Historical Audiobooks

[German] - Schiffe aus Papier: Eine Familiensaga zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart

"Ein Familiengeheimnis, das drei Generationen verbindet. Eine Liebe, die den Krieg überdauert. Eine Wahrheit, die alles verändert. Als die 14-jährige Marie-Claire mit ihrem Vater das alte Schloss ihrer verstorbenen Großmutter in Dithmarschen erbt, ahnt sie nicht, welche Geheimnisse in den verwitterten Mauern schlummern. Zwischen verstaubten Fotografien und vergilbten Briefen entdeckt sie die Spuren eines Jungen namens Jakob – ein jüdisches Kind, das während des Zweiten Weltkriegs auf dem Schloss Zuflucht fand. Doch Jakob ist spurlos verschwunden. Gemeinsam mit dem syrischen Flüchtlingsjungen Djamal macht sich Marie-Claire auf eine emotionale Reise in die Vergangenheit. Sie entdeckt die bewegende Liebesgeschichte ihrer Großmutter Marie, die sich als Teenager in den charismatischen Roma-Jungen Janko verliebte – und dabei ein dunkles Familiengeheimnis aufdeckt, das ihr Leben für immer prägen sollte. Zwischen damals und heute entspinnt sich ein packender Roman über: Die ersten, unschuldigen Gefühle der ersten Liebe Die Schrecken des Krieges und den Mut zum Widerstand Den Kampf zwischen Vergangenheit und Zukunft Eine Familie, die vom Schicksal gezeichnet wurde Während Marie-Claire tiefer in die Geschichte ihrer Familie eintaucht, muss sie nicht nur die Wahrheit über Jakob finden, sondern auch ihre eigenen Gefühle ordnen. Denn in dem syrischen Jungen Djamal findet sie mehr als nur einen Verbündeten – sie findet jemanden, der ihre Seele versteht. Ein Roman, der unter die Haut geht und noch lange nachhallt. Von den idyllischen Küsten Dithmarschens bis in die düsteren Zeiten des Nationalsozialismus – 'Schiffe aus Papier' ist ein bewegendes Familienepos über Liebe, Verlust und die Kraft der Hoffnung. Ein Buch für alle, die emotionale Geschichten lieben und bereit sind, in die Abgründe und Höhen der menschlichen Seele einzutauchen. Diese Geschichte wird Ihr Herz berühren und Sie nicht mehr loslassen."

Michael Preuß (Author), Michael Preuß (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Most Famous Ships of the Confederacy: The History of Noteworthy Confederate Ships during the Civil War

"Without European intervention and the ability to build a navy that could rival the Union’s, the Confederacy was mostly reduced to token resistance and using fast moving ships that could evade the blockade and import and export goods. Again, that was only partially successful, and today, the blockade runners are better known for their extracurricular activities; most notably, some of the crews also acted as privateers on the high seas, attacking U.S. shipping and taking any loot for themselves. The daring exploits of these commerce raiders caught the imagination of Southern soldiers and civilians and buoyed up morale, even as the war news turned increasingly grim. Among all the Confederate commerce raiders, by far the most famous was the CSS Alabama. The Alabama attacked American ships and eluded the U.S. Navy around the globe for more than two years, all without ever having docked at a Southern port.  On March 8, 1862, the newest era of naval warfare began. That day, the CSS Virginia, an ironclad created out of the hull of the scuttled USS Merrimac by the Confederates, sailed down the Elizabeth River to Hampton Roads, where a Union blockade fleet was anchored. The wooden ships of the North were no match for the ironclad, which quickly rammed and sank the USS Cumberland, and as it trained its sights on the USS Congress, one Union officer noted the former Merrimac fired 'shot and shell into her with terrific effect, while the shot from the Congress glanced from her iron-plated sloping sides, without doing any apparent injury.'  One proposed solution to the South's problems led to one of the strangest and inspiring stories of the Civil War—that of the CSS H. L. Hunley, the first submarine to successfully sink an enemy vessel."

Charles River Editors (Author), Jim Walsh (Narrator)

Audiobook

The USS Alligator: The History of the U.S. Navy’s First Submarine

"While people often tend to think of submarines as a modern invention, inventors created several prototypes from 1580 onward, and they even attempted to use them. Some of the designs remained theoretical and never got off the drawing board, but as time went on, several Europeans built and tested primitive submarines. Most of these early subs were made of wood and often possessed an awkward shape, but a French priest first proposed the now familiar cylindrical layout in 1634. He determined that this shape would make it easier for the submarine to withstand water pressure, while likewise improving maneuverability.  The American Civil War witnessed new designs and prototypes of submarines appearing on American naval drawing boards. These subs had the “cigar shape” familiar throughout history from that point forward. Most of them failed for one reason or another, but one, the CSS Hunley, actually succeeded in using a “spar torpedo” to sink the USS Housatonic. It was the first time a submarine successfully sank a ship, but as historic and groundbreaking as the Hunley and its mission was, all of that was overshadowed by the lingering debate over just what happened to the Confederate submarine, which never made it back to port after the attack. Although the Hunley remains the most famous submarine of the Civil War, the Union Navy attempted to create and use a submarine years before the Hunley embarked on its historic operation, and though it’s widely forgotten today, the first Union submarine, the Alligator, also had a fascinating history. "

Charles River Editors (Author), Steve Knupp (Narrator)

Audiobook

Abraham Lincoln’s Greatest Speeches: The History of the Addresses that Changed America

"Abraham Lincoln was still not considered a real option for the Republican presidential nomination until he delivered a speech at New York City’s Cooper Union in February 1860, just a few months before the Republicans’ convention in May. Lincoln had gained a bit of a national profile by debating Stephen Douglas during an Illinois Senate Race in 1858, and though he lost that election, Lincoln continued discussing the same themes, most notably slavery and Dred Scott in his Cooper Union speech. Although just 7,000 words long, the Cooper Union Address was almost universally praised in the North. Over 160 years later, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is still considered arguably the greatest speech in American history. The address only took a few minutes, but in those few minutes, Lincoln invoked the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence. In the process, he redefined the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union but as 'a new birth of freedom' that would bring true equality to all of its citizens, ensure that democracy would remain a viable form of government, and would also create a unified nation in which states' rights were no longer dominant.  Lincoln wasn’t given a chance to finish his work, but his thoughts and visions were eloquently saved for posterity in his Second Inaugural Address, delivered a month before his death and considered one of America’s greatest speeches. With the war nearing the end, Lincoln struck a conciliatory tone, reminding both sides that they prayed to the same God for victory and that neither side could divine God’s will. “With malice toward none, with charity for all,” Lincoln called for peace and reunion, his eye clearly on Reconstruction. Nobody will ever know how Lincoln would’ve managed Reconstruction, but in many respects, the Second Inaugural Address was a fitting postscript of sorts to his life and legacy."

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Caufield (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Schiffe aus Papier: Eine Familiensaga zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart

"Als Marie-Claire das verfallene Schloss ihrer Großmutter in Dithmarschen erbt, ahnt sie nicht, welche Geheimnisse zwischen den alten Mauern schlummern. Zwischen verstaubten Erinnerungen entdeckt sie die Spuren eines jüdischen Jungen namens Jakob, der während des Zweiten Weltkriegs hier Zuflucht fand – und spurlos verschwand. Gemeinsam mit dem syrischen Flüchtlingsjungen Djamal begibt sich die 14-Jährige auf eine emotionale Reise in die Vergangenheit. Sie enthüllt die bewegende Liebesgeschichte ihrer Großmutter Marie, die sich als Teenager in den charismatischen Roma-Jungen Janko verliebte – bis ein dunkles Familiengeheimnis alles für immer veränderte. Während Marie-Claire tiefer in die Geschichte ihrer Familie eintaucht, muss sie nicht nur die Wahrheit über Jakob finden, sondern auch ihre eigenen Gefühle ordnen. Denn in Djamal entdeckt sie mehr als nur einen Verbündeten. Ein packender Roman über die Schatten der Vergangenheit, die Kraft der ersten Liebe und den Mut, sich der Wahrheit zu stellen. „Eine Geschichte, die unter die Haut geht – über Generationen hinweg verbunden durch Liebe, Verlust und die Hoffnung auf Vergebung.'"

Michael Preuß (Author), Michael Preuß (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Final Stronghold

"It is the summer of 1853 and Commander James Rutherford leaves Calcutta once more to renew his campaign against organised Oriental piracy. The principal pirate leader Liang Ziu is dead, but Rutherford obtains intelligence that his criminal organisation continues to operate from a heavily fortified base, secure from conventional attack. Beset anew by intrigue and treachery, Rutherford must somehow confront and destroy this final stronghold, a task which poses difficulties and trials unlike any he has yet encountered. ***** Martin Hicks lives in Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire and began writing after a career in education. Set in the Far East, The Final Stronghold which continues the story of James Rutherford and his ship Spartan is his fifteenth book. He is currently at work on a fourth title in this series."

Martin Hicks (Author), Tony Robinson (Narrator)

Audiobook

The CSS Hunley and USS Alligator: The History and Legacy of the Civil War’s Submarines

"While people often tend to think of submarines as a modern invention, inventors created several prototypes from 1580 onward, and they even attempted to use them. Some of the designs remained theoretical and never got off the drawing board, but as time went on, several Europeans built and tested primitive submarines. Most of these early subs were made of wood and often possessed an awkward shape, but a French priest first proposed the now familiar cylindrical layout in 1634. He determined that this shape would make it easier for the submarine to withstand water pressure, while likewise improving maneuverability.  The Civil War witnessed new designs and prototypes of submarines appearing on American naval drawing boards. These subs had the “cigar shape” familiar throughout history from that point forward. Most of them failed for one reason or another, but one, the CSS Hunley, actually succeeded in using a “spar torpedo” to sink the USS Housatonic. It was the first time a submarine successfully sank a ship, but as historic and groundbreaking as the Hunley and its mission was, all of that was overshadowed by the lingering debate over just what happened to the Confederate submarine, which never made it back to port after the attack. Thus, despite how historic and groundbreaking the Hunley and its mission were, all of that may be overshadowed by the lingering debate over just what happened to the submarine. Although the Hunley remains the most famous submarine of the Civil War, the Union Navy attempted to create and use a submarine years before the Hunley embarked on its historic operation, and though it’s widely forgotten today, the first Union submarine, the Alligator, also had a fascinating history. "

Charles River Editors (Author), Jim Walsh (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Paradise Ghetto

"A powerful story of hope, love, and imagination, set against the horrific backdrop of the Holocaust. Two Jewish girls, Julia and Suzanne, are rounded up in Nazi-occupied Netherlands and transported to a ghetto together. Although their world views are wildly different Julia is jaded and bitter, Suzanne naïve and optimistic they become each other s closest confidants as they experience the horrors of the journey to The Paradise Ghetto. The young women use a precious smuggled notebook to write a story, each contributing to an imaginary world that takes them away from the horrors of their lives. As the story unfolds it becomes the way they communicate their feelings to each other and come to terms with their pasts.But there comes a point when reality can no longer be held at bay. If the girls names end up on the lists of deportees to Auschwitz there will be no return. Is there a chance of escaping that fate and at what cost?"

Fergus O'Connell (Author), Steve Miller (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Matter of Murder

"The thrilling conclusion to the Lizzie & Darcy Mysteries duology, following Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy from the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries series! A Bingley family curse looms over Lizzie's sister and Darcy's best friend-but are the dark forces at work supernatural or human? Lizzie Bennet's beloved sister Jane has just married Darcy's best friend, Bingley, and the Bennet family and Darcy are paying the newlyweds a visit at Bingley's family home, Netherfield Park. It doesn't take long for their country retreat to turn into an investigation, though, when a long-dead body is discovered stuffed up the parlor chimney. The locals are convinced that Netherfield is cursed, but Lizzie and Darcy know better than to believe in such nonsense and are determined to uncover the truth about what happened to the mysterious man in the chimney. But as they dig deeper into the history of Netherfield Park, they find that danger is waiting for them around every corner. Soon enough, they're forced to consider if the curse might have some merit to it, or if there's something-or someone-far more sinister behind their near brushes with death. . . . This duology closer is a daring and delightful conclusion to the chronicles of supersleuths Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy!"

Tirzah Price (Author), James Meunier, Morag Sims (Narrator)

Audiobook

Oathsworn Brothers Divided: Ch.21-40 of The Romance Of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义, Sānguó Yanyì)

"The oath is broken. The brothers are scattered. As the Han Dynasty's final embers die, the fires of all-out war ignite. The explosive saga continues in Oathsworn Brothers Divided (Chapters 21-40), where alliances shatter and legends are tempered in betrayal. Liú Bèi, the virtuous claimant to the throne, becomes a fugitive, hunted by former allies. The god of war, Guān Yǔ, faces an impossible choice: break his oath or die for his honor, leading to his legendary submission to the ambitious Cáo Cāo. And the tempestuous Zhāng Fēi, drowning in shame and rage, must forge a broken army from the wilderness. Meanwhile, Cáo Cāo’s ruthless genius reaches its zenith. He crushes rivals, consolidates power, and sets his sights on total domination of the north. But a new star rises to challenge him: the young, brilliant strategist Zhūgě Liàng (Crouching Dragon), who emerges from his thatched cottage to weave miracles of tactics and deception. His master plan sets the stage for the most legendary naval battle in history. Navigate the Epic with ease with essential faction overviews, character breakdowns, and chapter summaries that illuminate the complex web of shifting loyalties. Hanyu Pinyin pronunciation (like Zhūgě Liàng, Sūn Quán, Zhōu Yú) deepens your immersion into this foundational tale. The chessboard of China is set. The pieces are in motion. All paths lead to the Yangtze River, where the flames of Red Cliffs await to consume the hopes of empires."

CH Brewitt-Taylor (Author), Charles Featherstone (Narrator)

Audiobook

From Malice to Ashes: Forest of No Mercy - A WWII Novel Inspired by Actual Events

"A Haunting WWII Novel Inspired by Actual Events Spanning Nazi-occupied Lithuania, Soviet labor camps, and the refugee corridors of wartime Europe, From Malice to Ashes follows three families torn apart by two brutal regimes. Olek Kosmen, a young Jewish man hiding in a forest cabin, becomes an unwitting chronicler to one of the Holocaust’s earliest massacres in Lithuania’s Ponary Forest. Eventually captured, Olek is forced into the Nazi “Burning Brigade,” a unit of 80 men tasked with exhuming and incinerating the bodies of Ponary’s victims to erase the evidence. Knowing they’ll be executed once they finish their grisly job, the prisoners’ only hope for survival lies in an audacious escape tunnel they are digging with their bare hands. As SS soldiers push them to complete the gruesome task and Soviet forces close in, the race to finish the tunnel tests the prisoners’ will to survive beyond human limits. Meanwhile, Olek’s fiancée flees to neutral Sweden, while her parents are deported to Siberia, where they must survive one of Stalin’s harshest labor colonies. Their fates converge in a sweeping, true-to-history story of resistance, survival, and the will to reclaim family and truth. From Malice to Ashes offers a powerful and meticulously researched portrait of moral courage amid unimaginable horror. For readers of Mark Sullivan and Kristin Hannah, this compelling and ultimately redemptive novel sheds light on a largely forgotten chapter of Holocaust history."

Gary W. Toyn (Author), Matt Armstrong (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cuentos: From The South To The City

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. The American Dream demanded a journey. The city asked for a price. In 1960s Texarkana, the King family is ruled by Mary Lee Payton, who runs a laundromat as a front for the brothel upstairs. Beth endures the worst of her mother's cruelty, her only escape a promise from Wilbur Parks, a scarred Korean War veteran. Trading the segregated South for a fresh start, Beth and Wilbur join the great Exodus to California, raising their children in the promised land. Wilbur finds respect as a skilled mason and a devoted pastor, while Beth enforces a rigid discipline, determined to shield her family from harm. Yet, the golden promises of the city are fragile. The King siblings struggle against invisible boundaries, and as they grow up, the lure of easy money and the power of the local gang, the Red Chilie Peppers, begin to pull them into darkness. Cuentos: From the South to the City is a sweeping, heartbreaking saga that charts the pursuit of a better life and the devastating cost of generational trauma. The journey to California was just the beginning. Can the King family’s faith and love survive the ultimate reckoning, or will their American Dream be lost in the shadows of the city's unforgiving streets?"

Keiarra Ortiz-Cedeno (Author), Digital Voice Chris E (Narrator)

Audiobook