Law & Politics Audiobooks | Biography & Memoir

The Blood Countess: A Tale of Deception, Disinformation, and History’s Deadliest Woman

THE BLOOD COUNTESS is an ambitious, sweeping investigation into the singularly fascinating case of Elizabeth Báthory, a woman who, until now, has been known as 'the Western World’s most prolific female murderer.” If The Dark Queens is about the systemic erasure of powerful women, then THE BLOOD COUNTESS is about the culturally sanctioned, coordinated smearing of one, how it happens and why, which leads to even bigger questions: how do we construct our personal and cultural realities? How do we parse the truth? THE BLOOD COUNTESS will, of course, appeal to the same readers who fell in love with The Dark Queens, but it will undoubtedly bring in fresh audiences: true crime aficionados, lovers of legal sagas, fans of the Elizabethan era, readers already aware of the Báthory legend, etc. It is the sort of undeniably juicy, complex narrative that will have both academic circles and book clubs arguing for days, as it does what the best historical non-fiction does: holds up a mirror so we can see our own time more clearly, all while still being a wild, entertaining ride.

Shelley Puhak (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Fairbanks Four: Murder, Injustice, and the Birth of a Movement

The Central Park Five meets Killers of the Flower Moon in the true but untold story of the Fairbanks Four, four young Indigenous men in Fairbanks, Alaska who were wrongly convicted of murdering a white teenager, and the journalist determined to rally the community and undo the damage done by a broken justice system.

Brian Patrick O’donoghue (Author), TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister's Testimony of God's Faithfulness

Scott Morrison, Australia's 30th Prime Minister (2018-2022), offers a unique insider's account of a Christian who was open about his faith and operated at the top level of politics for more than a decade. During one of the toughest periods since the second world war, covering drought, wildfires, a global pandemic and recession, he chronicles God's faithfulness throughout, win or lose, public criticism or public success. Less political memoir and more pastoral encouragement, Morrison is passionate about encouraging others to discover how they can access and see the many blessings of God in their own lives, no matter their circumstances, drawing on Jeremiah 29:11, that God's plans are for our good and not our harm, to give us a future and a hope. In each section Morrison asks the questions all of us are looking to find answers to: - Who am I? Discovering your purpose. - How should I live? Finding your pathway. - What should I hope for? Embracing your future. Full of fascinating insights into the handling of some of the most significant global events and issues of our time Morrison's honest, vulnerable and reflective answers offers a unique lens to better understand your relationship with God and the blessing that can flow from such a relationship. Alongside an account of high-level politics in a new media age where cancel culture, identity politics and deep secularization is taking hold across so many western societies, creating a truly post Christian west, Morrison testifies to the faithful love and blessings of God.

Scott Morrison (Author), Mike Pence, Scott Morrison (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sister in Law: Fighting for Justice in a System Designed by Men

Brought to you by Penguin. Only 30 years ago, rape within marriage was not a crime, Judges saw rape victims as complicit for wearing short skirts; teenage runaways were groomed, pimped and then arrested as ‘common prostitutes’, and harassment, stalking, forced marriage and honour-based violence were not defined or recognised as separate offences in law. Since then there have been important legislative reforms but the law is only as good as those who enforce it. Telling the stories of a series of ground-breaking cases, Harriet Wistrich illustrates how far misogyny is baked into our justice system. Among the women she has represented are Emma Humphreys and Sally Challen, both of whose murder convictions were overturned in watershed moments, the victims of serial rapist, taxi-driver John Worboys, and the wives and girlfriends of undercover police who were fraudulently deceived into long-term relationships and illegally spied upon. Her work has involved direct challenges to government departments and cabinet ministers, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the immigration service, and the Parole Board. It provides critical insight into the many ways issues relating to violence against women intersect with racism, state violence and lack of accountability. And it shows how bringing a feminist lens to legal issues has led to creative solutions and inspiring partnerships. This important work demands tenacity, compassion and collaboration, but Wistrich shows that it is imperative that we demand better justice and that it is possible to bring about important change. ©2024 Harriet Wistrich (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Harriet Wistrich (Author), Catherine Bailey, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That Is Transforming America

Essential reading from an expert voice our country needs: Luis Miranda's personal and political memoir reveals a deep understanding of Latino culture and building community to change our world for the better. A veteran of New York and national politics, Luis Miranda embodies the relentless spirit of progress of American immigrants. There is nobody on the Latino, New York, and national political scene with the breadth of experience, passion, and storytelling charm of Luis Miranda. In Relentless, he shares the poignant narrative of his life and career-from his early days as a radically minded Puerto Rican activist to his decades of political advice and problem solving. We experience the thrill of the ascendency of Hamilton, created by his son Lin-Manuel. And we experience the suffering after the devastation of Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria. Amid the triumphs, challenges, and ongoing hard work, Miranda examines what his experience reveals about our ever-changing politics, demographics, and society.

Luis A. Miranda (Author), Luis A. Miranda, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Zev's Los Angeles: A Political Memoir: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power

This is the story of Zev Yaroslavsky, the son of Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 1920s. His memoir charts the journey of a young social activist who battled to free Soviet Jews before becoming one of the most consequential elected officials in Southern California. Fiercely independent, he combined an activist's passion with a seasoned politician's skill to challenge the region's power brokers. He fought the Los Angeles Police Department's excessive force and political spying policies, led the effort to ban local taxes from funding the 1984 Olympics, teamed with President Clinton to avert a catastrophic county bankruptcy, helped develop LA's modern transit system, won a bruising battle with real estate interests to save the Santa Monica Mountains from rapacious development, and was pivotal in the development of Walt Disney Concert Hall and the modernization of the iconic Hollywood Bowl. 'I may be part of the establishment,' he said on the day he was first sworn into office, 'but the establishment is not part of me.'

Josh Getlin, Zev Yaroslavsky (Author), Graham Rowat (Narrator)

Audiobook

Moral Vision: Leadership from George Washington to Joe Biden

What makes a leader truly great? Is it simply a matter of management style and personality? Or is it character that matters most? Moral Visions takes an insightful look into America's leaders of the past to answer these questions and demonstrates that values and moral convictions are critical to the strength of a nation. Supposedly, we learn about the candidates for the highest office through a series of tests called "debates," which are instead an exchange of soundbites. We can't know whether an aspirant to the presidency has the ability to ask good questions or only a suave or belligerent ability to answer them. Moral Vision is a human-interest introduction to American history through studies of nineteen leaders: presidents, almost presidents, a tycoon, a crusading journalist, and even a leading 19th century abortionist. Its lessons can help voters sort through the candidates in 2024 and beyond by measuring them against previous leaders—none of whom was faultless. It shows how the deepest views often grow out of religious belief and influence political goals, racial prejudices, sexual activities, uses of power, and senses of service. In his 1789 inaugural address, George Washington pledged that "the foundation for national policy will be laid in the sure and immutable principles of private morality." Marvin Olasky shows how 19th-century leaders like Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Grover Cleveland partly upheld and partly ignored that promise, and 20th-century leaders like Woodrow Wilson, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton tried to "compartmentalize" the private and the public. An extensively updated version of The American Leadership Tradition, Moral Vision is for anyone tired of today's textbook tendencies to submerge the role of individuals as big economic and demographic waves roll in. History is more than statistics, economics, and group identities. Human beings are more than paper boats riding the rainfall into gutters.

Marvin Olasky (Author), TBD, Tim H. Dixon (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Call to Serve: The Life of an American President, George Herbert Walker Bush: A Visual Biography

In honor of the one hundredth anniversary of George H. W. Bush's birth, this visually stunning chronicle features never-before-published photos and memories celebrating the forty-first president's vision of leadership as service to country-curated by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham. Lavishly illustrated, The Call to Serve is an intimate, illuminating portrait of the forty-first president, a man who was so much more than just his politics. In words and images-many found in a lifetime of scrapbooks kept by Barbara Pierce Bush-Jon Meacham brings George H. W. Bush vividly to life. From the values of integrity, empathy, and grace that Bush learned in childhood to his leadership at the highest levels in tumultuous times, the forty-first president embodied an ideal of service that warrants attention in our own divided time. Bush pursued a life of service to America through his heroic combat experience in the Pacific during World War II, his political rise in Texas, his serving as U.S. ambassador to the UN, his time as envoy to China and as director of the CIA, his tenure as Ronald Reagan's vice president, and his election as the forty-first president of the United States. Set against the background of America during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, this book commemorates the legacy of a man who was far from perfect-he could be cutthroat on the campaign trail-but whose ambition was not an end unto itself. Bush's drive to succeed was, rather, a means to put the values of balance, patriotism, and respect for others into action in the political arena. Toward the end of Bush's life, the forty-fourth president, Barack Obama, said that Bush put the country first "both before he was president, while he was president, and ever since." Featuring more than 450 photographs, Meacham's introduction and commentary throughout, and narration drawn from his biography of George H. W. Bush, Destiny and Power, this is an essential tribute to a uniquely American life.

Jon Meacham (Author), Jon Meacham (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Seat at the Table: The Life and Times of Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisolm rose from being the child of immigrants to running for the highest office in the land. She was both the first African American woman elected to the US Congress and the first African American woman of a major political party to make a serious run for president of the United States. These achievements were not in spite of her background but rather because of it. She persevered by being steadfast in her political convictions and unwilling to compromise on the issues she believed in. Chisholm directly challenged the political establishment and gave a political voice to so many segments of society that were historically ignored—women, racial minorities, young people, the gay community, domestic and agricultural workers, and the poor—not only in her home district in Brooklyn, New York, but across the country. Her run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination may not have ended in victory, but it was successful in forging a grassroots campaign that united diverse Americans behind a candidate who championed their collective interests. Her efforts laid the groundwork for change then, now, and in the future. Without Shirley Chisholm, there may not have been a Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, or Kamala Harris. “A Seat at the Table is a must-read. The authors share Shirley Chisholm’s personal narrative and convey how she was passionate about equality and education as she navigated racism and sexism in the United States. She is an inspiration to all of uswho serve the public good.”—Dr. Camille M. Davidson, Dean of Southern Illinois University School of Law

Drs. Glenn L. Starks, F. Erik Brooks (Author), Kim Staunton (Narrator)

Audiobook

Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake

The uproarious, bestselling true story of the world's most sought-after con man, immortalized by Leonardo DiCaprio in DreamWorks' feature film of the same name, from the author of Scam Me If You Can. Frank W. Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams, and Robert Monjo, was one of the most daring con men, forgers, imposters, and escape artists in history. In his brief but notorious criminal career, Abagnale donned a pilot's uniform and copiloted a Pan Am jet, masqueraded as the supervising resident of a hospital, practiced law without a license, passed himself off as a college sociology professor, and cashed over $2.5 million in forged checks, all before he was twenty-one. Known by the police of twenty-six foreign countries and all fifty states as 'The Skywayman,' Abagnale lived a sumptuous life on the lam-until the law caught up with him. Now recognized as the nation's leading authority on financial foul play, Abagnale is a charming rogue whose hilarious, stranger-than-fiction international escapades, and ingenious escapes-including one from an airplane-make Catch Me If You Can an irresistible tale of deceit.

Frank W. Abagnale, Stan Redding (Author), Barrett Whitener, TBD (Narrator)

Audiobook

Duty Calls: Lessons Learned from an Unexpected Life of Service

Dr. Antonia Novello is a vanguard in the United States and Puerto Rico, whose enduring commitment to service has left an indelible mark on the world of public health. With a distinguished career including serving as the US Surgeon General and the New York State Commissioner of Health during 9/11, her story highlights an unwavering dedication to improving the well-being of individuals and communities. Dr. Novello's story is one of challenges faced and overcome and of shattering glass ceilings and opening doors for future generations of leaders. She shares her early battles with childhood illness and her desire to overcome stereotypes, while also chronicling her meteoric rise through various roles in the field of health care, leading to her service as the nation's top medical officer. In Duty Calls, listeners will learn about: - Dr. Novello's early life and her struggles with congenital megacolon - How she became the first female/first Hispanic Surgeon General of the United States - Her efforts to vaccinate and provide health care resources to her home in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria - Wisdom and insights Dr. Novello gained through her life experiences

Dr. Antonia Novello Md, Dr. Antonia Novello, M.D. (Author), Cynthia Farrell (Narrator)

Audiobook

Cheating Death: Three-Time Presidential Secret Service Agent Lives to Tell You How

Secret Service Special Agent Ken Valentine protected three sitting presidents, all while he and wife Sandra reared five children. In Cheating Death, he details his experiences and shares practical and inspirational advice on living your most abundant, victorious life. “Everyone, and I mean everyone, will give you advice on which way to go with your life. Friends, acquaintances, classmates, teammates, your friends’ friends, family, teachers, counselors, and neighbors will nose into your business. They will want to help you with everything from how to dress, to how to act. They will tell you what and where to eat, where to go and what to do. Before you know it, your whole life will be planned out for you, by someone else. If you are susceptible to influencers, choose your influences wisely. “Not all advisors, or advice, is equal. In fact, some of the advice coming your way courtesy of well-meaning friends or family may be downright awful. Truly wise and useful advice will come from very few. The world will give you the same crummy advice it gives everyone. “Get fame. Pursue fortune. More is better!” The world consistently perpetuates the lie, that fame and fortune will make you happy. “The world lies. Fame and fortune will not fill the void in our heart that was designed to be occupied by Christ. Only God can fill that God-shaped space within us. The world keeps trying, and people keep following the siren song down thewide path to happy destruction. “Happy is hard to define. I have determined that Happy is an elusive place. All of the world’s unfulfilled and dissatisfied people will call you to the same wide path, life-plan they followed—and expect a different result? I challenge you to take the narrow road. I urge you to trust in the Lord in all your decision making.”

Kenneth M. Valentine (Author), Brian Hutchison (Narrator)

Audiobook

Law & Politics Audiobooks in Biography & Memoir