This week we celebrate Independence Day, so it’s the perfect time to brush up on American history, from the colonial era to the Revolutionary War and the establishment of the government. With all due respect to those famous Founding Fathers, I’m just as curious about the women who shaped our nation in its earliest days—more so, in fact, since my dusty old school books tended to gloss right over them. It’s hardly a revolutionary idea, but this July 4th, I’m resolving to hear more of their stories.—Kat, Audible Editor
Product List
  • Betsy Ross and the Making of America Audiobook By Marla R. Miller cover art

    • Betsy Ross and the Making of America

    • By: Marla R. Miller
    • Narrated by: Dana Green
    • Length: 18 hrs and 58 mins
    • Release date: 04-27-10
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 29 ratings
    • Our Lady of the Stars and Stripes
    • Betsy Ross is one of those quintessential American figures whose real life is frustratingly difficult to tease out from myth. Historian Marla R. Miller rescues Ross from this fuzzy-edged fate with a richly detailed portrait of the hardworking seamstress, mother, and businesswoman as seen in the context of colonial Philadelphia. As for whether Ross really sewed the first Stars and Stripes? As Miller writes, transporting us to the city’s industrious community of artisans, “The flag, like the Revolution it represents, was the work of many hands.”
  • Abigail Adams Audiobook By Woody Holton cover art

    • Abigail Adams

    • By: Woody Holton
    • Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
    • Length: 19 hrs and 35 mins
    • Release date: 11-19-09
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 338 ratings
    • A FLOTUS Ahead of Her Time
    • If I learned anything from James Comey, it’s that the domestic dramas of the men and women in government are just as interesting as political intrigue, if not more so. A lively complement to David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning John Adams, Woody Holton’s eye-opening portrait of Abigail exposes how this American icon held down the family’s home and business affairs while her husband was frequently away, all against the backdrop of the founding era. With a keen interest in women’s equality and public education, as well as great resilience in the face of tragedy, it’s no wonder Abigail’s legacy resonates as strongly as ever today.
  • The Hemingses of Monticello Audiobook By Annette Gordon-Reed cover art

    • The Hemingses of Monticello

    • An American Family
    • By: Annette Gordon-Reed
    • Narrated by: Karen White
    • Length: 30 hrs and 36 mins
    • Release date: 11-04-08
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 827 ratings
    • A Hidden Woman Steps Into the Light
    • The story of Sally Hemings, and its gradual dawning in America’s consciousness, says a lot about the legacy of slavery and inequity in this country. Annette Gordon-Reed’s Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the Hemingses, the slave family with blood ties to Thomas Jefferson, is the definitive work on Sally and her kin, though their story is still being written. Recently, Jefferson’s Monticello estate unveiled Sally’s previously hidden living quarters for viewing, with Hemings’ own descendants present at the opening. Indeed, while this riveting history brings Sally to light, it brings three Hemings generations along with her—into the open at last.
  • A Perfect Union Audiobook By Catherine Allgor cover art

    • A Perfect Union

    • Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation
    • By: Catherine Allgor
    • Narrated by: Anne Twomey
    • Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
    • Release date: 03-28-06
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 55 ratings
    • Hello, Dolley
    • It’s time we gave Dolley Madison her due. As the fourth FLOTUS, she used her social savvy and diplomatic flair to smooth over both domestic and international dramas—feats that, as author Catherine Allgor reveals, are all the more admirable for having adhered to gender constraints rather than bucking them. Though she is best remembered for saving a painting of George Washington when British troops burned the White House during the War of 1812, Allgor’s audiobook, narrated by the wonderful Anne Twomey, credits her subject with far more personality and complexity than a single anecdote suggests.
  • My Dear Hamilton Audiobook By Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie cover art

    • My Dear Hamilton

    • A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton
    • By: Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie
    • Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
    • Length: 23 hrs and 7 mins
    • Release date: 04-03-18
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,464 ratings
    • The Revolutionary with Modern Appeal
    • After the success of a little musical you may have heard of, America’s fascination with Alexander Hamilton shows no signs of abating. New narratives are digging into the life of his wife, Elizabeth (Eliza) Schuyler, a captivating figure in her own right. There’s a simmering romance—or two, or three—plus a definitive new biography coming this fall. As for me, I’m devouring this moving, gorgeously narrated novel that brings Eliza’s story (from the Revolution and political maneuvering to a sex scandal and that infamous duel) and personality to life, offering great insight into America’s past and present along the way.
  • The Trial of Phillis Wheatley Audiobook By Ronald B. Wheatley cover art

    • The Trial of Phillis Wheatley

    • By: Ronald B. Wheatley
    • Narrated by: Rosemary Benson
    • Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
    • Release date: 02-17-15
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
    • The Mother of African-American Poetry
    • This fascinating play, skillfully narrated by Rosemary Benson, illuminates the story of Phillis Wheatley, a Boston slave who became the first published African-American poet. Born in West Africa, she was kidnapped in 1761 and brought to America, where she was purchased by John Wheatley. A promising writer, Phillis eventually produced an acclaimed collection of poems—then was called in front of a panel of Boston notables to defend herself as the “real” author. Set on the eve of the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War, this compelling courtroom drama examines the story of a Black literary pioneer alongside the fate of an evolving nation.

Behind the Scenes of the Modern White House

Hissing Cousins
Hissing Cousins By: Marc Peyser, Timothy Dwyer
“Some worship Jackie—I’m more of an Alice Roosevelt Longworth woman, myself. The glamorous first daughter was a global celebrity, complete with beauty, scandals, and an acid tongue. This ingenious portrayal alongside her cousin Eleanor, who became first lady three decades later, is wittily provocative—as befits these two outsized icons.”
Upstairs at the White House
Upstairs at the White House By: J. B. West
“Oh, to be a fly on the wall at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This pitch-perfect memoir by White House chief usher J. B. West pulls back those heavy curtains to unveil the lives of six presidents (from FDR to Nixon), their first ladies, families, and dazzling house guests. It’s a lively collection of anecdotes adding up to an essential narrative of American history.”
American Wife
American Wife By: Curtis Sittenfeld
“Before she wrote Eligible and Prep, Curtis Sittenfeld turned out this accomplished portrait of Alice Blackwell, a bookworm in love with a boisterous Republican who eventually lands them in the White House. If you’re wondering which real first lady Alice is loosely based upon, the 2008 publication date is a major clue.”

Evolution of a First Lady

Inspiring American Stories for All Ages

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History Audiobook By Vashti Harrison cover art
Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition Audiobook By Margot Lee Shetterly cover art
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls Audiobook By Elena Favilli, Francesca Cavallo cover art
Notorious RBG: Young Readers' Edition Audiobook By Irin Carmon cover art
Who Was Rosa Parks? Audiobook By Yona Zeldis McDonough cover art
She Persisted Audiobook By Chelsea Clinton cover art