Audiobooks by Karen Blumenthal

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition

"Filled with anecdotes and portraits of unique characters from the era, this fascinating audiobook by an award-winning author looks at the rise and fall of the disastrous social experiment known as Prohibition. It began with the best of intentions. Worried about the effects of alcohol on American families, mothers and civic leaders started a movement to outlaw drinking in public places. Over time, their protests, petitions, and activism paid off―when a Constitutional Amendment banning the sale and consumption of alcohol was ratified, it was hailed as the end of public drunkenness, alcoholism, and a host of other social ills related to booze. Instead, it began a decade of lawlessness, when children smuggled (and drank) illegal alcohol, the most upright citizens casually broke the law, and a host of notorious gangsters entered the public eye. Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition is fast-paced non-fiction perfect for anyone who's interested in American history, paricularly the 1920s, gangsters, bootleggers, the history of alcohol in the US, the Eighteenth Amendment and the Constitution, and American politics. Praise for Bootleg: A Kirkus Best Teen Book of the Year A School Library Journal's Best Nonfiction Book A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist "A fast-paced, gripping narrative . . . An informative, insightful account of a fascinating period of American history." ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Gangsters, guns, and political battles―this book has them all―and presents them in compelling prose . . . a lively read." ―School Library Journal, starred review "Lively anecdotes and personal stories keep the reading brisk and often quite jovial." ―Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review "A highly readable, well-shaped look at the Eighteenth Amendment . . . a top-notch resource." ―Booklist, starred review "The scope is ambitious, but Blumenthal investigates various tangents with telling anecdotes, quotes, statistics . . . without losing her focus on the bigger picture. Whether you consider ongoing problems with substance abuse or increasingly polarized political discourse, the book is startlingly relevant to modern times in many ways, marking Blumenthal as one of the more intellectually adventurous authors writing for young adults today." ―Horn Book Magazine"

Karen Blumenthal (Author), Maggie-Meg Reed (Narrator)

Audiobook

Tommy: The Gun That Changed America

"The fascinating and topical nonfiction story of how one gun changed American courtrooms, streets, and homes, told for a YA audience by award-winning author Karen Blumenthal John Taliaferro Thompson had a mission: to develop a lightweight, fast-firing weapon that would help Americans win on the battlefield. His Thompson submachine gun could deliver a hundred bullets in a matter of seconds―but didn't find a market in the U.S. military. Instead, the Tommy gun became the weapon of choice for a generation of bootleggers and bank-robbing outlaws, and became a deadly American icon. Following a bloody decade―and eighty years before the mass shootings of our own time―Congress moved to take this weapon off the streets, igniting a national debate about gun control. Critically-acclaimed author Karen Blumenthal, author of Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition, Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History, and Six Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929, reveals the fascinating story of this famous and deadly weapon―of the lives it changed, the debate it sparked, and the unprecedented response it inspired in Tommy: The Gun That Changed America. Praise for Tommy: The Gun that Changed America: "The Thompson rapid-firing submachine gun is the crux of Blumenthal's accessible social history, which encompasses military weaponry, gangster warfare, and gun-control legislation. . . . Engrossing and grisly." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review "Blumenthal's fascinating biography of the weapon is most dramatic in its chapters on the famous gangsters. . . . A gripping look at guns, gangsters, and finding the 'right balance between individual freedoms and community safety.'" ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review"

Karen Blumenthal (Author), Maggie-Meg Reed (Narrator)

Audiobook

Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights

"From award-winning author Karen Blumenthal, comes a deep and passionate look at the riveting history of the fight for reproductive rights in the United States. Tracing the path to the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade and the continuing battle for women's rights, Blumenthal examines, in a straightforward tone, the root causes of the current debate around abortion and repercussions that have affected generations of American women. This eye-opening book is the perfect tool to facilitate difficult discussions and awareness of a topic that is rarely touched on in school but affects each and every young person. It's also perfect for fans of Steve Sheinkin and Deborah Heiligman. This journalistic look at the history of abortion and the landmark case of Roe v. Wade is an important and necessary book."

Karen Blumenthal (Author), Maggie-Meg Reed (Narrator)

Audiobook

Hillary Rodham Clinton: A Woman Living History

"An accessible, exciting biography of the most powerful woman in the USA. First . . . student commencement speaker at Wellesley First . . . woman to become full partner at Rose Law Firm First . . . Lady of the United States First . . . First Lady to hold a postgraduate degree First . . . First Lady to win a Grammy Award First . . . elected female Senator of New York First . . . woman to be a presidential candidate in every primary in every state First . . . First Lady to seek the presidency      As the 2016 election nears, everyone is talking about Hillary and her run for the US presidency. From her recent New York Times bestselling memoir, Hard Choices, to news coverage, and magazine covers -- Hillary is a woman to be watched and read about.      'Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in... And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.' --Hillary Rodham Clinton      As a young girl growing up in the fifties, Hillary Diane Rodham had an unusual upbringing for the time-her parents told her, 'You can do or be whatever you choose, as long as you're willing to work for it.' Hillary took those words and ran. Whether it was campaigning at the age of thirteen in the 1964 presidential election, receiving a standing ovation and being featured in Life magazine as the first student commencement speaker at Wellesley, or graduating from Yale Law School -- she was always one to stand out from the pack. And that was only the beginning. From First Lady of the United States to the first female Senator of New York and most recently as the United States Secretary of State. An activist all her life, she has been devoted to health care reform, child care, and women's rights, among others."

Karen Blumenthal (Author), Maggie-Meg Reed (Narrator)

Audiobook