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The Great Degeneration
- How Institutions Decay and Economies Die
- Narrated by: Paul Slack
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
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The Great Degeneration
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Publisher's Summary
Best-selling author and world-renowned historian Niall Ferguson has won widespread acclaim for thought-provoking works such as Civilization and High Financier. The Great Degeneration tackles nothing less than the decline of Western civilization. Ferguson posits that slowing growth, outrageous debt, and antisocial behavior are contributing to the erosion of the West’s once rock-solid foundations. Ferguson excavates the causes and shows how heroic leadership and radical reform are needed to right the course.
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What listeners say about The Great Degeneration
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
- Ivanhoe
- 08-28-17
Superb as always!
Niall Ferguson gives an excellent analysis of the factors playing into the problems of todays modern socities of the West. Even though I would like to remain a cautious optimist about the future, if we believe the professor we will, especially in the developed part of the world, be in for a tough ride in the years to come. Too many things are in flux at the same time, and too little will among general population, politicians and the ruling elite to take the necessary actions needed to change course of future history. Due to inappropriate actions and lack of taking the right actions we have set ourselves on a difficult path.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- irene
- 11-09-13
Good but short
Where does The Great Degeneration rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
middle of the pack due to length
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
short
What does Paul Slack bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
n/a
If you could give The Great Degeneration a new subtitle, what would it be?
How Institutions affect a civilization.
I didn't really find the reasons why they decay.
More of a case as to the effect.
Insightful book though.
Any additional comments?
Niall Ferguson is good at economic history. No doubt.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Henry B. Thompson
- 01-05-16
rambling
Has some good points but generally rambles and fails to draw any meaningful conclusions. Misses the mark.
2 people 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
- BILLB
- 12-04-17
Great take on our current reality
Excellent discussion of what is happening in America today- for better or worse.
Well thought out and articulated as you would expect from Ferguson.
Should be mandatory reading for any politician.
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
- Jose
- 11-25-16
Ferguson at his best
Narrator is good and clear
Great story on how great societies can wreck themselves. You will get a "what not to do" list for great civilizations
1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Adam Hayes
- 08-25-16
Just plain boring
What disappointed you about The Great Degeneration?
I normally love books of this genre but this one was poorly written and mindbogglingly boring. Don't waste your time.
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
- Robert Bailey
- 05-28-16
Ferguson does it again. Brilliant!
This is a fascinating economic evaluation of current history. It is rational and there is no panic. Still its message is quite urgent.
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
- Gordon Glaze - EGIPH
- 01-26-15
I love this guy! Morrissey, Alan Turing and Niall
I was sorry it ended and am quickly going on to the next book by the same author.
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
- Beau Harrison
- 04-04-22
Prescient and Disturbing
It seems we have slipped even further into degeneration since the author penned this book. I hope it is not inevitable.
People who viewed this also viewed...
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-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 986
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 852
-
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Most history is hierarchical: it's about emperors, presidents, prime ministers, and field marshals. It's about states, armies, and corporations. It's about orders from on high. Even history "from below" is often about trade unions and workers' parties. But what if that's simply because hierarchical institutions create the archives that historians rely on? What if we are missing the informal, less well documented social networks that are the true sources of power and drivers of change?
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not his best by a long chalk: Read Steven Pinker.
- By David on 02-05-18
By: Niall Ferguson
-
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 444
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 370
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 367
Disasters are inherently hard to predict. Pandemics, like earthquakes, wildfires, financial crises. and wars, are not normally distributed; there is no cycle of history to help us anticipate the next catastrophe. But when disaster strikes, we ought to be better prepared than the Romans were when Vesuvius erupted, or medieval Italians when the Black Death struck. We have science on our side, after all.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Get through the first chapters
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,283
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,944
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The rise to global predominance of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the past five hundred years. All over the world, an astonishing proportion of people now work for Western-style companies, study at Western-style universities, vote for Western-style governments, take Western medicines, wear Western clothes, and even work Western hours. Yet six hundred years ago the petty kingdoms of Western Europe seemed unlikely to achieve much more than perpetual internecine warfare. It was Ming China or Ottoman Turkey that had the look of world civilizations.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thoughtful analysis of the ascendancy of the West.
- By Patrick on 05-25-13
By: Niall Ferguson
-
The Ascent of Money
- A Financial History of the World
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,280
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,120
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 2,108
Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of finance, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance. Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot, lucre, moolah, readies, the wherewithal: Call it what you like, it matters. To Christians, love of it is the root of all evil. To generals, it's the sinews of war. To revolutionaries, it's the chains of labor. Niall Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A mostly successful and interesting history
- By A reader on 02-24-09
By: Niall Ferguson
-
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- How Britain Made the Modern World
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,090
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 953
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 948
Once vast swathes of the globe were coloured imperial red, and Britannia ruled not just the waves but the prairies of America, the plains of Asia, the jungles of Africa and the deserts of Arabia. Just how did a small, rainy island in the North Atlantic achieve all this? And why did the empire on which the sun literally never set finally decline and fall? Niall Ferguson's acclaimed Empire brilliantly unfolds the imperial story in all its splendours and its miseries.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Such a great listen - What a History Lesson
- By Dorothy on 11-04-17
By: Niall Ferguson
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Empire
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 86
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 77
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 77
The British Empire was the largest in all history: the nearest thing to global domination ever achieved. The world we know today is in large measure the product of Britain's age of empire. The global spread of capitalism, telecommunications, the English language, and the institutions of representative government - all these can be traced back to the extraordinary expansion of Britain's economy, population, and culture from the 17th century until the mid-20th. On a vast and vividly colored canvas, Empire shows how the British Empire acted as midwife to modernity.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not Balanced till Conclusion
- By Hectoris on 08-13-20
By: Niall Ferguson
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The Square and the Tower
- Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Elliot Hill
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 986
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 852
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Story4 out of 5 stars 845
Most history is hierarchical: it's about emperors, presidents, prime ministers, and field marshals. It's about states, armies, and corporations. It's about orders from on high. Even history "from below" is often about trade unions and workers' parties. But what if that's simply because hierarchical institutions create the archives that historians rely on? What if we are missing the informal, less well documented social networks that are the true sources of power and drivers of change?
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2 out of 5 stars
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Not his best by a long chalk: Read Steven Pinker.
- By David on 02-05-18
By: Niall Ferguson
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Doom
- The Politics of Catastrophe
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Niall Ferguson
- Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 444
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 370
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 367
Disasters are inherently hard to predict. Pandemics, like earthquakes, wildfires, financial crises. and wars, are not normally distributed; there is no cycle of history to help us anticipate the next catastrophe. But when disaster strikes, we ought to be better prepared than the Romans were when Vesuvius erupted, or medieval Italians when the Black Death struck. We have science on our side, after all.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Get through the first chapters
- By David on 05-23-21
By: Niall Ferguson
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Civilization
- The West and the Rest
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Niall Ferguson
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,283
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,944
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,926
The rise to global predominance of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the past five hundred years. All over the world, an astonishing proportion of people now work for Western-style companies, study at Western-style universities, vote for Western-style governments, take Western medicines, wear Western clothes, and even work Western hours. Yet six hundred years ago the petty kingdoms of Western Europe seemed unlikely to achieve much more than perpetual internecine warfare. It was Ming China or Ottoman Turkey that had the look of world civilizations.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Thoughtful analysis of the ascendancy of the West.
- By Patrick on 05-25-13
By: Niall Ferguson
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The Ascent of Money
- A Financial History of the World
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,280
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,120
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Story4 out of 5 stars 2,108
Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of finance, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance. Bread, cash, dosh, dough, loot, lucre, moolah, readies, the wherewithal: Call it what you like, it matters. To Christians, love of it is the root of all evil. To generals, it's the sinews of war. To revolutionaries, it's the chains of labor. Niall Ferguson shows that finance is in fact the foundation of human progress.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A mostly successful and interesting history
- By A reader on 02-24-09
By: Niall Ferguson
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Empire
- How Britain Made the Modern World
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,090
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 953
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 948
Once vast swathes of the globe were coloured imperial red, and Britannia ruled not just the waves but the prairies of America, the plains of Asia, the jungles of Africa and the deserts of Arabia. Just how did a small, rainy island in the North Atlantic achieve all this? And why did the empire on which the sun literally never set finally decline and fall? Niall Ferguson's acclaimed Empire brilliantly unfolds the imperial story in all its splendours and its miseries.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Such a great listen - What a History Lesson
- By Dorothy on 11-04-17
By: Niall Ferguson
-
Empire
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 15 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 86
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 77
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 77
The British Empire was the largest in all history: the nearest thing to global domination ever achieved. The world we know today is in large measure the product of Britain's age of empire. The global spread of capitalism, telecommunications, the English language, and the institutions of representative government - all these can be traced back to the extraordinary expansion of Britain's economy, population, and culture from the 17th century until the mid-20th. On a vast and vividly colored canvas, Empire shows how the British Empire acted as midwife to modernity.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not Balanced till Conclusion
- By Hectoris on 08-13-20
By: Niall Ferguson
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The Pity of War
- Explaining World War I
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 21 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 44
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 35
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
The Pity of War makes a simple and provocative argument: the human atrocity known as the Great War was entirely England's fault. According to Niall Ferguson, England entered into war based on naive assumptions of German aims, thereby transforming a Continental conflict into a world war, which it then badly mishandled, necessitating American involvement. The war was not inevitable, Ferguson argues, but rather was the result of the mistaken decisions of individuals who would later claim to have been in the grip of huge impersonal forces.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Ferguson wouldn’t know history if it hit him in the head
- By Schen on 10-07-20
By: Niall Ferguson
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The House of Rothschild, Volume 1
- Money's Prophets: 1798-1848
- By: Niall Ferguson
- Narrated by: Alexander Adams
- Length: 28 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 234
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 207
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 205
In his rich and nuanced portrait of the remarkable, elusive Rothschild family, Niall Ferguson uncovers the secrets behind the family's phenomenal economic success. He reveals for the first time the details of the family's vast political network, which gave it access to and influence over many of the greatest statesmen of the age. And he tells a family saga, tracing the importance of unity and the profound role of Judaism in the lives of a dynasty that rose from the confines of the Frankfurt ghetto and later used its influence to assist oppressed Jews throughout Europe.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Great research, poor narrative
- By Amaze on 04-30-19
By: Niall Ferguson
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Dead Aid
- Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa
- By: Dambisa Moyo, Niall Ferguson - foreword
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 124
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 106
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 105
A national best-seller, Dead Aid unflinchingly confronts one of the greatest myths of our time: that billions of dollars in aid sent from wealthy countries to developing African nations has helped to reduce poverty and increase growth. In fact, poverty levels continue to escalate and growth rates have steadily declined - and millions continue to suffer. Debunking the current model of international aid promoted by both Hollywood celebrities and policy makers, Dambisa Moyo offers a bold new road map for financing the development of the world's poorest countries.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Dangerous / Right Wing US view
- By David O'Donovan on 03-05-19
By: Dambisa Moyo, and others
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Civilizations
- A Novel
- By: Laurent Binet, Sam Taylor - translator
- Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 93
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 80
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 80
Freydis is the leader of a band of Viking warriors who get as far as Panama. Nobody knows what became of them. Five hundred years later, Christopher Columbus is sailing for the Americas, dreaming of gold and conquest. Even after he is captured by the Tainos, his faith in his superiority and his mission is unshaken. Thirty-nine years after that, Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, arrives in Europe.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A BRILLIANT BLEND OF HISTORY AND FICTION
- By Amazon Customer on 09-25-21
By: Laurent Binet, and others
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The War on the West
- By: Douglas Murray
- Narrated by: Douglas Murray
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 4,225
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,787
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Story5 out of 5 stars 3,756
It is now in vogue to celebrate non-Western cultures and disparage Western ones. Some of this is a much-needed reckoning, but much of it fatally undermines the very things that created the greatest, most humane civilization in the world. In The War on the West, Douglas Murray shows how many well-meaning people have been fooled by hypocritical and inconsistent anti-West rhetoric.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Every Human (seriously, everyone) Read This!
- By aaron on 04-27-22
By: Douglas Murray
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Fooled by Randomness
- The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets
- By: Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,559
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,277
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,256
This audiobook is about luck, or more precisely, how we perceive and deal with luck in life and business. It is already a landmark work, and its title has entered our vocabulary. In its second edition, Fooled by Randomness is now a cornerstone for anyone interested in random outcomes.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Pass on this one and read The Black Swan
- By Wade T. Brooks on 06-25-12
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Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order
- Why Nations Succeed or Fail
- By: Ray Dalio
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb, Ray Dalio
- Length: 16 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,442
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,733
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,711
From legendary investor Ray Dalio, author of the number-one New York Times best seller Principles, who has spent half a century studying global economies and markets, Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order examines history’s most turbulent economic and political periods to reveal why the times ahead will likely be radically different from those we’ve experienced in our lifetimes - and to offer practical advice on how to navigate them well.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Ray Dalio, Chinas New Minister of Propoganda
- By Dudley on 01-04-22
By: Ray Dalio
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Money
- The True Story of a Made-Up Thing
- By: Jacob Goldstein
- Narrated by: Jacob Goldstein
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall