
VETERAN VOICES
stories by, for, and about veterans.
Armistice Dayto greet the veterans of World War I. He made sure I donated pocket money to the veterans’ charities on whose behalf they had shown up, and I made sure to wear the poppies I received in return, the ubiquitous little red paper ones with black plastic centers. Now I think of those poppies and those vets, and all of the veterans who have served since then, with gratitude and humility for everything I didn’t understand a lifetime ago. Dear Veterans, you don’t need to give me a poppy; it is I who thank you for all your service and sacrifice. May you enjoy Veterans Day for years to come! —Christina, Audible Editor
Five-Star Listener Reviews
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The Theater of War
- What Ancient Greek Tragedies Can Teach Us Today
- By: Bryan Doerries
- Narrated by: Adam Driver
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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This compassionate, personal, and illuminating work of nonfiction draws on the author's celebrated work as a director of socially conscious theater to connect listeners with the power of an ancient artistic tradition. For years Bryan Doerries has been producing ancient tragedies for current and returned servicemen and women, addicts, tornado and hurricane victims, and a wide range of other at-risk people in society.
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Breathtaking
- By Emily Willis on 01-05-18
Breathtaking
I couldn't put it down. To be honest, I first got the book because I adore Adam Drivers' voice and the content sounded interesting enough. But I was humbled and amazed by the content, the honesty and humanity of the book touched me in ways I didn't expect or know I needed. I am very grateful for this book.
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Strong Ending
- A Journey from Combat to Comedy
- By: Audible Originals
- Narrated by: Mary-Louise Parker
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Original Recording
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This heartfelt Audible Original, narrated by Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker, follows three military veterans as they reclaim their most painful memories and turn them into comedy. Michael Garvey, Isaura Ramirez, and Patrick Harth left combat zones to challenge themselves in a stand-up comedy boot camp. As they learn to transform their raw emotions into cathartic experiences, they face the daunting challenge of trying to make an audience laugh with jokes about war, trauma, and mental health.
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Favorite Member Selection so far
- By Amazon Customer on 11-07-18
Crying Navy Veteran
I thank you for this. I listened to this and it helped me release so much pressure, and I'm not even on stage! I am going to tell all my Vet brothers about this. It can help so many.
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Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
- A Novel
- By: Ben Fountain
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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A ferocious firefight with Iraqi insurgents - caught on tape by an embedded Fox News crew - has transformed the eight surviving men of Bravo Squad into America's most sought-after heroes. For the past two weeks, the Bush administration has sent them on a media-intensive nationwide victory tour to reinvigorate public support for the war. Now, on this chilly and rainy Thanksgiving, the Bravos are guests of a Dallas football team, slated to be part of the halftime show.
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Fortunate Son
- By W Perry Hall on 04-09-14
Genius, punishingly funny
The story of a day. A troop of soldiers home on leave from Iraq, are dragged around the country on a hero tour, wind up in a stadium on Thanksgiving for a Dallas Cowboys game. We see this surreal afternoon through the eyes of Billy Lynn, 19, who aches with longing for a girl, with loss for a fellow soldier, with horror at his fellow citizens grazing on platitudes and branded-merchandise—and with a headache, for which he vainly seeks an Advil amidst the adulation. ''Legal liability,'' explains the Cowboys equipment manager, turning him down. People mostly want to feel better about themselves and are not too interested in what hurts Billy. Fountain is a wonderful writer, delivering his own hybrid of Joseph Heller's wit and John Updike's pinwheeling language. Brilliantly performed by Oliver Wyman.
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You Know When the Men Are Gone
- By: Siobhan Fallon
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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In Fort Hood housing, like all army housing, you get used to hearing through the walls. You learn too much. And you learn to move quietly through your own small domain. You also know when the men are gone. As Siobhan Fallon shows in this collection of loosely interconnected short stories, each woman deals with her husband's absence differently.
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You know when you've got a great read!
- By Pamela Harvey on 01-22-11
Engaging and Important
This should be required reading for every American. An eyeopening and heartbreaking window into the lives of soldiers and their families. The author focuses on the collateral damage to loved ones during deployment and the fallout as soldiers return, as told through engaging and climatic short stories. I did not expect to like this as much as I did - the narrator does a fantastic job of bringing the words to life and forces the reader to consider things most civilians never will have to think about. The sacrifices these families make on a daily basis deserved this book and we should all be grateful each and everyday for the freedoms we are afforded because of their bravery.
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Helmet for My Pillow
- From Parris Island to the Pacific: A Young Marine's Stirring Account of Combat in World War II
- By: Robert Leckie
- Narrated by: James Badge Dale, Tom Hanks (introduction)
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
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Should be required reading in high school
- By Randall on 04-03-19
Funny, sad, and all around enjoyable!
Everything in this book kept me hooked from beginning to end. From stories of boot camp, to his time in Melborn and at the hospital. This book is a gripping story that tells the story of life of enlisted men. Not just war stories, but what they did to keep from losing their minds.
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The Dead Drink First
- By: Dale Maharidge
- Narrated by: Dale Maharidge
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
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Performance
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Dale Maharidge’s father, like many World War II veterans, never talked about “the good war”. There was just one clue to his dad’s experience as a US Marine - a portrait with a close friend that hung permanently in their home. In The Dead Drink First, Dale, now a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, recounts his 18-year quest to find and repatriate the missing remains of his dad’s buddy, Herman Walter Mulligan, 73 years after he was killed in action.
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read it even if it's not your usual genre
- By Kindle Customer on 06-07-19
Every American should listen to this
Great reminder of why war is terrible. The price people paid for our liberty and Freedoms, and how much people suffered and how those waves are felt for generations. riveting and emotional—great listen.
The Last Full Measure
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On Hallowed Ground
- The Story of Arlington National Cemetery
- By: Robert M. Poole
- Narrated by: Robert M. Poole
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
More than just a fascinating account of how Arlington came into being at the end of the Civil War, On Hallowed Ground also tells the story of America as reflected in her greatest national cemetery. The history of the land on which the cemetery is built is as varied as our nation's, evolving from its earliest days as Robert E. Lee's ancestral home to a Union headquarters, a haven for freedmen, and finally a burial ground.
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Enlightening, Beautiful
- By Gillian on 02-24-14
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The Dead Drink First
- By: Dale Maharidge
- Narrated by: Dale Maharidge
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Dale Maharidge’s father, like many World War II veterans, never talked about “the good war”. There was just one clue to his dad’s experience as a US Marine - a portrait with a close friend that hung permanently in their home. In The Dead Drink First, Dale, now a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, recounts his 18-year quest to find and repatriate the missing remains of his dad’s buddy, Herman Walter Mulligan, 73 years after he was killed in action.
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read it even if it's not your usual genre
- By Kindle Customer on 06-07-19
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Ashley's War
- The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield
- By: Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the author of the New York Times best seller The Dressmaker of Khair Khana comes the poignant and gripping story of a groundbreaking team of female American warriors who served alongside Special Operations soldiers on the battlefield in Afghanistan - including Ashley White, a beloved soldier who died serving her country's cause.
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Warriors
- By Debora J. Watson on 06-18-15
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The Jersey Brothers
- A Missing Naval Officer in the Pacific and His Family's Quest to Bring Him Home
- By: Sally Mott Freeman
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
They are three brothers, all navy men, who end up coincidentally and extraordinarily at the epicenter of three of the war's most crucial moments. Bill is picked by Roosevelt to run his first map room in Washington. Benny is the gunnery and antiaircraft officer on the USS Enterprise, one of the only carriers to escape Pearl Harbor and by the end of 1942 the last one left in the Pacific to defend against the Japanese. Barton, the youngest and least distinguished of the three, is shuffled off to the Navy Supply Corps because his mother wants him out of harm's way.
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Band of Brothers Meets Unbroken-a Remarkable Book
- By Jack@NYC on 05-30-17
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On Hallowed Ground
- The Story of Arlington National Cemetery
- By: Robert M. Poole
- Narrated by: Robert M. Poole
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
More than just a fascinating account of how Arlington came into being at the end of the Civil War, On Hallowed Ground also tells the story of America as reflected in her greatest national cemetery. The history of the land on which the cemetery is built is as varied as our nation's, evolving from its earliest days as Robert E. Lee's ancestral home to a Union headquarters, a haven for freedmen, and finally a burial ground.
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Enlightening, Beautiful
- By Gillian on 02-24-14
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The Dead Drink First
- By: Dale Maharidge
- Narrated by: Dale Maharidge
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Dale Maharidge’s father, like many World War II veterans, never talked about “the good war”. There was just one clue to his dad’s experience as a US Marine - a portrait with a close friend that hung permanently in their home. In The Dead Drink First, Dale, now a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, recounts his 18-year quest to find and repatriate the missing remains of his dad’s buddy, Herman Walter Mulligan, 73 years after he was killed in action.
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read it even if it's not your usual genre
- By Kindle Customer on 06-07-19
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Ashley's War
- The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield
- By: Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the author of the New York Times best seller The Dressmaker of Khair Khana comes the poignant and gripping story of a groundbreaking team of female American warriors who served alongside Special Operations soldiers on the battlefield in Afghanistan - including Ashley White, a beloved soldier who died serving her country's cause.
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Warriors
- By Debora J. Watson on 06-18-15
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The Jersey Brothers
- A Missing Naval Officer in the Pacific and His Family's Quest to Bring Him Home
- By: Sally Mott Freeman
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
They are three brothers, all navy men, who end up coincidentally and extraordinarily at the epicenter of three of the war's most crucial moments. Bill is picked by Roosevelt to run his first map room in Washington. Benny is the gunnery and antiaircraft officer on the USS Enterprise, one of the only carriers to escape Pearl Harbor and by the end of 1942 the last one left in the Pacific to defend against the Japanese. Barton, the youngest and least distinguished of the three, is shuffled off to the Navy Supply Corps because his mother wants him out of harm's way.
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Band of Brothers Meets Unbroken-a Remarkable Book
- By Jack@NYC on 05-30-17
8 Astonishing Books by Returning Veterans
A new wave of literature written by returning veterans offers a bridge to understanding their experiences.



Dale Maharidge
Pulitzer Prize-winner Dale Maharidge shares how he made peace with his past through the journey to find his father’s fallen Army friend on Okinawa.
Presidents Who Served
Stellar listens by and about people who served the nation in two capacities.



For Kids & Teens
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If You're Reading This
- By: Trent Reedy
- Narrated by: Trent Reedy, Ramon De Ocampo
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Mike was seven when his father was killed in mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan. Eight years later, the family still hasn't recovered: Mike's mom is overworked and overprotective; his younger sister, Mary, feels no connection to the father she barely remembers; and in his quest to be "the man of the family", Mike knows he's missing out on everyday high school life. Then, out of the blue, Mike receives a letter from his father - the first of a series Dad wrote in Afghanistan, just in case he didn't come home, meant to share some wisdom with his son.
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It's a great book
- By Anonymous User on 07-09-18
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Missing in Action
- By: Dean Hughes
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Dirty. Lazy. Good for nothing. Jay Thacker is used to being called names because his dad is half Navajo. But things are different after he and his mother move to a small town in Utah to stay with his grandparents during WWII. Jay makes friends and earns money working the fields for his well-respected grandfather - but he encounters a problem in Ken, a fellow worker who's from the nearby Japanese internment camp. Ken's a Jap. And Jay's dad, who's been fighting for the navy out in the Pacific, is missing in action.
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The Port Chicago 50
- Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights
- By: Steve Sheinkin
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin. On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed. When the dust settled, fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution.
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WWWII and Civil Rights History
- By shanking33 on 12-07-20
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Code Name Verity
- By: Elizabeth Wein
- Narrated by: Morven Christie, Lucy Gaskell
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Code Name Verity is a compelling, emotionally rich story with universal themes of friendship and loyalty, heroism and bravery. Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong....
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Do Not Read Any (other) Reviews of this Book!
- By HDJ on 12-15-12
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Allies
- By: Alan Gratz
- Narrated by: Jamie Cline, Vaneh Assadourian, PJ Ochlan, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
D-Day, June 6, 1944: the most expansive military endeavor in history. No less than world cooperation would bring down Hitler and the Axis powers. And so people - and kids - across the globe lent their part. From the young US soldiers in the boats to spies in the French countryside, the coordination of thousands came together. Alan Gratz, author of the New York Times best-selling Refugee, explores the necessity of teamwork and heroism in dismantling tyranny in this epic, yet personal, look at D-Day in time for the 75th anniversary of the operation.
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Amazing book
- By Lisa Allison on 02-11-20
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Flexible Wings
- By: Veda Stamps
- Narrated by: Natalie Hoyt
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Summer Stevenson is an 11-year-old military kid who dreams of having a permanent home and swimming in the Olympics one day, just like her idol, Olympian Lia Neal. But those things seem out of reach as her parents, "the heroes", continually move the family from house to house like boxed-up toys.
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Must Read
- By CL on 03-01-16
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If You're Reading This
- By: Trent Reedy
- Narrated by: Trent Reedy, Ramon De Ocampo
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Mike was seven when his father was killed in mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan. Eight years later, the family still hasn't recovered: Mike's mom is overworked and overprotective; his younger sister, Mary, feels no connection to the father she barely remembers; and in his quest to be "the man of the family", Mike knows he's missing out on everyday high school life. Then, out of the blue, Mike receives a letter from his father - the first of a series Dad wrote in Afghanistan, just in case he didn't come home, meant to share some wisdom with his son.
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It's a great book
- By Anonymous User on 07-09-18
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Missing in Action
- By: Dean Hughes
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Dirty. Lazy. Good for nothing. Jay Thacker is used to being called names because his dad is half Navajo. But things are different after he and his mother move to a small town in Utah to stay with his grandparents during WWII. Jay makes friends and earns money working the fields for his well-respected grandfather - but he encounters a problem in Ken, a fellow worker who's from the nearby Japanese internment camp. Ken's a Jap. And Jay's dad, who's been fighting for the navy out in the Pacific, is missing in action.
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The Port Chicago 50
- Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights
- By: Steve Sheinkin
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
An astonishing civil rights story from Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin. On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion rocked the segregated Navy base at Port Chicago, California, killing more than 300 sailors who were at the docks, critically injuring off-duty men in their bunks, and shattering windows up to a mile away. On August 9th, 244 men refused to go back to work until unsafe and unfair conditions at the docks were addressed. When the dust settled, fifty were charged with mutiny, facing decades in jail and even execution.
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WWWII and Civil Rights History
- By shanking33 on 12-07-20
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Code Name Verity
- By: Elizabeth Wein
- Narrated by: Morven Christie, Lucy Gaskell
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Code Name Verity is a compelling, emotionally rich story with universal themes of friendship and loyalty, heroism and bravery. Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong....
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Do Not Read Any (other) Reviews of this Book!
- By HDJ on 12-15-12
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Allies
- By: Alan Gratz
- Narrated by: Jamie Cline, Vaneh Assadourian, PJ Ochlan, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
D-Day, June 6, 1944: the most expansive military endeavor in history. No less than world cooperation would bring down Hitler and the Axis powers. And so people - and kids - across the globe lent their part. From the young US soldiers in the boats to spies in the French countryside, the coordination of thousands came together. Alan Gratz, author of the New York Times best-selling Refugee, explores the necessity of teamwork and heroism in dismantling tyranny in this epic, yet personal, look at D-Day in time for the 75th anniversary of the operation.
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Amazing book
- By Lisa Allison on 02-11-20
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Flexible Wings
- By: Veda Stamps
- Narrated by: Natalie Hoyt
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Summer Stevenson is an 11-year-old military kid who dreams of having a permanent home and swimming in the Olympics one day, just like her idol, Olympian Lia Neal. But those things seem out of reach as her parents, "the heroes", continually move the family from house to house like boxed-up toys.
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Must Read
- By CL on 03-01-16
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Pax
- By: Sara Pennypacker
- Narrated by: Michael Curran-Dorsano
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild. At his grandfather's house 300 miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be - with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox. Meanwhile Pax, steadfastly waiting for his boy, embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own....
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Pax needs to be included in MS & HS curricula
- By Dragon-Fox on 04-29-16
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Top Dog
- The Story of Marine Hero Lucca
- By: Maria Goodavage
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In Top Dog, Maria Goodavage takes listeners into the life of Lucca K458, a decorated and highly skilled military working dog. An extraordinary bond developed between Lucca and Marine Corps handler Chris Willingham, launching what became a legendary 400-mission career. A Specialized Search Dog, Lucca belongs to an elite group trained to work off-leash at long distances from her handler.
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Great story for dog lovers!
- By Tim on 03-25-15
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Sunrise Over Fallujah
- By: Walter Dean Myers
- Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers presents a compelling novel that looks at America's occupation of Iraq through the eyes of those who live it first hand. Charged with building up relations between the U.S. military and the Iraqi people, a team of soldiers strives to make real connections and bridge the divide between two very different cultures. On constant guard from frequent suicide bomb attacks and deadly skirmishes, their situation reveals a tragic human toll.
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Excellent, moving account of soldiers' lives.
- By Stanley on 07-14-12
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Wolf Hollow
- By: Lauren Wolk
- Narrated by: Emily Rankin
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Despite growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and though her bullying seems isolated at first, it quickly escalate. Toby, a reclusive World War I veteran, soon becomes the target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness.
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Good story, Unsatisfying ending
- By wb on 07-06-17
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Mare's War
- By: Tanita S. Davis
- Narrated by: Sisi Aisha Johnson, Myra Lucretia Taylor
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Meet Mare, a grandmother with flair and a fascinating past. Octavia and Tali are dreading the road trip their parents are forcing them to take with their grandmother over the summer. After all, Mare isn’t your typical grandmother. She drives a red sports car, wears stiletto shoes, flippy wigs, and push-up bras, and insists that she’s too young to be called Grandma. But somewhere on the road, Octavia and Tali discover there’s more to Mare than what you see.
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Code Talker
- A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two
- By: Joseph Bruchac
- Narrated by: Derrick Henry
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Although the mission school bans all that is Navajo, Ned secretly clings to his native language and culture. Proudly joining the U.S. Marines in 1943, he becomes a top-secret Navajo Code Talker. During bloody battles for Japanese islands, Ned and his brave band of code-talking brothers save thousands of lives using Navajo encryption the enemy never cracks.
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heroes with big hearts
- By Mary on 02-09-15