Free Audiobooks and Podcasts

Journey with musical virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma as the iconic performer and global phenomenon delves into the world of self-discovery and our deeply interwoven humanity. This is Beginner's Mind, Ma’s extraordinary addition to Audible’s Words + Music series, blending vivid personal memoir and breathtaking exclusive performances with indelible lessons gained over a lifetime pursuing meaning, connection, and shared purpose.

Weezer and Jaron Lanier dive deep into the band's new album, OK Human. The team discuss the album's lyrical topics of modern life, technology, and what it is to be human as well as add insights into the sonics and recording process.

More Than a Vote: Our Voices. Our Vote. is a battle cry to educate, inspire, and turn nonvoters into voters. Formed by a coalition of Black athletes and artists headlined by NBA star LeBron James, More Than a Vote is a nonprofit voting rights organization aimed at combating voter suppression, systemic racism, and misinformation that disproportionately disenfranchises communities of color. In this one-of-a-kind Words + Music special, we hear from an all-star chorus of activists and entertainers on the front lines of today’s voting rights movement.

Exactly one year after the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, the very first pride parade kicked off on Christopher Street with a march up New York's Sixth Avenue and into the Sheep Meadow in Central Park. They marched to demonstrate against decades of systemic discrimination, inequality, and harassment. Fifty years later, New York City was preparing for the biggest pride celebration yet when COVID-19 struck. Undeterred, the global LGBTQIA+ community transformed this special anniversary into a global virtual celebration.

Follow along as Ada Calhoun and Audible editor Courtney Reimer—both Gen X women living the chaos and joy Calhoun chronicles in her new work, Why We Can't Sleep — go about their busy days to illustrate the universality of the modern midlife crisis.

From podcasts and documentaries to online forums, true crime is booming. But as one Audible editor and self-professed crime obsessive observes, the genre is being pulled in new and different directions along with a changing social landscape. She wanted to know: Can we ethically engage in true crime as real concerns surface around the crimes, victims, and systemic issues that directly impact the humans we are hearing about? 

You know screens are bad before bed, but do you know why? Find out how blue light isn't the only way these devices are getting in the way of you and your sleep.  

In this brief educational piece by renowned sound therapist Sara Auster, you'll learn how the reverberating tones from certain instruments create a deeply immersive experience that may help relax your body and mind. Sara is the leading voice in sound bath experiences and is considered a pioneer and master of the form. She's been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, TIME, and O, The Oprah Magazine and has facilitated large-scale, site-specific sound bath experiences at iconic venues around the world.

Even if you know the benefits of meditation, actually starting can feel daunting. This brief and easygoing introduction from Jesse Israel, founder of The Big Quiet, breaks it down - and shows you how effortless starting your own practice can be.   

Sometimes all it takes is one little fact or one little piece of wisdom to change your life forever. That's the purpose and the hope of "Something You Should Know." In each episode, host Mike Carruthers interviews top experts in their field to bring you fascinating information and advice to help you save time and money, advance in your career, become wealthy, improve your relationships and help you simply get more out of life. In addition, Mike uncovers and shares short, engaging pieces of "intel" you can use to make your life better - today. Right now.

Mike and Sarah are journalists obsessed with the past. Every week they reconsider a person or event that's been miscast in the public imagination.

NPR's weekly current events quiz. Have a laugh and test your news knowledge while figuring out what's real and what we've made up.

"SmartLess" with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. What ensues is a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the SmartLess mind.

It Was Said is a limited documentary podcast series looking back on some of the most powerful, impactful and timeless speeches in American history. Written and narrated by Pulitzer Prize winning and best-selling author-historian Jon Meacham, and created, directed and produced by Peabody-nominated C13Originals Studios in association with The HISTORY® Channel, this series takes you through 10 speeches for the inaugural season. Meacham offers expert insight and analysis into their origins, the orator, the context of the times they were given, why they are still relevant today, and the importance...

A micro podcast that explores some of the most considerable things you’ve never considered.

News comes at you fast. Join us at the end of your day to understand it. Today, Explained is your all killer, no filler, Monday to Friday news explainer hosted by Sean Rameswaram and featuring the finest reporters from the Vox Media Podcast Network and beyond.

Welcome to The Brown Girls Guide to Politics -- the one stop shop for women of color who want to hear and talk about the world of politics. Host A’shanti Gholar leads conversations with women changing the face of politics. Episodes include interviews with politicians, candidates, and influencers. Get ready for roundtables, analyzing current events, and more!

This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.

Is it possible for an American Vice President to carry out a criminal enterprise inside the White House and have nobody remember? To have one of the most brazen political bribery scandals in American history play out before the country while nobody’s paying attention? In her first original podcast, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow goes back 45 years to dig into a story that got overshadowed in its day. There’s intrigue. Corruption. Envelopes of cash delivered to the White House. It’s a story that’s not well known, but it probably should be. Especially today. Bag Man. A Rachel Maddow podcast ...

Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano (born March 12, 1945) is an American gangster who became the underboss of the Gambino crime family. This is his story. Directed by James Carroll.

Buried deep in the past of a quiet southern town lies the legend of Billy Sunday Birt, the most dangerous man in Georgia history. A chance meeting one spring day unravels the truth behind the notorious figure and uncovers new secrets along the way.A twelve-episode series, launching August 25. New episodes available Tuesday mornings.

In "Hardcore History" journalist and broadcaster Dan Carlin takes his "Martian", unorthodox way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This isn't academic history (and Carlin isn't a historian) but the podcast's unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists has entertained millions of listeners.

Trump’s Last Stand: How much damage can a sitting president do in a day or a week or two months? In the first series of How It Happened, national political reporter Jonathan Swan reveals the inside story of Donald Trump’s last few months in office. The story starts with his COVID-19 recovery and ends with the insurrection at the Capitol.

Lore is a bi-weekly podcast (as well as a TV show and book series) about dark historical tales. Each episode explores the mysterious creatures, tragic events, and unusual places that fill the pages of history. Because sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction.