Audiobooks narrated by Christina Delaine

'Everything is sad,' wrote the Ancient poets. But is this sadness merely a human experience, projected onto the world, or is there a gloom attributable to the world itself? Could the universe be forever weeping the 'tears of things'? In this series of meditations, Dominic Pettman and Eugene Thacker explore some of the key 'negative affects'—both eternal and emergent—associated with climate change, environmental destruction, and cosmic solitude. In so doing they unearth something so obvious that it has gone largely unnoticed: the question of how we should feel about climate change. Between the information gathered by planetary sensors and the simple act of breathing the air, new unsettling moods are produced for which we currently lack an adequate language. Should we feel grief over the loss of our planet? Or is the strange feeling of witnessing mass extinction an indicator that the planet was never 'ours' to begin with? Spanning a wide range of topics—from the history of cosmology to the 'existential threat' of climate change—this book is a reckoning with the limits of human existence and comprehension. As Pettman and Thacker observe, never before have we known so much about the planet and the cosmos, and yet never before have we felt so estranged from that same planet, to say nothing of the stars beyond.

Dominic Pettman, Eugene Thacker (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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One Bad Mother: A Mother's Search for Meaning in the Police Academy

After her six-year-old daughter puts a hammer through a wall, Megan Williams decides to abandon a career as an academic and become a police officer. It's not lost on her that she may have applied to the Police Academy to escape the realities of mothering twins born via IVF at twenty-nine weeks. As the twins grow and test her endlessly, she feels she is failing. She needs a win. During a grueling application process, Megan measures herself against the other candidates and confronts the normative notions of what it is to be a good mother. The paralyzing fear that she is a bad mother looms large in her head, as does the real possibility that she might not make the cut at the Academy. With its intertwined narratives of police recruitment and motherhood, the memoir provides an unflinching journalistic view of big-city law enforcement, set atop a personal journey during which Megan learns gratitude and makes peace with a motherhood far different from the dream sold to her by our culture.

Megan Williams (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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A Complicated Passion: The Life and Work of Agnes Varda

Over the course of her sixty-five-year career, the longest of any female filmmaker, Agnès Varda (1928–2019) wrote and directed some of the most acclaimed films of her era, from her tour de force Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), a classic of modernist cinema, to the beloved documentary The Gleaners and I (2000) four decades later. She helped to define the French New Wave, inspired an entire generation of filmmakers, and was recognized with major awards at the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice Film Festivals, as well as an honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards. In this lively biography, Carrie Rickey explores the 'complicated passions' that informed Varda's charmed life and indelible work. Rickey traces Varda's three remarkable careers—as still photographer, as filmmaker, and as installation artist. She explains how Varda was a pioneer in blurring the lines between documentary and fiction, using the latest digital technology and carving a path for women in the movie industry. She demonstrates how Varda was years ahead of her time in addressing sexism, abortion, labor exploitation, immigrant rights, and race relations with candor and incisiveness. And she delves into Varda's incredibly rich social life with figures such as Harrison Ford, Jean-Luc Godard, Jim Morrison, Susan Sontag, and Andy Warhol, and her nearly forty-year marriage to the celebrated director Jacques Demy.

Carrie Rickey (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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In the Company of Radical Women Writers

In the Company of Radical Women Writers rediscovers the political commitments and passionate advocacy of seven writers who as young women turned to communism around the Great Depression and, over decades of national crisis, spoke to issues of labor, land, and love in ways that provide thought-provoking guidance for today. Rosemary Hennessy spotlights the courageous lives of women who confronted similar challenges to those we still face: exhausting and unfair labor practices, unrelenting racial injustice, and environmental devastation. As Hennessy shows, the documentary journalism and creative and biographical writings of Marvel Cooke, Louise Thompson Patterson, Claudia Jones, Alice Childress, Josephine Herbst, Meridel Le Sueur, and Muriel Rukeyser recognized that life is sustained across a web of dependencies that we each have a duty to maintain. Their work brought into sharp focus the value and dignity of Black women's domestic work, confronted the destructive myths of land exploitation and white supremacy, and explored ways of knowing attuned to a life-giving erotic energy that spans bodies and relations. In doing so, they expanded the scope of American communism. In the Company of Radical Women Writers reveals their groundbreaking reconceptions of the political and provides bracing inspiration in the ongoing fight for justice.

Rosemary Hennessy (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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On Gaslighting

'Gaslighting' is suddenly in everyone's vocabulary. It's written about, talked about, tweeted about, even sung about. It's become shorthand for being manipulated by someone who insists that up is down, hot is cold, dark is light-someone who isn't just lying about such things, but trying to drive you crazy. The term has its origins in a 1944 film in which a husband does exactly that to his wife, his crazy-making efforts symbolized by the rise and fall of the gaslights in their home. In this timely and provocative book, Kate Abramson examines gaslighting from a philosophical perspective, investigating it as a distinctive moral phenomenon. Gaslighting, Abramson writes, is best understood as a form of interpersonal interaction, a particular way of fundamentally undermining someone. The gaslighter, Abramson argues, aims to make his target experience herself as incapable of reasoning, perceiving, or reacting in ways that would allow her to form appropriate beliefs, perceptions, or emotions in the first place. He seeks not only to induce in her this unmoored sense of herself but also to make it a reality. Using examples and analysis, Abramson gives an account of gaslighting and its immorality, and argues that such a discussion can help us understand other aspects of social life-from racism and sexism to the structure of interpersonal trust.

Kate Abramson (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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Clay and Bones: My Life as an FBI Forensic Artist

Lisa Bailey never considered a career working in death until she saw the FBI job posting for a forensic artist. The idea of using her artistic skill to help victims of crime was too compelling to pass up. Soon she was documenting crime scenes, photographing charred corpses, and digitally retouching the disembodied heads of suicide bombers. But it was facial approximation-sculpting a face from the remnants of an unidentified victim's skull-that intrigued her the most. Bailey knew that if she could capture that person's likeness in clay, she just might help them be identified, and that might help law enforcement track down their killer. Bailey worked on hundreds of cases and grew to become a subject matter expert in the field. It was the most challenging and fulfilling work she could have imagined, and she never thought of leaving. But her life changed when she became the target of sexual discrimination and harassment. She was stunned when FBI management protected the abusers and retaliated with threats, slander, and an arsenal of lawyers. Trapped in an increasingly hostile work environment, and infuriated at the hypocrisy of the FBI's tactics, Bailey decided to fight back. Clay and Bones is a memoir with a mission, and a fascinating exploration into the surreal and satisfying work of a forensic artist.

Lisa G. Bailey (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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Fritzie: The Invented Life and Violent Murder of a Flapper

Frieda 'Fritizie' Mann had several identities during her brief life, and the mysterious circumstances of her death raise as many questions as they do answers. She was born in 1903 near the present border between Poland and Ukraine. She and her family were Jewish immigrants who traveled to San Diego to find security and prosperity. In the last year of her life, Mann became locally famous. She had reinvented herself as a flapper and 'Oriental' dancer. She claimed to have friends in Hollywood and a movie contract. On the night of her murder, she said she was going to a party to meet her Hollywood friends; instead she traveled to an isolated roadside hotel where she met her death. An autopsy revealed that she was four and a half months pregnant. Historian Amy Absher guides the listener through the intricacies of this true crime story as it unfolded, from the initial flawed investigation to the sensationalized press coverage and the ultimate failure of the legal system to ensure justice on Mann's behalf. Like other 'new women' of her era, Fritzie Mann adopted roles that promised liberation from the control of men. In the end, her life and early death suggest the opposite: she became the victim of a culture that consumed women even as it purported to celebrate them. Contains mature themes.

Amy Absher (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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Finding Your Calm: Twelve Methods to Release Anxiety, Relieve Stress & Restore Peace

Twelve of Llewellyn's top authors have collaborated to introduce you to a dozen new age relaxation techniques that can positively impact all areas of your life. Pulling from both scientific and spiritual methods, these expert authors introduce you to guided meditations, visualizations, and other simple practices so you can achieve a state of calm, collected bliss. Through fun, conversational essays, this book explores a wide range of topics, including the power of chakras, bedtime rituals, listening to your body, and autonomous sensory meridian responses (ASMR). You will learn about aromatherapy from Gail Bussi, the vagus nerve from Cyndi Dale, mindfulness from Melanie Klein, and more. Whether your need is for yourself, a corporate retreat, or a therapy group, Finding Your Calm helps you tune into your innate intuition and find the right modality for any moment.

Angela A. Wix (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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Supply Chain: HBR Insights

Disruptions in the global supply chain put companies at a standstill. Supply and demand shocks. Labor shortages. International trade wars. As businesses and customers struggle to get the products they need from across the globe, manufacturers must reassess how they operate, from considering domestic suppliers to exploring new technologies. In Supply Chain: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review, articles by experts and researchers will help you understand the risks and identify solutions to these disruptions so that you can ensure a more resilient supply chain-without sacrificing competitive advantage. Business is changing. Will you adapt or be left behind? Get up to speed and deepen your understanding of the topics that are shaping your company's future with the Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review series. Featuring HBR's smartest thinking on fast-moving issues-blockchain, cybersecurity, AI, and more-each book provides the foundational introduction and practical case studies your organization needs to compete today and collects the best research, interviews, and analysis to get it ready for tomorrow.

Harvard Business Review (Author), Christina Delaine, Keith Sellon-Wright (Narrator)

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The Unity of Science: Exploring Our Universe, from the Big Bang to the Twenty-First Century

A journey guided by science that explores the universe, the earth, and the story of life For Irwin Shapiro, science starts with questions. This book provides a broad and entertaining survey of major scientific discoveries that have changed our views of nature and, in turn, spawned further questions. Shapiro, an award-winning scientist and beloved teacher, separates his inquiry into three parts: looking up at the universe; looking down at the earth and its fossils; and looking in at the story of life. His framework encourages listeners to view science as a detective story-to observe and question nature and natural phenomena, and to base all conclusions on scientific evidence. With his knowledgeable yet conversational approach, Shapiro offers an enjoyable way for the curious to learn about the foundations of a range of scientific topics: the motions of bodies in the cosmos, the history and structure of the earth, the evolution of organisms, and the search for extraterrestrial life and intelligence.

Irwin Shapiro (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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Finding Karen Black: Roots Become Wings

A bittersweet story that begins with the delightful discovery of a famous birth mother. Before film star Karen Black became an icon, she gave up a newborn daughter to adoption. While Karen's career led her to Hollywood fame, her daughter Diane grew up near Chicago. For five decades they knew nothing about each other. Then Illinois opened their sealed adoption records, and Diane sent for her original birth certificate. She was amazed to discover that her birth mother was an iconic actress in the '70s and a cult horror star in the '80s and beyond. Karen starred in prominent films such as Easy Rider, The Great Gatsby, Airport 1975, Burnt Offerings and the TV movie Trilogy of Terror. This heartfelt memoir takes the listener into Diane's adopted life without her birth mother, and follows Karen and Diane through their one year together as Karen bravely battles cancer. This remarkable story is a testament to the power of the mother-child bond, the importance of our roots, and the belief that love lasts forever. Award-winning Christina Delaine's exceptional narration captures Karen's vivacious spirit and the story's emotional moments with authenticity. 'This book took me by surprise with emotional timbre, honest emotions, and depth of feeling. Through immersive writing, descriptive narration, and stark imagery, Finding Karen Black expertly weaves a mother-daughter story, unlike anything I've read before.' --N. N. Light

Diane Bay (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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So You Want to Work in a Museum?

A One-Stop Guide to Museum Careers People who love art, are fascinated by archaeology, or are history buffs may have considered the idea of working in a museum. But experience as a museum visitor reveals only the public-facing side of the museum, and not its complex, dynamic internal structure. So You Want to Work in A Museum? helps to demystify museums as institutions and to prepare prospective museum staff to explore the field further. After reading this book, readers will be able to: Understand how non-profit museums are governed, funded, and staffed, and how they define and meet their missions.Explore museum divisions and departments and specific roles within them--not just prominent roles like directors and curators, but also less visible ones like registrars, preparators, development officers, conservators, and more. Consider the contemporary function of museums, and how yesterday's cabinets of curiosity have evolved into today's community catalysts. Examine how the contemporary function of museums has affected the types of positions available and the work museum staff do on a daily basis. Look at the skills required for different types of positions, and how readers aspiring to work in those positions can best prepare themselves to land their dream jobs and be successful in them. Understand the benefits and potential challenges of working in a museum, and Access a wealth of resources that will inspire further study of the field, and outline next steps to pursue a museum career.

Tara Young (Author), Christina Delaine (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Christina Delaine