General Audiobooks | Fiction & Literature

Waiting to be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide

Brought to you by Penguin. A poet's account of one of the world's most urgent humanitarian crises, and a harrowing tale of a family's escape from genocide One by one, Tahir Hamut Izgil's friends disappeared. The Chinese government's brutal persecution of the Uyghur people had continued for years, but in 2017 it assumed a terrifying new scale. The Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim minority group in western China, were experiencing an echo of the worst horrors of the twentieth century, amplified by China's establishment of an all-seeing high-tech surveillance state. Over a million people have vanished into China's internment camps for Muslim minorities. Tahir, a prominent poet and intellectual, had been no stranger to persecution. After he attempted to travel abroad in 1996, police tortured him until he confessed to fabricated charges and sent him to a re-education through labour camp. But even having endured three years in the camp, he could never have predicted the Chinese government's radical solution to the Uyghur question two decades later. When he noticed that the park near his home was nearly empty because so many neighbours had been arrested, he knew the police would be coming for him any day. It soon became clear to Tahir and his wife that fleeing the country was the family's only hope. Waiting to Be Arrested at Night is the story of the political, social, and cultural destruction of Tahir Hamut Izgil's homeland. Among leading Uyghur intellectuals and writers, he is the only one known to have escaped China since the mass internments began. His book is a call for the world to awaken to the unfolding catastrophe, and a tribute to his friends and fellow Uyghurs whose voices have been silenced. ©2023 Tahir Hamut Izgil (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Tahir Hamut Izgil (Author), Greg Watanabe (Narrator)

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Snakes and Ladders: Navigating the ups and downs of politics

In the high-stakes world of politics, there are superb highs and terrible lows – and never more so than in the period since 2010. Few are better placed to give an insider's view of the turmoil than the Rt Hon. Dame Andrea Leadsom MP. From taking to the stage at Wembley as a key figure in the campaign to leave the European Union, through two leadership bids, Cabinet intrigue and squaring off against an increasingly erratic Speaker, Andrea's very personal account tracks the ups and downs of a life in politics and particularly the challenges for female MPs. In this updated edition, which sheds new light on the fraught leadership campaigns of 2022, Andrea argues that political careers don't always – as is so often claimed – end in failure, and explains how, like a game of snakes and ladders, politics is often about getting yourself into the right place at the right time.

Andrea Leadsom (Author), Andrea Leadsom (Narrator)

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Transelectric: My Life as a Cosmic Rock Star

An androgynous gender-bending musician from the get-go, Cidny Bullens toured extensively with Sir Elton John and performed with Bob Dylan, undergoing a complete immersion in the drug-fueled excesses of 1970s rock 'n' roll. Despite getting sober, climbing the charts with the Grammy-nominated Survivor, as well as a Grammy nomination for his lead vocals in the soundtrack for the movie Grease, Bullens was unable to break out as a solo star in a world that allowed its artists to cross the gender line, but had much more narrow expectations about how women could behave and perform. Retreating into the conventional lifestyle of a suburban mom, Bullens felt like she was living in an alternate universe. Then whatever world she had was shattered by the tragic death of her younger daughter from cancer. Out of the ashes of despair, Bullens brought forth an award-winning album, Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth, that relaunched the musician's career. Finally, nine years ago, Cidny claimed his own healing and transitioned from female to male-finding unexpected love, becoming a new stepfather, and a grandfather. What he found, too, was his true voice and true power as a performer.

Cidny Bullens (Author), Calum Maccoll, Cidny Bullens (Narrator)

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Small Victories in a Great Big War: The Terrifying and Sometimes Hilarious Adventures of a World War

An incredible journey of traumatic near-death moments, day to day drudgery, amusing situations, and brushes with greatness in World War II. Life for a World War II paratrooper was grave and perilous; John H. Canfield's experience was no different. However, this young man found himself in so many crazy-sometimes humorous-situations that he almost forgot about how dangerous it was. Filled with pranksters and superiors full of bravado and an unfortunate brush with racial bigotry with a fellow African American soldier, Canfield shares his many stories from basic training and jump school. But his best stories are from the war. From having to translate a dinner for an inebriated superior using his scant French, to getting chewed out by none other than General George S. Patton, Canfield shares a wealth of experiences from his WWII tour of the European theater. In Small Victories in a Great Big War, John H. Canfield shows that half the battle is surviving, and that he did. With bravery and flair, Canfield returned home to Connecticut with more than a few amusing anecdotes. More than seventy-five years after the end of World War II, John H. Canfield's stories are now shared with the world.

John H. Canfield (Author), Eric Smies (Narrator)

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Abandoned

“It was like going through a door which had been locked all my life. I had walked past it every single day, afraid to even rattle the handle. Now I was smashing the locks, I was wrenching it from the hinges, and I was marching through. Here I am!' A woman whose mother twice tried to kill her as a child has won a ground-breaking battle in the supreme courts for the right to claim compensation. Monica Allan's legal victory set a precedent and has opened the floodgates for others to claim in her wake. Thanks to her 12-year legal fight, other victims now have hope. Other victims now have a voice. In her memoir, Monica, 54, tells the story of her childhood, when her mother, Betty Mount, forced her head under running bathroom taps and tried to strangle her. She had previously tried to kill Monica as a baby. Monica was taken into foster care, where her new parents ran a brutal regime. To the outside world, the family was devoutly religious and respectable, but behind closed doors, Monica was physically and sexually abused. Failed by a second mother figure, she moved into her own home aged 18 and went on to have four children. Monica loved her children but battled constantly with the demons from her past. She carried her dark secrets around with her for 40 years until in 2010, haunted by her trauma, she finally decided to seek justice. She was told she could not seek compensation because of the ‘same roof' rule, meaning victims who lived with their attackers up to 1979 were ineligible for pay-outs. For the past 12 years Monica has been fighting her case through the Supreme Courts and was recently awarded compensation from CICA in respect of the sexual abuse she suffered in foster care. She is awaiting a second settlement for the attacks by her mother.

Ann Cusack, Joe Cusack, Monica Allan (Author), Sarah Barron (Narrator)

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Blindingly Obvious: The beautiful vision of Minnie B. Leader and blind social pioneer

This is the moving story of a woman who, throughout her life, has refused to be defined by what others think she can or cannot do. Minnie Baragwanath was diagnosed, at the age of 15, with a congenital condition that left her legally blind. However, she did not meekly accept the limitations that blindness might have imposed on her: instead, she dug in her heels and set about improving not only her own life but also the lives of all New Zealanders with access needs. The dramatic events of Minnie’s life – losing her sight, being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Japan at 19, becoming a television presenter, participating in the New York Marathon, surviving life-threatening illnesses, founding and leading innovative organisations, receiving prestigious awards (including the New Zealand Order of Merit) – are related in vivid detail. Minnie looks candidly at both her challenges and her triumphs, giving the reader the opportunity to share her exceptional experiences. This book has the potential to change our views of what ‘disability’ means. Minnie’s far-reaching ideas on how our society could be transformed – to everyone’s benefit – are not just intellectual speculations: they are based on her experiences and on those of the many people with disability with whom she has worked. There is a growing demand for information about ‘diversity and inclusion’. This book, with its keen insight into what it means to be in a meaningful relationship ‘with’ one another, and in particular how we as a society choose to relate to leaders and pioneers of a more progressive world, breaks new ground on those subjects.

Minnie Baragwanath (Author), Romy Hooper (Narrator)

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New Shoes on the Table

'You took my baby from me, Mum! She should be here with us and her siblings, not stuck with two old stupid fools like you!' She looked through me like I was invisible, pathetically calling out to her husband, in the next room. This woman was incapable of taking responsibility for anything! 'Don…Don, don't you think I did the right thing? I did the right thing, didn't I, Don?!' He didn't answer. Our mother-daughter relationship was always tumultuous and clearly would remain so. How would you feel if your own mother stole your child? What would you do? Could you ever forgive her? Reflection is a powerful tool. From Luton, England to Adelaide, Australia, I've covered a lot of distance, geographically and emotionally. I'm no one special. My life is an ordinary one that became extraordinary. Everyone has their story to tell. This is mine.

Rose Neil (Author), M.C. Dickson (Narrator)

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[German] - Die Liebe und der Krieger: Das Leben an der Seite des bekanntesten Edel-Callboys der Schw

Ein niveauvolles, spannendes und schonungslos 'gesprochenes Verständnis' zum Tabuthema 'Callboy'. Alles über Menschsein, Leben, Sexualität, Vorurteile, Freiheit und Liebe als grösste universelle Macht. Tina & Nick erzählen sehr lebendig, mutig, humorvoll und ehrlich ihre abenteuerliche Liebesgeschichte, als wäre man selbst hautnah dabei. Nick gibt Einblicke in seine erotische Arbeit, lässt Kundinnen zu Wort kommen , warum sie ihn buchen. Tina erklärt, wie sie mit Eifersucht, Angst, Zweifel und möglicher Lüge umgeht. Beide zeigen, was ihnen Vertrauen, Respekt, Ehrlichkeit und integres Verhalten in der Partnerschaft bedeuten. Familie und Freunde drücken Freude, Neugier, Akzeptanz, aber auch Skepsis, Schweigen und Abwendung aus. Original SMS, Insider-Informationen, private Fotos und mitreissende Musik lassen hautnah mitfühlen. Ein hoher Anspruch an philosophischen Betrachtungsweisen und zutiefst spirituelle Gedanken bieten dem Hörer Weisheit und Inspiration zu eigenen Erkenntnissen. Man kann die Magie des eigenen Bewusstwerdens unmittelbar erleben. Beide Autoren sind seit Jahren bekannt aus TV, Radio und Printmedien.

Christina Förster, Nick Laurent (Author), Christina Förster (Narrator)

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Why We Need to Be Wild: One Woman's Quest for Ancient Human Answers to 21st Century Problems

A bold examination of how Paleolithic wisdom could solve our 21st century problems Jessica Carew Kraft, an urban wife and mom of two, was firmly rooted in the modern world, complete with a high-powered career in tech and the sneaking suspicion that her lifestyle was preventing her and her family from truly thriving. Determined to find a better way, Jessica quit her job and set out to learn about “rewilding” from people who reject the comforts and convenience of civilization by using ancient tools and skills to survive. Along the way, she learned how to turn sticks into fire, stones into axes, and bones into tools for harvesting wild food—and found an entire community walking the path back from our technologyfocused, anxiety-ridden way of life to a simpler, more human experience. Weaving deep research and reportage with her own personal journey, Jessica tells the remarkable story of the potential benefits rewilding has for us and our planet and questions what it truly means to be a human in today’s world. Why We Need to Be Wild is a thought-provoking, unforgettable narrative that illuminates how we survived in the past, how we live now, and how each of us can choose to thrive in the years ahead.

Jessica Carew Kraft (Author), Jessica Carew Kraft (Narrator)

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Nothing Ever Just Disappears: Seven Hidden Histories

Brought to you by Penguin. Nothing Ever Just Disappears retraces the footsteps of some of the twentieth century's most remarkable queer writers and artists. Moving through their homes and haunts, it explores the deep connections between where they lived, who they were and the iconoclastic art and literature they created. In search of a new history of queer culture, Diarmuid Hester travels from Cambridge's ancient cloisters to the smoky clubs of Jazz Age Paris, through the bunkers of Nazi-occupied Jersey to the newly-liberated gaybourhoods of New York and beyond. Authoritative and not a little irreverent, Hester brings to life the bars and basements, homes and studios, cities and landscapes that shaped the sexual identities of such extraordinary figures as E. M. Forster, Josephine Baker, James Baldwin and Derek Jarman. A provocative argument for the centrality of space to any consideration of queer history, culture and politics, the book also attests to all that is lost when queer spaces are forgotten. Nothing Ever Just Disappears is the first trade book from an astonishing writer and thinker. Featuring Derek Jarman, E. M. Forster, London's queer suffragettes, Josephine Baker, Claude Cahun, James Baldwin, Jack Smith and Kevin Killian. ©2023 Diarmuid Hester (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Diarmuid Hester (Author), Diarmuid Hester (Narrator)

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Hope – How Street Dogs Taught Me the Meaning of Life: Featuring Rodney, McMuffin and King Whacker

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Most people think I save dogs, but really they saved me. Niall Harbison is a dog hero based in Thailand. He spends his days feeding, caring for and rescuing the many street dogs he comes across. With every rescue there’s a story. Like the sweet gentle McMuffin who was found with many tumours and hours from death, only to be nursed back to health. She now lives with Niall and is a popular member of the pack. Then there is King Whacker – who escaped a vicious attack and is now ruling the nest living up to his name as the king of the all good dogs. And who could resist the puppy eyes of little Rodney, the beautiful dog with big paws who is melting millions of hearts around the world. Originally from Dublin, Niall was the owner of a successful advertising company. After selling it, he moved to Thailand where his addictions – drugs and alcohol – almost got the better of him. One day he woke up in hospital, close to death, and realised that something had to change. And that was what spurred him on to start saving and helping street dogs. His aim is to help 10,000 street dogs. This is his story.

Niall Harbison (Author), Niall Harbison (Narrator)

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Brass & Unity: One Woman's Journey Through the Hell of Afghanistan and Back

This is the story of a woman who witnessed the worst in the War in Afghanistan, was confronted by demons of post-traumatic stress, and fought for her life to become stronger than ever. Fresh out of high school, Kelsi Sheren, a diminutive nineteen-year-old woman, sought to join the military to help liberate those oppressed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. While she was often the smallest person in basic training, she proved she had the biggest heart and often the most energy. She made it to Afghanistan and joined a British military unit for house-to-house insurgent patrol. What she saw there was unimaginable death and destruction-including the killing of a brother-in-arms. Devastated, Kelsi was sent home to get her head straight, but even therapy and medication couldn't clear her mind-or let her sleep. When two others who served with her later took their own lives, she feared that was the only way out. Clinging to life and the love of her husband and child, she knew she wasn't ready to give in. Finding respite in a jewelry business that utilized spent shell casings, and with the help of innovative grief therapy, Kelsi not only survived but continues to thrive-and works tirelessly to spread the word and help others.

Kelsi Sheren (Author), Kelsi Sheren (Narrator)

Audiobook

General Audiobooks in Fiction & Literature