Audiobooks narrated by Jonathan Reese

The Warburgs: The Twentieth-Century Odyssey of a Remarkable Jewish Family

Bankers, philanthropists, scholars, socialites, artists, and politicians, the Warburgs stood at the pinnacle of German (and, later, of German-American) Jewry. They forged economic dynasties, built mansions and estates, assembled libraries, endowed charities, and advised a German kaiser and two American presidents. But their very success made the Warburgs lightning rods for anti-Semitism, and their sense of patriotism became increasingly dangerous in a Germany that had declared Jews the enemy. Ron Chernow's hugely fascinating history is a group portrait of a clan whose members were renowned for their brilliance, culture, and personal energy yet tragically vulnerable to the dark and irrational currents of the twentieth century.

Ron Chernow (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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Without a Hero

T.C. Boyle was first feted as a master of the short story for his critically acclaimed Greasy Lake. With these stories applauded by People magazine as "wickedly comical," he displays once again a virtuosity and versatility rare in literary America today. Without a Hero zooms in on American phenomena such as a center for the treatment of acquisitive disorders; a couple in search of the last toads on earth; and a real estate wonder boy on a dude safari near convenient Bakerfield, California. Sharp, guileful, and malevolently funny, Boyle's stories are "more than funny, better than wicked," says The Philadelphia Inquirer. "They make you cringe with their clarity."

T.C. Boyle (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made Part

Six close friends shaped the role their country would play in the dangerous years following World War II. They were the original best and brightest, whose towering intellects, outsize personalities, and dramatic actions would bring order to the postwar chaos, and whose strong response to Soviet expansionism would leave a legacy that dominates American policy to this day. In April 1945, they converged to advise an untutored new president, Harry Truman. They were Averell Harriman, the freewheeling diplomat and Roosevelt's special envoy to Churchill and Stalin; Dean Acheson, the secretary of state who was more responsible for the Truman Doctrine than Truman and for the Marshall Plan than General Marshall; George Kennan, selfcast outsider and intellectual darling of the Washington elite; Robert Lovett, assistant secretary of war, undersecretary of state, and secretary of defense throughout the formative years of the Cold War; John McCloy, one of the nation's most influential private citizens; and Charles Bohlen, adroit diplomat and ambassador to the Soviet Union. Together they formulated a doctrine of Communist containment that was to be the foundation of American policy, and years later, when much of what they stood for appeared to be sinking in the mire of Vietnam, they were summoned for their steady counsel. It was then that they were dubbed "the Wise Men." Working in an atmosphere of trust that in today's Washington would seem quaint, they shaped a new world order that committed a once-reticent nation to defending freedom wherever it sought to flourish.

E Thomas, E. Thomas, Walter Isaacson (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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Up from Slavery

In this autobiography of the former slave who became a major figure in the struggle for equal rights, Booker T. Washington recounts his triumph over the legacy of slavery, his founding of the Tuskegee Institute, and his emergence as a national spokesperson for his race. For the fifty years that followed its original publication in 1901, Up From Slavery was the most widely known book written by an African American. The life of Booker T. Washington was the embodiment of the American self-made man, and his autobiography gave voice for the first time to a vast group that had to pull itself up from nothing. The well-documented ordeals and observations of this humble and plainspoken schoolmaster reveal traces of Washington's other nature: the ambitious and tough-minded analyst. Here was a man who had to balance the demands of his fellow blacks with the constraints imposed on him by whites. Historically acknowledged as one of America's most powerful and persuasive orators, Booker T. Washington consistently challenged the forces of racial prejudice at a time when such behavior from a black man was unheard of. While he mollified white leaders by publicly agreeing with their racist views of social parity, he also worked tirelessly to convince blacks to work together as one people in order to improve their lives and the future of their race. This story of Booker T. Washington's rise to distinction emphasizes that a strong work ethic and excellence in whatever one is doing will be rewarded no matter what race or what position a person holds in life. As far as Washington was concerned, slavery only made the black person stronger. He also argued that both blacks and whites would benefit more from giving blacks vocational training than from encouraging the "craze for Greek and Latin learning." While this set him at odds with other black leaders of his time, it also set the groundwork for Washington's Tuskegee Institute to be the best-funded black educational institution of its era.

Booker T. Washington (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave [With eBook]

Written more than a century ago by Frederick Douglass, a former slave who went on to become a famous orator, writer, journalist, minister, and a leader of his people, this masterpiece is one of the most eloquent indictments of slavery ever recorded. Born into a life of bondage, Frederick Douglass secretly taught himself to read and write. For a slave, it was a crime punishable by death, but it resulted in one of the most eloquent indictments of slavery ever recorded. Douglass's autobiography traces his birth into slavery, his escape to the North, and the beginnings of the career that was to make him the preeminent spokesman for his people. His gripping narrative takes us into the fields, cabins, and manors of pre–Civil War plantations in the South and reveals the daily terrors he suffered as a slave. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave is one of the most influential autobiographies ever written. This classic text did as much as or more than any other book to motivate the abolitionists to continue to fight for freedom in America. Written more than a century and a half ago, this timeless classic still speaks directly to our age. It is a record of savagery and inhumanity that goes far to explain why America still suffers from the great injustices of the past. ** Please contact member services for additional documents.

Frederick Douglass (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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Dreams [With eBook]

Sigmund Freud (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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The Mutiny on Board H.M.S. Bounty [With eBook]

In a personal but objective narrative based on the H.M.S. Bounty's log, Commander William Bligh himself tells of the stormy voyage to Tahiti, his crew's insatiable attachment to the island paradise, and the incredible 3,600-mile journey to safety after the mutineers cast him---and eighteen loyal crew members---adrift in a small, open boat with few supplies. ** Please contact member services for additional documents.

William Bligh (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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Pocahontas: My Own Story [With eBook]

Capt. John Smith, Captain John Smith, John Smith (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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Annie Oakley: Woman at Arms

Courtney Ryley Cooper (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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Davy Crockett: My Own Story [With eBook]

David Crockett (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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Tales of the Fish Patrol

In this classic collection of stories drawn from his own experiences, author Jack London looks back on his days as a teenager aboard the fishing boats of San Francisco Bay. In the early 1900s, men of all stripes descended on these waters to plunder its rich oyster beds. To stop the run on the waters, a patrol was established. London began his youthful adventures on the wrong side of the law, as an oyster pirate. But conscience and common sense got the better of him, and he became a member of the Fish Patrol. The decision satisfied even his legendary appetite for excitement. Placing us smack in the middle of San Francisco at the height of its most reckless days, Tales of the Fish Patrol is vintage Jack London, tales of adventure from a world-class raconteur.

Jack London (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories

Ambrose Bierce (Author), Jonathan Reese (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Jonathan Reese