinson's Disease
UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 17 mins)
By Morton Kondracke
Narrated By Michael Prichard
Overall
(23)
Performance
(5)
Story
(5)
For many years a panelist on The McLaughlin Group, Morton Kondracke recounts his passionate and volatile marriage to Millicent Martinez, the Mexican-American daughter of a radical labor organizer. In 1987, after 20 years of marriage, Milly learned the shattering news that she had Parkinson's disease. Despite the devastating physical and emotional effects of the disease, for which a cure has not yet been found, the marriage grew stronger and deeper.
Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes
UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 13 mins)
By Maya Angelou
Narrated By Maya Angelou
Overall
(22)
Performance
(1)
Story
(1)
Throughout Maya Angelou's life, from her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas, to her world travels as a best-selling writer, good food has played a central role. Preparing and enjoying homemade meals provides a sense of purpose and calm, accomplishment, and connection. Now in Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, Angelou shares memories pithy and poignant, and the recipes that helped to make them both indelible and irreplaceable.
Cartherine says:
"I love listening to Ms. Maya..."
King of Hearts: The True Story of the Maverick Who Pioneered Open Heart Surgery
UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 33 mins)
By G. Wayne Miller
Narrated By Patrick Cullen
Overall
(117)
Performance
(24)
Story
(24)
G. Wayne Miller has dramatically and meticulously reconstructed an amazing true story: how a group of renegade Minnesota surgeons, led by Dr. Walt Lillehei, made medical history by becoming the first doctors to operate deep inside the human heart.
Booker T. Washington fought his way out of slavery to become an educator, statesman, political shaper, and proponent of the "do-it-yourself" idea. In his autobiography, he describes his early life as a slave on a Virginia plantation, his steady rise during the Civil War, his struggle for education, his schooling at the Hampton Institute, and his years as founder and president of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, which was devoted to helping minorities learn useful, marketable skills.
In this first volume of his memoirs, then-newly-qualified vet James Herriot arrives in the small Yorkshire village of Darrowby, and he has no idea what to expect. How will he get on with his new boss? The local farmers? And what will the animals think? This program is filled with hilarious and touching tales of the unpredictable Siegfried Farnon, his charming student brother Tristan, and Herriot's first encounters with a beautiful girl named Helen.
The prolific, perennially best selling author recounts his early life and writing struggles, gives advice on the crucial aspects of the writing art, and talks about his much-publicized, near-fatal accident.
A classic of Holocaust literature, Gerda Weissmann Klein's celebrated memoir tells the moving story of a young woman's 3 frightful years as a slave laborer of the Nazis and her miraculous liberation. All But My Life stands as the ultimate lesson in humanity, hope, and friendship.
The definitive, personal account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed journalist and author of Into the Wild. Read by the author. Also, hear a Fresh Air interview with Krakauer conducted shortly after his ordeal.
Herriot continues the rich and rewarding day-to-day life of a small-town veterinarian, and we journey with him across the dales, meeting a whole new cast of unforgettable characters - humans, dogs, horses, lambs, parakeets - all of them drawn with the same infinite fascination, affection and insight that made James Herriot one of the most beloved authors of our time. And all the stories are warmly, evocatively told by the world-renowned "voice" of Dr. Herriot: Christopher Timothy.
Elizabeth says:
"It only gets better when you read/listen Again!"
