Audio Books in Biographies & Memoirs

Jeffrey Frank, author of the bestselling Ike and Dick, returns with the first full account of the Truman presidency in nearly thirty years, recounting how so ordinary a man met the extraordinary challenge of leading America through the pivotal years of the mid-20th century. The nearly eight years of Harry Truman’s presidency—among the most turbulent in American history—were marked by victory in the wars against Germany and Japan; the first use of an atomic weapon; the beginning of the Cold War; creation of the NATO alliance; the founding of the United Nations; the Marshall Plan to rebuild the wreckage of postwar Europe; the Red Scare; and the fateful decision to commit troops to fight in Korea. Historians have tended to portray Truman as stolid and decisive, with a homespun manner, but the man who emerges in The Trials of Harry S. Truman is complex and surprising. He believed that the point of public service was to improve the lives of one’s fellow citizens, and was disturbed by the brutal treatment of African Americans. Yet while he supported stronger civil rights laws, he never quite relinquished the deep-rooted outlook of someone with Confederate ancestry reared in rural Missouri. He was often carried along by the rush of events and guided by men who succeeded in refining his fixed and facile view of the postwar world. And while he prided himself on his Midwestern rationality, he could act out of emotion, as when, in the aftermath of World War II, moved by the plight of refugees, he pushed to recognize the new state of Israel. The Truman who emerges in these pages is a man with generous impulses, loyal to friends and family, and blessed with keen political instincts, but insecure, quick to anger, and prone to hasty decisions. Archival discoveries, and research that led from Missouri to Washington, Berlin and Korea, have contributed to an indelible, and deeply human, portrait of an ordinary man suddenly forced to shoulder extraordinary responsibilities, who never lost a schoolboy’s romantic love for his country, and its Constitution.

Enrique Prado found himself in his first firefight at age seven. The son of a middle-class Cuban family caught amid the Castro Revolution, his family fled their war-torn home in the hope of a better life in America. Fifty years later, the Cuban refugee retired from the Central Intelligence Agency as the CIA equivalent of a two-star general. Black Ops is the story of Ric''s legendary career that spanned two eras, the Cold War and the Age of Terrorism. Operating in the shadows, Ric and his fellow CIA officers fought a little-seen and virtually unknown war to keep the USA safe from those who would do it harm. After duty stations in Central, South America, and the Philippines, Black Ops follows Ric into the highest echelons of the CIA''s headquarters at Langley, Virginia. In late 1995, he became Deputy Chief of Station and co-founding member of the Bin Laden Task Force. Three years later, after serving as head of Korean Operations, Ric took on one of the most dangerous missions of his career: re-establish a once-abandoned CIA station inside a hostile nation long since considered a front line of the fight against Islamic terrorism. He and his team carried out covert operations and developed assets that proved pivotal in the coming War on Terror. A harrowing memoir of life in the shadowy world of assassins, terrorists, spies, and revolutionaries, Black Ops is a testament to the courage, creativity, and dedication of the Agency''s Special Activities Group and its elite shadow warriors.

The illuminating and deeply moving true story of twin sisters who survived Nazi experimentation, against all odds, during the Holocaust. Eva and her identical twin sister, Miriam, had a mostly happy childhood. Theirs was the only Jewish family in their small village in the Transylvanian mountains, but they didn''t think much of it until anti-Semitism reared its ugly head in their school. Then, in 1943, ten-year-old Eva and her family were deported to Auschwitz. At its gates, Eva and Miriam were separated from their parents and other siblings, selected as subjects for Dr. Mengele''s infamous medical experiments. During the course of the war, Mengele would experiment on 3,000 twins. Only 160 would survive--including Eva and Miriam. Writing with her friend Danica Davidson, Eva reveals how two young girls were able to survive the unimaginable cruelty of the Nazi regime, while also eventually finding healing and the capacity to forgive. Spare and poignant, I Will Protect You is a vital memoir of survival, loss, and forgiveness.

Much has been written about Berdis Baldwin''s son James, about Alberta King''s son Martin, and about Louise Little son Malcolm. But virtually nothing has been said about the extraordinary women who raised them, whose lives spanned Jim Crow, the Great Migration, the civil rights movement, and the specific prejudices Black women faced during these and many more pivotal moments in American history. Berdis, Alberta, and Louise pushed their sons toward greatness with the conviction that all human beings deserve dignity and respect, teaching resistance and a fundamental belief in the worth of Black people. These women, their similarities and their differences as individuals and as mothers, represent a piece of history left untold and a celebration of Black motherhood long overdue. Book jacket.

A warm and invigorating memoir about a daughter''s love for her father and her appreciation for how he and others changed the game of football forever. Gene Washington''s football career ended long before his daughter Maya was born. She never saw the legendary powerhouse as anything but her dad. She didn''t yet grasp the impact he''d had on the sport--and on America. To understand his historic role in the integration of college football, witness his influence on generations that followed, and fully appreciate his legacy, Maya had a lot of catching up to do. Maya retraces her father''s journey from the segregated south to Michigan State during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement and his journey as an NFL pioneer after the 1967 draft. She reflects on how her father''s childhood--and the racism he faced--shaped her upbringing and influenced his expectations of her. She also discovers how unbreakable the emotional bond between teammates can be. But above all, Maya and her father get to know each other. As their own bond deepens, so does Maya''s connection to the sport that changed the trajectory of her father''s life...and hers.

An electrifying adventure into the rich history of skiing and the modern heart of ski-bum culture, from one of America''s most preeminent ski journalists The story of skiing is, in many ways, the story of America itself. Blossoming from the Tenth Mountain Division in World War II, the sport took hold across the country, driven by adventurers seeking the rush of freedom that only cold mountain air could provide. As skiing gained in popularity, mom-and-pop backcountry hills gave way to groomed trails and eventually the megaresorts of today. Along the way, the pioneers and diehards--the ski bums--remained the beating heart of the scene. Veteran ski journalist and former ski bum Heather Hansman takes readers on an exhilarating journey into the hidden history of American skiing, offering a glimpse into an underexplored subculture from the perspective of a true insider. Hopping from Vermont to Colorado, Montana to West Virginia, Hansman profiles the people who have built their lives around a cold-weather obsession. Along the way she reckons with skiing''s problematic elements and investigates how the sport is evolving in the face of the existential threat of climate change. Riveting, action-packed and beautifully written, Powder Days is a love letter to a high-stakes sport and the definitive tome for ski lovers everywhere.

memoir

This is a story of one man''s actual experience as a volunteer fire fighter in several locations. This narrative deals with a reality which is different than that expressed in your popular television shows. It is a blend of sadness and humour as it looks back at the realities of fire fighting around B. C.

Decent People tells the story of David Jellie''s ancestors from their arrival in Australia up to his parent''s generation. They came from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England and Croatia - all arriving between 1835 and 1861. Three of them were sailors who jumped ship, and all gravitated to the Western District of Victoria where they became pioneer farmers. Their families are still rooted there. Some prospered and none failed. These pioneer Australians were not dwelling on the past when they left the shores of their homelands, but were looking to a new future for themselves and their successors. They were touched by the vicissitudes of the time and place of their lives - shipwreck, infant mortality, pandemic, untimely death, human frailty, drought, economic depressions and wars. They were all decent people. In Decent People David Jellie tells their stories with tenderness, intimacy, humour and gratitude.

Famed American actress Demi Moore at last tells her own story in a surprisingly intimate and emotionally charged memoir. For decades, Demi Moore has been synonymous with celebrity. From iconic film roles to high-profile relationships, Moore has never been far from the spotlight--or the headlines. Even as Demi was becoming the highest paid actress in Hollywood, however, she was always outrunning her past, just one step ahead of the doubts and insecurities that defined her childhood. Throughout her rise to fame and during some of the most pivotal moments of her life, Demi battled addiction, body image issues, and childhood trauma that would follow her for years--all while juggling a skyrocketing career and at times negative public perception. As her success grew, Demi found herself questioning if she belonged in Hollywood, if she was a good mother, a good actress--and, always, if she was simply good enough. As much as her story is about adversity, it is also about tremendous resilience. In this deeply candid and reflective memoir, Demi pulls back the curtain and opens up about her career and personal life--laying bare her tumultuous relationship with her mother, her marriages, her struggles balancing stardom with raising a family, and her journey toward open heartedness. Inside Out is a story of survival, success, and surrender--a wrenchingly honest portrayal of one woman''s at once ordinary and iconic life.

From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Morris comes a revelatory new biography ofThomas Alva Edison, the most prolific genius in American history.

Foreword / by Joe Biden -- A political life -- Against the grain -- Oakington -- A plan for life -- Reform and independence -- Against the legislative tide -- Regulating savings and loan associations -- Kennedy Man -- A prosecutor the organization didn''t want -- A thirty-two-month learning experience -- A tangle of savings and loan scams -- Kidnapping, murder, and assassination -- Challenging the Democratic machine -- A break with the past -- A freshman senator''s voice -- Defending the great Warren Court decisions -- "A voteless people is a hopeless people" -- Fairness in federal court -- Congress and the City of Washington -- The hardest fights -- Vietnam and the political costs of war -- The environment and overpopulation -- Gun control -- One progressive position too many -- Citizen public service -- Epilogue: An open letter to my grandchildren (and their generation)