Archive for the “Biographies & Memoirs Audiobooks” Category
Binding: Audio CD
Manufacturer: Tantor Media
Product Description:The inspiring account of one man's campaign to build schools in the most dangerous, remote, and anti-American reaches of Asia.
List Price: USD 39.99Lowest Used Price: USD 15.73 Lowest New Price: USD 17.99 Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product. Average Rating: 
Features:
- ISBN13: 9781400102518
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Format:
Edition: Unabridged
ISBN: 1400102510
Languages:
Original Language: English
Unknown: English
Published: English
Customer Reviews 
FANTASTIC BOOK
I am still in the process of reading this book, but it is so good, I have a hard time putting it down. Very,Very Interesting book.
No Comments »
Binding: Audio CD
Manufacturer: Random House Audio
Product Description:
Andrew Jackson, his intimate circle of friends, and his tumultuous times are at the heart of this remarkable book about the man who rose from nothing to create the modern presidency. Beloved and hated, venerated and reviled, Andrew Jackson was an orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy. Jackson’s election in 1828 ushered in a new and lasting era in which the people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics. Democracy made its stand in the Jackson years, and he gave voice to the hopes and the fears of a restless, changing nation facing challenging times at home and threats abroad. To tell the saga of Jackson’s presidency, acclaimed author Jon Meacham goes inside the Jackson White House. Drawing on newly discovered family letters and papers, he details the human drama–the family, the women, and the inner circle of advisers–that shaped Jackson’s private world through years of storm and victory.
One of our most significant yet dimly recalled presidents, Jackson was a battle-hardened warrior, the founder of the Democratic Party, and the architect of the presidency as we know it. His story is one of violence, sex, courage, and tragedy. With his powerful persona, his evident bravery, and his mystical connection to the people, Jackson moved the White House from the periphery of government to the center of national action, articulating a vision of change that challenged entrenched interests to heed the popular will–or face his formidable wrath. The greatest of the presidents who have followed Jackson in the White House–from Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to FDR to Truman–have found inspiration in his example, and virtue in his vision.
Jackson was the most contradictory of men. The architect of the removal of Indians from their native lands, he was warmly sentimental and risked everything to give more power to ordinary citizens. He was, in short, a lot like his country: alternately kind and vicious, brilliant and blind; and a man who fought a lifelong war to keep the republic safe–no matter what it took.
Jon Meacham in American Lion has delivered the definitive human portrait of a pivotal president who forever changed the American presidency–and America itself.
From the Hardcover edition.
List Price: USD 39.95Lowest Used Price: USD 18.39 Lowest New Price: USD 23.47 Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product. Average Rating: 
Author: Jon Meacham
Edition: Abridged
ISBN: 0739334581
Release Date: 2008-11-11
Languages:
Original Language: English
Unknown: English
Published: English
Customer Reviews 
The first "progressive" President?
Jon Meacham's well-written American Lion provides a highly detailed insight into the goings-on in Andrew Jackson's White House. It seems the Jackson presidency was characterised by an intricate intertwining between politics and family affairs, and in that respect the narrative makes some of the most fascinating reading of any biography I have read. Unfortunately, and far less unique, the author's present-day views of past rights and wrongs tend to inflitrate his subject matter, skewering what could have been an objective review of this important chapter of US history. Thus, for instance, the author repeats the fallacy (or at the very least, the oversimplification) that "the preservation of slavery" was the cause of the Civil War. He agrees that the Tariff of Abomination was just that to the southern States and calls the South's opposition to it legitimate, but stops short of saying that the South had cause to mistrust the North's motives and machinations, which would eventually lead to the South's secession. Northern machinations well before 1860 included so-called "internal improvements" (as well as the moneyed interests behind them) that Jackson actively fought; while the author correctly states that these most benefited the western and middle States, in fact they also enriched the North, at the expense of Southern taxpayers who disproportionately paid for them while being denied the benefits. Mr. Meacham is bending over backwards to avoid giving any hint of credit to the Southern cause. Another irksome detail is that he decries slavery in the usual terms, but decidedly glosses over the unsavory aspects (were there any other?) of the Indian removal that John Ehle's Trail of Tears so harrowingly chronicles. Mr. Meacham likes Andrew Jackson because he favored both the notion of dominant, indivisible Union as well as limited government. We know how that turned out: the first was bought at the cost of 600,000 American lives - not counting civilians - and on the second we can at least all agree that it's a thing of the past in America, just like in Europe. The author of this powerful biography casts Jackson as a progressive in the Roosevelt-Wilson-FDR tradition. If true, it is a sad epitaph for this remarkable, if not uncontroversial, President.
No Comments »
Binding: Audio CD
Manufacturer: Random House Audio
Product Description:
The year was 1957, the month September, and I had just turned eight years old. Dwight Eisenhower was President, but in my life it was the diminutive, intense Sister Mary Lurana who ruled, at least in the third-grade class where I was held captive. For reasons you will soon understand, my parents had remanded me to the penal institution of St. Brigid’s School in Westbury, New York, a cruel and unusual punishment if there ever was one.
Already, I had barely survived my first two years at St. Brigid’s because I was, well, a little nitwit. Not satisfied with memorizing the Baltimore Catechism’s fine prose, which featured passages like “God made me to show his goodness and to make me happy with him in heaven,” I was constantly annoying my classmates and, of course, the no-nonsense Sister Lurana. With sixty overactive students in her class, she was understandably short on patience. For survival, she had also become quick on the draw.
Then it happened. One day I blurted out some dumb remark, and Sister Lurana was on me like a panther. Her black habit blocked out all distractions as she leaned down, looked me in the eye, and uttered words I have never forgotten: “William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity.”
And she was dead-on.
One day in 1957, in the third-grade classroom of St. Brigid’s parochial school, an exasperated Sister Mary Lurana bent over a restless young William O’Reilly and said, “William, you are a bold, fresh piece of humanity.” Little did she know that she was, early in his career as a troublemaker, defining the essence of Bill O’Reilly and providing him with the title of his brash and entertaining issues-based memoir.
And this time it’s personal. In his most intimate book yet, O’Reilly goes back in time to examine the people, places, and experiences that launched him on his journey from working-class kid to immensely influential television personality and bestselling author. Readers will learn how his traditional outlook was formed in the crucible of his family, his neighborhood, his church, and his schools, and how his views on America’s proper role in the world emerged from covering four wars on five continents over three-plus decades as a news correspondent. What will delight his numerous fans and surprise many others is the humor and self-deprecation with which he handles one of his core subjects: himself, and just how O’Reilly became O’Reilly.
List Price: USD 31.95Lowest Used Price: USD 16.98 Lowest New Price: USD 18.09 Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product. Average Rating:
Features:
- ISBN13: 9780739369463
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Format:
Author: Bill O'Reilly
Edition: Unabridged
ISBN: 0739369466
Release Date: 2008-09-23
Languages:
Original Language: English
Unknown: English
Published: English
Customer Reviews
Loved it!
Perhaps this is out of place since I didn't purchase the hardcover edition on Amazon...rather, I purchased the audio version through Audible. I've listened to the entire book three times now and could do it again and again. I'm slightly older than Bill by about a year but that's an insignificant difference 60 years later. We took entirely different paths through our lives, but I think we've arrived at much the same point now as regards our irritation with nanny-state government policies, massive spending, and so on. To keep this short, I admire Bill immensely for what he's accomplished and his book is very entertaining and, for the most part, an insightful examination of where he came from. One character that stands out for me is his father. His "pithy" responses to things Bill did or said, are treasures. I've decided to adopt the one he used when Bill complained about the fan blowing hot humid air into his face. Precious! The next time my grand kids complain about the Internet connection being too slow, that's my response.
No Comments »
Binding: Audio CD
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
Product Description:On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded was the result of a character that had been forged by life experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because hepossessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires. This capacity enabled President Lincoln to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to preserve the Union and win the war.
Amazon.com Review:
The life and times of Abraham Lincoln have been analyzed and dissected in countless books. Do we need another Lincoln biography? In Team of Rivals, esteemed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin proves that we do. Though she can't help but cover some familiar territory, her perspective is focused enough to offer fresh insights into Lincoln's leadership style and his deep understanding of human behavior and motivation. Goodwin makes the case for Lincoln's political genius by examining his relationships with three men he selected for his cabinet, all of whom were opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860: William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates. These men, all accomplished, nationally known, and presidential, originally disdained Lincoln for his backwoods upbringing and lack of experience, and were shocked and humiliated at losing to this relatively obscure Illinois lawyer. Yet Lincoln not only convinced them to join his administration--Seward as secretary of state, Chase as secretary of the treasury, and Bates as attorney general--he ultimately gained their admiration and respect as well. How he soothed egos, turned rivals into allies, and dealt with many challenges to his leadership, all for the sake of the greater good, is largely what Goodwin's fine book is about. Had he not possessed the wisdom and confidence to select and work with the best people, she argues, he could not have led the nation through one of its darkest periods. Ten years in the making, this engaging work reveals why "Lincoln's road to success was longer, more tortuous, and far less likely" than the other men, and why, when opportunity beckoned, Lincoln was "the best prepared to answer the call." This multiple biography further provides valuable background and insights into the contributions and talents of Seward, Chase, and Bates. Lincoln may have been "the indispensable ingredient of the Civil War," but these three men were invaluable to Lincoln and they played key roles in keeping the nation intact. --Shawn Carkonen The Team of Rivals | Team of Rivals doesn't just tell the story of Abraham Lincoln. It is a multiple biography of the entire team of personal and political competitors that he put together to lead the country through its greatest crisis. Here, Doris Kearns Goodwin profiles five of the key players in her book, four of whom contended for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination and all of whom later worked together in Lincoln's cabinet. |  | 1. Edwin M. Stanton
Stanton treated Lincoln with utter contempt at their initial acquaintance when the two men were involved in a celebrated law case in the summer of 1855. Unimaginable as it might seem after Stanton's demeaning behavior, Lincoln offered him "the most powerful civilian post within his gift"--the post of secretary of war--at their next encounter six years later. On his first day in office as Simon Cameron's replacement, the energetic, hardworking Stanton instituted "an entirely new regime" in the War Department. After nearly a year of disappointment with Cameron, Lincoln had found in Stanton the leader the War Department desperately needed. Lincoln's choice of Stanton revealed his singular ability to transcend personal vendetta, humiliation, or bitterness. As for Stanton, despite his initial contempt for the man he once described as a "long armed Ape," he not only accepted the offer but came to respect and love Lincoln more than any person outside of his immediate family. He was beside himself with grief for weeks after the president's death. 2. Salmon P. Chase
Chase, an Ohioan, had been both senator and governor, had played a central role in the formation of the national Republican Party, and had shown an unflagging commitment to the cause of the black man. No individual felt he deserved the presidency as a natural result of his past contributions more than Chase himself, but he refused to engage in the practical methods by which nominations are won. He had virtually no campaign and he failed to conciliate his many enemies in Ohio itself. As a result, he alone among the candidates came to the convention without the united support of his own state. Chase never ceased to underestimate Lincoln, nor to resent the fact that he had lost the presidency to a man he considered his inferior. His frustration with his position as secretary of the treasury was alleviated only by his his dogged hope that he, rather than Lincoln, would be the Republican nominee in 1864, and he steadfastly worked to that end. The president put up with Chase's machinations and haughty yet fundamentally insecure nature because he recognized his superlative accomplishments at treasury. Eventually, however, Chase threatened to split the Republican Party by continuing to fill key positions with partisans who supported his presidential hopes. When Lincoln stepped in, Chase tendered his resignation as he had three times before, but this time Lincoln stunned Chase by calling his bluff and accepting the offer. 3. Abraham Lincoln
When Lincoln won the Republican presidential nomination in 1860 he seemed to have come from nowhere--a backwoods lawyer who had served one undistinguished term in the House of Representatives and lost two consecutive contests for the U.S. Senate. Contemporaries attributed his surprising nomination to chance, to his moderate position on slavery, and to the fact that he hailed from the battleground state of Illinois. But Lincoln's triumph, particularly when viewed against the efforts of his rivals, owed much to a remarkable, unsuspected political acuity and an emotional strength forged in the crucible of hardship and defeat. That Lincoln, after winning the presidency, made the unprecedented decision to incorporate his eminent rivals into his political family, the cabinet, was evidence of an uncanny self-confidence and an indication of what would prove to others a most unexpected greatness. 4. William H. Seward
A celebrated senator from New York for more than a decade and governor of his state for two terms before going to Washington, Seward was certain he was going to receive his party's nomination for president in 1860. The weekend before the convention in Chicago opened he had already composed a first draft of the valedictory speech he expected to make to the Senate, assuming that he would resign his position as soon as the decision in Chicago was made. His mortification at not having received the nomination never fully abated, and when he was offered his cabinet post as secretary of state he intended to have a major role in choosing the remaining cabinet members, conferring upon himself a position in the new government more commanding than that of Lincoln himself. He quickly realized the futility of his plan to relegate the president to a figurehead role. Though the feisty New Yorker would continue to debate numerous issues with Lincoln in the years ahead, exactly as Lincoln had hoped and needed him to do, Seward would become his closest friend, advisor, and ally in the administration. More than any other cabinet member Seward appreciated Lincoln's peerless skill in balancing factions both within his administration and in the country at large. 5. Edward Bates
A widely respected elder statesman, a delegate to the convention that framed the Missouri Constitution, and a former Missouri congressman whose opinions on national matters were still widely sought, Bates's ambitions for political success were gradually displaced by love for his wife and large family, and he withdrew from public life in the late 1840s. For the next 20 years he was asked repeatedly to run or once again accept high government posts but he consistently declined. However in early 1860, with letters and newspaper editorials advocating his candidacy crowding in upon him, he decided to try for the highest office in the land. After losing to Lincoln he vowed, in his diary, to decline a cabinet position if one were to be offered, but with the country "in trouble and danger" he felt it was his duty to accept when Lincoln asked him to be attorney general. Though Bates initially viewed Lincoln as a well-meaning but incompetent administrator, he eventually concluded that the president was an unmatched leader, "very near being a 'perfect man.'" | The Essential Doris Kearns Goodwin 
Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir | 
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II | 
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream | More New Reading on the Civil War 
Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk | 
Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War by Charles Bracelen Flood | 
The March: A Novel by E.L. Doctorow |
List Price: USD 39.95Lowest Used Price: USD 15.93 Lowest New Price: USD 18.76 Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product. Average Rating:
Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Edition: Abridged
ISBN: 0743539133
Languages:
Original Language: English
Unknown: English
Published: English
Customer Reviews
new insight on organizational theory
I read this book for a graduate organizational theory class. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read, however, I would advise not choosing it if you are taking two other classes at the same time, as well as being a mother and working full time... :) I was VERY busy! The book itself is terrific; whatever you learned about Lincoln in school was nothing! You will gain insight into one of the most brilliant minds of recent times. A master politician who always remained true to himself and his convictions it will also give you food for thought as to how you conduct yourself professionally as well as socially. There is nothing not to love about this book.
No Comments »
Binding: Audio CD
Manufacturer: Random House Audio
Product Description:
When Artie Lange joined the permanent cast of The Howard Stern Show in 2001, it was possibly the greatest thing ever to happen in the Stern universe, second only to the show’s move to the wild, uncensored frontier of satellite radio. Lange provided what Stern had yet to find all in the same place: a wit quick enough to keep pace with his own, a pathetic self-image to dwarf his own, a personal history both heartbreaking and hilarious, and an ingrained sense of self-sabotage that continually keeps things interesting.
A natural storyteller with a bottomless pit of material, Lange grew up in a close-knit, working-class Italian family in Union, New Jersey, a maniacal Yankees fan who pursued the two things his father said he was cut out for—sports and comedy. Tragically, Artie Lange Sr. never saw the truth in that prediction: He became a quadriplegic in an accident when Artie was eighteen and died soon after. But as with every trial in his life, from his drug addiction to his obesity to his fights with his mother, Artie mines the humor, pathos, and humanity in these events and turns them into comedy classics.
True fans of the Stern Show will find Artie gold in these pages: hilarious tales that couldn’t have happened to anyone else. There are stories from his days driving a Jersey cab, working as a longshoreman in Port Newark, and navigating the dark circuit of stand-up comedy. There are outrageous episodes from the frenzied heights of his coked-up days at MADtv, surprisingly moving stories from his childhood, and an account of his recent U.S.O. tour that is equally stirring and irreverent. But also in this volume are stories Artie’s never told before, including some that he deemed too revealing for radio.
Wild, shocking, and drop-dead hilarious, TOO FAT TO FISH is Artie Lange giving everything he’s got to give. And like a true pro, the man never disappoints.
List Price: USD 31.95Lowest Used Price: USD 7.92 Lowest New Price: USD 18.14 Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product. Average Rating:
Author: Artie Lange
Edition: Unabridged
ISBN: 0739381962
Release Date: 2008-11-11
Languages:
Original Language: English
Unknown: English
Published: English
Customer Reviews
Too Fat To Fish
This book was incredible. It was honest and gritty. Artie is a great guy who just can't seem to get away from his deamons. I cried and I laughed in this book. I loved it and would read it again!
No Comments »
|
Entries (RSS)