Audiobooks narrated by Christopher Grove

The Shape of Wonder: How Scientists Think, Work, and Live

"In this captivating, insightful book, acclaimed physicists Alan Lightman and Martin Rees illuminate the life and work of numerous scientists in order to demystify the scientific process and show that scientists are concerned citizens, just like the rest of us. "Remarkable. . . . Illuminating with refreshing clarity the ordinary and sometimes extraordinary work of scientists. This book is essential reading.' -Jennifer Ackerman, bestselling author of What an Owl Knows In an age of rapid scientific discovery and technological advancement, it's understandable that many feel uneasy about the future. While we might have confidence in these new developments when we go to the hospital for a medical procedure, fly in an airplane, or take an elevator to the top floor of a building, the motivations and lives of scientists themselves feel shrouded from public view. There is a growing sense that scientists are not to be trusted-that they may be guided by political or financial interests, or beholden to governments, or state institutions. This growing mistrust of scientists is an urgent problem. With the onset of climate change, the imminent threats of pandemic or nuclear war, and rapid acceleration in the fields of artificial intelligence and DNA sequencing, innovations in science have the potential to change the world. It's crucial that we not only gain a better understanding of science as a field, but also reestablish trust with its practitioners. The Shape of Wonder guides us through the fascinating lives and minds of scientists around the world and throughout time, from a young theoretical physicist who works as a research assistant professor at the University of Washington and rock climbs in their free time; to German physicist Werner Heisenberg in his early life, when he was a student of music and philosophy; to Govind Swarup, an Indian astronomer whose work on radio telescopes was profoundly important. We get an inside peek at what makes scientists tick-their daily lives, passions, and concerns about the societies they live in. In this brilliant and elucidative work, Lightman and Rees pull back the curtain on the field of science, revealing that scientists are driven by the same sense of curiosity, wonder, and responsibility towards the future that shapes us all. * This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing illustrations from the printed book."

Alan Lightman, Martin Rees (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

Slow Theology: Eight Practices for Resilient Faith in a Turbulent World

"Why slowing down is the secret to spiritual strength In our fast-paced world of outrageous headlines and knee-jerk reactions, we struggle to hear God's voice amid the noise. Despite constant connectivity, our lives lack true spiritual connection and depth. A. J. Swoboda and Nijay Gupta offer a practical theology guide for building resilient faith through Christian discipleship. Addressing spiritual deconstruction and doubt with honesty, they show how to fortify your faith against cultural challenges through eight transformative spiritual practices, including taking your time in prayer and Bible study, building patience for your spiritual journey and faith formation, slowing down your thinking and decision-making process, finding peace with unanswered questions rather than demanding easy solutions, and facing spiritual difficulties head-on instead of avoiding them. This Christian living book helps weary believers reconnect with God and neighbor through intentional spiritual growth. With a foreword by Glenn Packiam, it's perfect for devotional reading, small group study, or anyone seeking authentic faith formation."

A. J. Swoboda, Nijay K. Gupta (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bottom Feeder Blues: A Sam Laska Thriller

"A deadly manhunt. A corrupt ex-cop's quest for revenge. A desperate race against time to save the woman he loves. When two federal agents are found shot dead and their prisoner, corrupt ex-cop Jesse Nichols, escapes, he has only one goal in mind: exact revenge on Sam Laska for his capture. Leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, Nichols closes in on his target. Laska, working alongside the Feds, believes he has Nichols cornered, but realizes too late that he's been outmaneuvered. With no moves left and time running out, Sam Laska can only watch helplessly as Nichols takes the one person he can't live without."

Richard Rybicki (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

Where the Road Leads

"A bullet-ridden body. A powerful family. A former detective caught in a web of corruption and murder. When Sam Laska discovers a body near the influential Cordele family's property, he's thrust into a conspiracy that will test his resolve and put everything he holds dear at risk. The Cordeles, desperate to protect their secrets, use their power to corrupt cops and silence potential threats. As the police prove unwilling or unable to pursue justice, Laska has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. Drawing on his skills as a former detective, Laska begins to unravel the mystery. But a shocking revelation linking his girlfriend to the Cordele family shakes his world and raises the stakes to unimaginable heights. Addie Cordele, alluring and dangerous, joins forces with her sadistic brother to deal with Laska once and for all. Their plan is simple: seduce him or kill him."

Richard Rybicki (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

Collisions: A Physicist's Journey from Hiroshima to the Death of the Dinosaurs

"To his admirers, Luis W. Alvarez was the most accomplished, inventive, and versatile experimental physicist of his generation. During World War II, he achieved major breakthroughs in radar, played a key role in the Manhattan Project, and served as the lead scientific observer at the bombing of Hiroshima. In the decades that followed, he revolutionized particle physics with the hydrogen bubble chamber, developed an innovative X-ray method to search for hidden chambers in the Pyramid of Chephren, and shot melons at a rifle range to test his controversial theory about the Kennedy assassination. At the very end of his life, he collaborated with his son to demonstrate that an asteroid impact was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, igniting a furious debate that raged for years after his death. Alvarez was also a combative and relentlessly ambitious figure who testified as a government witness at the security hearing that destroyed the public career of his friend and colleague J. Robert Oppenheimer. In the first comprehensive biography of Alvarez, Alec Nevala-Lee vividly recounts one of the most compelling untold stories in modern science, a narrative overflowing with ideas, lessons, and anecdotes that will fascinate anyone with an interest in how genius and creativity collide with the problems of an increasingly challenging world."

Alec Nevala-Lee (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Pain Game

"A disgraced detective's investigation into a suspicious death plunges him into a deadly conspiracy that threatens everything he holds dear. Sam Laska, a former Chicago Police detective, thought he'd left the murder business behind. But when a friend asks him to investigate a questionable death, he finds himself drawn into a treacherous web of drug dealers, hired killers, and political puppet masters. As Laska unravels the conspiracy, he's captivated by an alluring medical examiner's assistant. But with each step he takes, the danger grows, and his mistakes put those closest to him at risk. Faced with an impossible choice, Laska must sacrifice himself to bring the killers to justice and protect the ones he loves. Can Laska untangle the web of deceit and corruption before it's too late, or will he become the next victim in this deadly game?"

Richard Rybicki (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

Statecraft 2.0: What America Needs to Lead in a Multipolar World

"In a world that is multipolar and America has less relative power, the United States no longer has the luxury to practice statecraft badly. The United States may still be the world's strongest country, but it now faces real challenges at both a global and regional level. The unipolar world which was dominated by America after the Cold War is gone. Unlike the Soviet Union, China is both a military and economic competitor and it is actively challenging the norms and institutions that the US used to shape an international order during and after the Cold War. Directly and indirectly, it has partners trying to undo the American-dominated order, with Russia seeking to extinguish Ukraine, and Iran trying to undermine American presence, influence, and any set of rules for the Middle East that it does not dominate. The failures of American policy in Afghanistan and Iraq have weakened the domestic consensus for a US leadership role internationally. Traditions in US foreign policy, especially the American sense of exceptionalism, have at different points justified both withdrawal and international activism. Iraq and Afghanistan fed the instinct to withdraw and to end the 'forever wars.' But the folly of these US interventions did not necessarily mean that all use of force to back diplomacy or specific political ends was wrong; rather it meant in these cases, the Bush Administration failed in the most basic task of good statecraft: namely, marrying objectives and means. Nothing more clearly defines effective statecraft than identifying well-considered goals and then knowing how to use all the tools of statecraft--diplomatic, economic, military, intelligence, information, cyber, scientific, education--to achieve them. But all too often American presidents have adopted goals that were poorly defined and not thought through. In Statecraft 2.0, a significant update of the first edition, Dennis Ross explains why failing to marry objectives and means has happened so often in American foreign policy. He uses historical examples to illustrate the factors that account for this, including political pressures, weak understanding of the countries where the US has intervened, changing objectives before achieving those that have been established, relying too much on ourselves and too little on allies and partners. To be fair, there have not only been failures, there have been successes as well. Ross uses case studies to look more closely at the circumstances in which Administrations have succeeded and failed in marrying objectives and means. He distills the lessons from good cases of statecraft--German unification in NATO, the first Gulf War, the surge in Iraq 2007-8--and bad cases of statecraft--going to war in Iraq 2003, and the Obama policy toward Syria. Based on those lessons, he develops a framework for applying today a statecraft approach to our policy toward China, Iran, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The book concludes with how a smart statecraft approach would shape policy toward the new national security challenges of climate, pandemics, and cyber."

Dennis Ross (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Battle of Manila: Poisoned Victory in the Pacific War

"In 1945 the United States and Japan fought the largest and most devastating land battle of their war in the Pacific, a month-long struggle for the city of Manila. It was a key piece of the campaign to retake control of the Philippine Islands, which itself signified the culmination of the war, breaking the back of Japanese strategic power and sealing its outcome. In The Battle of Manila, Nicholas Sarantakes offers the first in-depth account of this crucial campaign from the American, Japanese, and, significantly, Filipino perspective. Their effective use of these weapons was an important factor in limiting U.S. casualties, even as it may also have contributed to a catastrophic loss of civilian lives. Among other aspects of the conflict, The Battle of Manila explores the importance of the Filipino guerillas on the ground, the use of irregular warfare, the effective use of intelligence, the impact of military education, and the limits of Japanese resistance. Ultimately, Sarantakes shows Manila to be a major turning in both World War II and American history. This fascinating account shines a light on one of the war's most under-represented and highly significant moments."

Nicholas Evan Sarantakes (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

Freedom to Discriminate: How Realtors Conspired to Segregate Housing and Divide America

"A landmark history told with narrative skill, Freedom to Discriminate uncovers realtors' definitive role in segregating America and shaping modern conservative thought. His book traces the increasingly aggressive ways realtors justified their practices, how they successfully weaponized the word 'freedom' for their cause, and how conservative politicians have drawn directly from realtors' rhetoric for the past several decades. Much of this story takes place in California, and Slater demonstrates why one of the very first all-white neighborhoods was in Berkeley, and why the state was the perfect place for Ronald Reagan's political ascension. The hinge point in history is Proposition 14, a largely forgotten but monumentally important 1964 ballot initiative. Created and promoted by California realtors, the proposition sought to uphold housing discrimination permanently in the state's constitution, and a vast majority of Californians voted for it. This vote had explosive consequences—ones that still inform our deepest political divisions today—and a true reckoning with the history of American racism requires a closer look at the events leading up to it. Freedom to Discriminate shatters preconceptions about American segregation, and it connects many seemingly disparate aspects of the nation's history in a novel and galvanizing way."

Gene Slater (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

Buddhism: A Journey Through History

"One of the world's leading scholars of Buddhism presents the story of its dramatic journey across the globe Over the course of twenty-five centuries, Buddhism spread from its place of origin in northern India to become a global tradition of remarkable breadth, depth, and richness. Donald S. Lopez Jr. draws on the latest scholarship to construct a detailed and innovative history of Buddhism—not just as a chronology through the centuries or as geographic movement, but as a dense matrix of interconnections. Beginning with the life and teachings of the Buddha, Lopez shows how a set of evolving ideas and practices traveled north and east to China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and Tibet, south and southeast to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and westward to Europe and the Americas. He provides insights on questions that Buddhism has asked and answered in different times and different places—about apocalypse, art, identity, immortality, law, nation, persecution, philosophy, science, sex, war, and writing. Vast in its erudition and expansive in its vision, this is the most complete single-volume history of Buddhism in its full historical and geographical range."

Donald S. Lopez Jr. (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy

"How the US policy of competition with China is detrimental to democracy, peace, and prosperity—and how a saner approach is possible For close to a decade, the US government has been preoccupied with the threat of China, fearing that the country will 'eat our lunch,' in the words of Joe Biden. The United States has crafted its foreign and domestic policy to help constrain China's military power and economic growth. Van Jackson and Michael Brenes argue that great-power competition with China is misguided and vastly underestimates the costs and risks that geopolitical rivalry poses to economic prosperity, the quality of democracy, and, ultimately, global stability. This in-depth assessment of the trade-offs and pitfalls of protracted competition with China reveals how such a policy exacerbates inequality, leads to xenophobia, and increases the likelihood of violence around the world. In addition, it distracts from the priority of addressing such issues as climate change while at the same time undercutting democratic pluralism and sacrificing liberty in the name of prevailing against an enemy 'other.' Jackson and Brenes provide an informed and urgent critique of current US foreign policy and a road map toward a saner, more democratically accountable strategy of easing tension and achieving effective diplomacy."

Michael Brenes, Van Jackson (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

Imperial Privateer

"Dirk's old problems are gone. New ones are moving in! Dirk and company can rest easy. The ship isn't listed as stolen, Dirk's warrant is cancelled, and in return they just have to do a tiny favor for Tribune Devin. How difficult can it be to update his ship's weapons, find out what's going on coreward, and help look into Scruggs's warrant—and meet up with an ex-girlfriend? What could possibly go wrong? But when a botched heist, a crooked repair deal, and the sudden appearance of an enemy warship complicate things, Dirk has to decide. Is he a mercenary, a privateer, or a loyal servant of the Empire? Or can he be all three a once . . . If you like Galactic Empires, honorable enemies, and snappy dialog, this one's for you!"

Andrew Moriarty (Author), Christopher Grove (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Christopher Grove