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A Gentle Reign
- Narrated by: Susan Orlean
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
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A Gentle Reign
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Publisher's summary
Kwabena Oppong, who is the king and supreme ruler of the African Ashanti tribespeople living in the United States of America, has a throne in his living room. The American Ashanti king is elected every two years from the ranks of an Ashanti social and cultural organization called the Asanteman Association of the United States of America, Inc. The first stateside king, Kwadwo Tuffuor, was a plumber. The second, Kusi Appouh, repaired air-conditioners and refrigerators. Kwabena Oppong is the third king; he drives a cab.
In A Gentle Reign, Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief and Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend, lends her wry, exuberant voice to the unforgettable portrait of an ordinary man thrown into an extraordinary circumstance and follows closely as the newly crowned supreme ruler navigates his life as an unlikely king.
A Gentle Reign was originally published in The New Yorker, December 12, 1988.
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- A Biography of Mrs. Johnson
- By: Jan Jarboe Russell
- Narrated by: Andrea Gallo
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 25
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
A revealing biography of Lady Bird Johnson with startling new insights into her marriage to Lyndon Baines Johnson and her unexpectedly strong impact on his presidency. Long obscured by her husband's shadow, Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson emerges in this first comprehensive biography as a figure of surprising influence and the centering force for LBJ, a man who suffered from extreme mood swings and desperately needed someone to help control his darker impulses.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Do not waste an audible credit
- By Sandra B. on 10-15-23
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Street of Eternal Happiness
- Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road
- By: Rob Schmitz
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 57
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 50
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 50
Modern Shanghai: a global city in the midst of a renaissance, where dreamers arrive each day to partake in a mad torrent of capital, ideas, and opportunity. Marketplace's Rob Schmitz is one of them. He immerses himself in his neighborhood, forging deep relationships with ordinary people who see in the city's sleek skyline a brighter future, and a chance to rewrite their destinies.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Deserving of better audio
- By Rachael on 02-19-18
By: Rob Schmitz
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The Souls of China
- The Return of Religion After Mao
- By: Ian Johnson
- Narrated by: Ian Johnson
- Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
The Souls of China tells the story of one of the world's great spiritual revivals. Following a century of violent antireligious campaigns, China is now filled with new temples, churches, and mosques - as well as cults, sects, and politicians trying to harness religion for their own ends. Driving this explosion of faith is uncertainty - over what it means to be Chinese and how to live an ethical life in a country that discarded traditional morality a century ago and is searching for new guideposts.
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2 out of 5 stars
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expository but boring
- By Laurent V. on 05-07-18
By: Ian Johnson
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Jackie, Ethel, Joan
- Women of Camelot
- By: J. Randy Taraborrelli
- Narrated by: Beth Fowler
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 151
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 128
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 128
What does it mean to be a Kennedy? If ever three women would be challenged and changed by marriage into a family, it would be Jacqueline Bouvier, Ethel Skakel, and Joan Bennett. None of these radiant brides could have ever been prepared for the fame, the family, and tragedies that would spring from their lives. As they struggled to cope with their husbands' infidelities, the harsh glare of the media, and the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy, these women would learn what it meant to be sisters, reaching out to one another with comfort and consolation.
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3 out of 5 stars
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my first Kennedy book
- By colleen on 06-15-12
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Raven
- The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People
- By: Tim Reiterman
- Narrated by: Mitch Horowitz
- Length: 29 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 572
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 511
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 507
Tim Reiterman's Raven provides the seminal history of the Rev. Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and the murderous ordeal at Jonestown in 1978. This PEN Award-winning work explores the ideals gone wrong, the intrigue, and the grim realities behind the Peoples Temple and its implosion in the jungle of South America.
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5 out of 5 stars
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What a very thoroughly written book!
- By Traci P. on 04-22-17
By: Tim Reiterman
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Just Like Us
- The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America
- By: Helen Thorpe
- Narrated by: Paula Christensen
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 77
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 62
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Story4 out of 5 stars 61
Just Like Us tells the story of four high school students whose parents entered this country illegally from Mexico. All four of the girls have grown up in the United States, and all four want to live the American dream, but only two have documents. As the girls attempt to make it into college, they discover that only the legal pair see a clear path forward. A coming-of-age story about girlhood and friendship, as well as the resilience required to transcend poverty, Just Like Us is also a book about identity.
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1 out of 5 stars
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I wanted to listen but...
- By PurpleSage on 03-22-14
By: Helen Thorpe
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The Pursuit of Happyness (Abridged)
- By: Chris Gardner
- Narrated by: Andre Blake
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 418
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 256
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 256
At the age of 20, Chris Gardner arrived in San Francisco to pursue a promising career in medicine. However, he surprised everyone and himself by setting his sights on the competitive world of high finance. Yet no sooner had he landed an entry-level position at a prestigious firm, Gardner found himself caught in a web of incredibly challenging circumstances that left him part of the city's working homeless with his toddler son.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very Good Story!
- By Lito Da Critic on 06-02-06
By: Chris Gardner
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Infidel
- By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Narrated by: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,616
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,721
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Story5 out of 5 stars 2,726
This New York Times best-seller is the astonishing life story of award-winning humanitarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A deeply respected advocate for free speech and women's rights, Hirsi Ali also lives under armed protection because of her outspoken criticism of the Islamic faith in which she was raised.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Tough, Candid Assessment
- By Paul Mullen on 02-18-08
By: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
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Inside the Kingdom
- My Life In Saudi Arabia
- By: Carmen bin Ladin
- Narrated by: Shohreh Aghdashloo
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 315
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 161
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 165
On September 11, 2001, Carmen bin Ladin heard the news that the Twin Towers had been struck. She instinctively knew that her brother-in-law was involved in these horrifying acts of terrorism, and her heart went out to America. She also knew that her life and the lives of her daughters would never be the same again.
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4 out of 5 stars
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An inside view of the Saudi women's life
- By Richard on 08-04-04
By: Carmen bin Ladin
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Kabul Beauty School
- An American Woman Goes behind the Veil
- By: Deborah Rodriguez, Kristin Ohlson
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 543
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 246
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Story4 out of 5 stars 248
Most Westerners working in Afghanistan spend their time tucked inside a military compound or embassy. Not Deborah Rodriguez. Here, she tells the story of the beauty school she founded in the middle of Kabul and of the vibrant women who were her students. When Rodriguez opened the Kabul Beauty School, she not only empowered her students with a new sense of autonomy but also made some of the closest friends of her life.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Thumbs down
- By Becky on 06-14-07
By: Deborah Rodriguez, and others
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The Ayatollah Begs to Differ
- The Paradox of Modern Iran
- By: Hooman Majd
- Narrated by: Hooman Majd
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 218
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 136
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Story4 out of 5 stars 139
The grandson of an eminent ayatollah and the son of an Iranian diplomat, journalist Hooman Majd is uniquely qualified to explain contemporary Iran's complex and misunderstood culture to Western listeners. The Ayatollah Begs to Differ provides an intimate look at a paradoxical country that is both deeply religious and highly cosmopolitan, authoritarian yet informed by a history of democratic and reformist traditions.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Good book that dodges some tougher questions
- By Walter on 08-30-09
By: Hooman Majd
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The Residence
- Inside the Private World of the White House
- By: Kate Andersen Brower
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,117
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 1,895
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,888
America's first families are unknowable in many ways. No one has insight into their true character like the people who serve their meals and make their beds every day. Full of stories and details by turns dramatic, humorous, and heartwarming, The Residence reveals daily life in the White House as it is really lived through the voices of the maids, butlers, cooks, florists, doormen, engineers, and others who tend to the needs of the president and first family.
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4 out of 5 stars
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The White House Explored & Exposed
- By Sara on 04-15-15
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The Politician
- An Insider's Account of John Edwards's Pursuit of the Presidency and the Scandal that Brought Him Down
- By: Andrew Young
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 252
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 96
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Story4 out of 5 stars 100
Like a nonfiction version of All the King's Men, The Politician offers a truly disturbing, even shocking, perspective on the risks taken and tactics employed by a man determined to rule the most powerful nation on earth.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Politician Phony. A must listen!!!
- By Sherman on 02-09-10
By: Andrew Young
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The Devil in the Junior League
- By: Linda Francis Lee
- Narrated by: Jenna Lamia
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,147
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 893
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 889
Mercedes Hildebrand Ware is a member beyond reproach...until her life begins to unravel. When her husband betrays her, steals her money, and runs off to places unknown, it's something Frede would prefer to keep under wraps. The last thing she needs is to become fodder for the JLWC gossip mill. And to make matters worse, there's only one person in town who stands a chance at helping her get revenge - Howard Grout, a tasteless, gold-chain-wearing lawyer who has bought his way into Frede's tony neighborhood.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Fun chick lit
- By Lori on 08-07-09
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Finding Fish
- A Memoir
- By: Antwone Q. Fisher
- Narrated by: Thomas Penny
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 95
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 86
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Story5 out of 5 stars 84
Baby Boy Fisher was raised in institutions from the moment of his birth in prison to a single mother. He ultimately came to live with a foster family, where he endured near-constant verbal and physical abuse. In his midteens he escaped and enlisted in the navy, where he became a man of the world, raised by the family he created for himself. Finding Fish shows how, out of this unlikely mix of deprivation and hope, an artist was born.
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5 out of 5 stars
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This book will not disappoint you.
- By Joseph on 10-16-16
What listeners say about A Gentle Reign
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kirsten L. Hancock
- 12-19-22
Start to finish
So interesting.
Author narrating her own writing is fantastic and this story is one you can’t put down for the entire hour. Love Susan Orlean. Another gem
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bruce Cline
- 04-13-22
Loved it
This was a nice peek into a small community of Ghanaians living in the U.S. I love that they elect a king to assist their community members in all manner of ways. Quite delightful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- sunstan
- 08-13-21
Susan Orlean for the win
As always, her enchanting and fully informational writing delights. I love her choice of an almost unheard of subject and then riffs on it fully. Beautifully written and narrated as only Susan Orlean can do.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JAM
- 12-14-18
Interesting—
I have long enjoyed Susan Orlean’s work on the page, but now realize she’s a good “listen” also. An excellent article.
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1 person found this helpful