Audiobooks narrated by Landon Woodson

Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War

One historian's journey to find the end of the Civil War-and, along the way, to expand our understanding of the nature of war itself and how societies struggle to draw the line between war and peace We set out on the James River, March 25, 1865, aboard the paddle steamboat River Queen. President Lincoln is on his way to General Grant's headquarters at City Point, Virginia, and he's decided he won't return to Washington until he's witnessed, or perhaps even orchestrated, the end of the Civil War. Now, it turns out, more than a century and a half later, historians are still searching for that end. Was it April 9, at Appomattox, as conventional wisdom holds, where Lee surrendered to Grant in Wilmer McLean's parlor? Or was it ten weeks afterward, in Galveston, where a federal commander proclaimed Juneteenth the end of slavery? Or perhaps in August of 1866, when President Andrew Johnson simply declared "the insurrection is at an end"? That the answer was elusive was baffling even to a historian of the stature of Michael Vorenberg, whose work served as a key source of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Vorenberg was inspired to write this groundbreaking book, finding its title in the peace Lincoln hoped for but could not make before his assassination. A peace that required not one but many endings, as Vorenberg reveals in these pages, the most important of which came well more than a year after Lincoln's untimely death. To say how a war ends is to suggest how it should be remembered, and Vorenberg's search is not just for the Civil War's endpoint but for its true nature and legacy, so essential to the American identity. It's also a quest, in our age of "forever wars," to understand whether the United States's interminable conflicts of the current era have a precedent in the Civil War-and whether, in a sense, wars ever end at all, or merely wax and wane.

Michael Vorenberg (Author), Landon Woodson, TBD (Narrator)

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A Hard Road to Glory, Volume 3 (1946-1992): A History of the African-American Athlete

With a Foreword by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe Available once again for a new generation of readers, the third and final volume in Arthur Ashe’s epic trilogy that chronicles the remarkable legacy of Black athletes in the United States—a major addition to our understanding of American history and the fulfillment of this legendary sports star and global activist’s lifelong dream. “The most comprehensive reference source on African-American athletes yet compiled.”—San Francisco Chronicle Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Arthur Ashe (Author), Landon Woodson (Narrator)

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AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can't, and How to Tell the Difference

This audiobook narrated by Landon Woodson reveals what you need to know about AI—and how to defend yourself against bogus AI claims and products Comes with a bonus track featuring an illuminating discussion by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor Confused about AI and worried about what it means for your future and the future of the world? You're not alone. AI is everywhere—and few things are surrounded by so much hype, misinformation, and misunderstanding. In AI Snake Oil, computer scientists Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor cut through the confusion to give you an essential understanding of how AI works, why it often doesn't, where it might be useful or harmful, and when you should suspect that companies are using AI hype to sell AI snake oil—products that don't work, and probably never will. While acknowledging the potential of some AI, such as ChatGPT, AI Snake Oil uncovers rampant misleading claims about the capabilities of AI and describes the serious harms AI is already causing in how it's being built, marketed, and used in areas such as education, medicine, hiring, banking, insurance, and criminal justice. The book explains the crucial differences between types of AI, why organizations are falling for AI snake oil, why AI can't fix social media, why AI isn't an existential risk, and why we should be far more worried about what people will do with AI than about anything AI will do on its own. The book also warns of the dangers of a world where AI continues to be controlled by largely unaccountable big tech companies. By revealing AI's limits and real risks, AI Snake Oil will help you make better decisions about whether and how to use AI at work and home.

Arvind Narayanan, Sayash Kapoor (Author), Landon Woodson (Narrator)

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Tiger, Tiger

Brought to you by Penguin. How did Tiger Woods become the greatest of all time? And how did he fall so spectacularly? Tiger Woods is unrivalled as an athlete. He made the ultimate commitment to his chosen sport - and transformed it. Before the age of twenty-five, he rose to phenomenon status: twice named 'Sportsman of the Year' by Sports Illustrated, champion of more than thirty professional tournaments and the youngest player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments. Tiger, Tiger taps into the transformative moments of Woods's life, revealing in vivid, dramatic scenes what he saw and felt on the course and in his inner life - from his only 'perfect' shot to his missed first putt at the 1995 Masters through his recent comeback tours. Through a compelling series of original interviews, passionate golfer James Patterson and golf reporter Peter de Jonge get inside the impossible mystery of a global star. PRAISE FOR JAMES PATTERSON 'Patterson knows where our deepest fears are buried... there's no stopping his imagination' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 'A writer with an unusual skill at thriller plotting' GUARDIAN 'The master storyteller of our times' HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON ©2023 James Patterson (P)2023 Penguin Audio

James Patterson (Author), Landon Woodson, TBD (Narrator)

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A Hard Road to Glory, Volume 2 (1919-1945): A History of the African-American Athlete

“The most comprehensive reference source on African-American athletes yet compiled.”—San Francisco Chronicle With a Foreword by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe Available once again for a new generation of readers, the second volume in Arthur Ashe’s epic trilogy that chronicles the remarkable legacy of Black athletes in the United States—a major addition to our understanding of American history and the fulfillment of this legendary sports star and global activist’s lifelong dream. When tennis great Arthur Ashe first published his A Hard Road to Glory trilogy, this ambitious project was the first of its kind, a milestone in the presentation of United States social history. A Hard Road to Glory Volume 2, carries on the little-known full story of Black athletes and their contributions to American sports and culture. Volume 2 covers America’s “Golden Age” of sports from the end of World War One to the end of World War Two, from to 1919–1945. It was a time when the feats of legends such as Babe Ruth, Red Grange, and Jack Dempsey shone brightly—and segregation reigned supreme. Racial restrictions led to the formation of independent Black organizations, which saw its own share of extraordinary stars. Meanwhile, a number of great Black athletes, including Jesse Owens and Joe Louis, became sports heroes admired by millions worldwide. Today, Black athletes and Black women in particular are receiving more visibility than ever for their unparalleled, world record-breaking excellence, their activism, and their leadership and vision. Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Naomi Osaka are consistently elevating athletics and are reshaping the way we think about sports, excellence, society, and history. Arthur Ashe paved the way for them all; A Hard Road to Glory is fundamental to our understanding of Black athletes and our nation’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, this collection is one of this amazing icon’s greatest legacies—a treasure to be celebrated by readers today and those to come.

Arthur Ashe (Author), Landon Woodson (Narrator)

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Rise of a Killah

The story of the celebrated rapper and the iconic Wu-Tang Clan, told by one of its founding members With his fellow New Yorker RZA, Dennis Coles–aka Ghostface Killah–established the Wu-Tang Clan, the legendary hip-hop group whose flexible format (originally seven members, growing to ten, it performs in various combinations and also allows its members solo careers), danceable singles and intimate melodic lyrics have kept it at the pinnacle of rap and hip-hop from its founding in the early 1990s to today. Rise of a Killah, Ghost’s autobiography, is intense rather than comprehensive, looking back at his childhood in Staten Island, his commitment to his family (including a brother with muscular dystrophy) and lifelong sidekicks, how crime and violence have affected his life, his fellow Wu-Tang members, a formative touring trip to Japan in 1997, and his art. Rich with both story and imagery, Rise Of A Killah is both visual record and a real-feel narrative of a performer’s life.

Ghostface Killah (Author), Landon Woodson, TBD (Narrator)

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Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks

From Charlamagne Tha God, multi-hyphenate mogul, host of the morning radio phenomenon The Breakfast Club, and founder and CEO of iHeartRadio's Black Effect Podcast Network, a rundown on how small talk from small minds have taken over our world, and the BIG conversations needed to climb our way back. For fourteen years, Charlamagne Tha God has been cohost of iHeartRadio's nationally syndicated morning radio show The Breakfast Club and has proven his power as a culture mover and thought leader, by being his completely authentic self on-air, from his famous "You ain't black" moment with President Biden, to heartfelt chats with cultural icons like Sean "Jay-Z" Carter and Judy Blume, to viral classics with Kamala Harris and Soulja Boy, his incredible reach and impact on the pulse of America continues to grow. In his new book, Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks, Charlamagne takes full command of his new perch, broadening his scope and embracing his life roles as a cultural curator, social commentator, job-creator, mental health advocate, and Girl Dad in ways we've never seen before. In his signature irreverent style, he looks at the world through his own lens, concluding that our divisions, our unhappiness, and our dissatisfactions stem from our failure to have meaningful conversations with each other. With lessons pulled from his past, and an eye on the future, Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks makes us laugh, cry, and think as Charlamagne's shares his thoughts on growth, empowerment, and evolution in our fast-changing world. In short—it's time to stop lying to each other, and ourselves. Fame, money, social media, politics, hip-hop culture, and fatherhood, he takes it all on here. In the process, Charlamagne reveals more about himself than we've ever seen before. This master of seeing through the BS even calls it on himself, as he delivers his most insightful and heartfelt work yet—his call to stop the insanity while we still can.

Charlamagne Tha God (Author), Charlamagne Tha God, Elliot Connie, Landon Woodson (Narrator)

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The Black Ceiling: How Race Still Matters in the Elite Workplace

A revelatory assessment of workplace inequality in high-status jobs that focuses on a new explanation for a pernicious problem: racial discomfort. America’s elite law firms, investment banks, and management consulting firms are known for grueling hours, low odds of promotion, and personnel practices that push out any employees who don’t advance. While most people who begin their careers in these institutions leave within several years, work there is especially difficult for Black professionals, who exit more quickly and receive far fewer promotions than their White counterparts, hitting a “Black ceiling.” Sociologist and law professor Kevin Woodson examines the experiences of more than one hundred Black professionals at prestigious firms. Woodson discovers that their biggest obstacle in the workplace isn’t explicit bias but racial discomfort, or the unease Black employees feel in workplaces that are steeped in Whiteness. He identifies two types of racial discomfort: social alienation, the isolation stemming from the cultural exclusion Black professionals experience in White spaces, and stigma anxiety, the trepidation they feel over the risk of discriminatory treatment. While racial discomfort is caused by America’s segregated social structures, it can exist even in the absence of racial discrimination, which highlights the inadequacy of the unconscious bias training now prevalent in corporate workplaces. Firms must do more than prevent discrimination, Woodson explains, outlining the steps that firms and Black professionals can take to ease racial discomfort. Offering a new perspective on a pressing social issue, The Black Ceiling is a vital resource for leaders at preeminent firms, Black professionals and students, managers within mostly White organizations, and anyone committed to cultivating diverse workplaces.

Kevin Woodson (Author), Landon Woodson (Narrator)

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To Build a Black Future: The Radical Politics of Joy, Pain, and Care

This audiobook narrated by Landon Woodson shares how the new Black politics can forge a future centered on collective action, community, and care When #BlackLivesMatter emerged in 2013, it animated the most consequential Black-led mobilization since the civil rights and Black power era. Today, the hashtag turned rallying cry is but one expression of a radical reorientation toward Black politics, protest, and political thought. To Build a Black Future examines the spirit and significance of this insurgency, offering a revelatory account of a new political culture-responsive to pain, suffused with joy, and premised on care-emergent from the centuries-long arc of Black rebellion, a tradition that traces back to the Black slave. Drawing on his own experiences as an activist and organizer, Christopher Paul Harris takes readers inside the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) to chart the propulsive trajectory of Black politics and thought from the Middle Passage to the present historical moment. Carefully attending to the social forces that produce Black struggle and the contradictions that arise within it, Harris illustrates how M4BL gives voice to an abolitionist praxis that bridges the past, present, and future, outlining a political project at once directed inward to the Black community while issuing an outward challenge to the world. Essential reading for the age of #BlackLivesMatter, this visionary and provocative book reveals how the radical politics of joy, pain, and care, in sharp contrast to liberal political thought, can build a Black future that transcends ideology and pushes the boundaries of our political imagination.

Christopher Paul Harris (Author), Landon Woodson (Narrator)

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A Hard Road to Glory, Volume 1 (1619-1918): A History of the African-American Athlete

With a Foreword by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe Available once again for a new generation, the first volume in Arthur Ashe’s epic trilogy that chronicles the remarkable legacy of Black athletes in the United States—a major addition to our understanding of American history and the fulfillment of this legendary sports star and global activist’s lifelong dream. When tennis great Arthur Ashe first published his A Hard Road to Glory trilogy, this ambitious project—recognizing the contributions of Black athletes to American sports and culture—was the first of its kind, a milestone in the presentation of United States social history. Ashe had long believed that Black people needed to know their cultural history. But while teaching a seminar on the history of African American athletes at Florida Memorial College in 1981, he realized there was a vast amount of material about Black achievement that had never been collected, analyzed, and interpreted. To help to fill the gap, he began with the subject he knew best: sports. A Hard Road to Glory Volume 1 covers the period from 1619, when enslaved Africans were first brought to American shores, to 1918, the end of the First World War. Ashe reveals that from 1865 through 1896, Black Americans succeeded spectacularly in sports, witnessing accomplishments of athletes like Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight champion; Marshall Taylor, “the world's fastest cyclist;” and Isaac Murphy, a Hall of Fame jockey and the first three-time winner of the Kentucky Derby. In 2021, Black athletes and Black women in particular are receiving more visibility than ever for their unparalleled, world record-breaking excellence, their activism, and their leadership and vision. Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Naomi Osaka are consistently elevating athletics and are reshaping the way we think about sports, excellence, society, and history. Arthur Ashe paved the way for them all; A Hard Road to Glory is fundamental to our understanding of Black athletes and our nation’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, this collection is one of this amazing icon’s greatest legacies—a treasure to be celebrated by listeners today and those to come. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Arthur Ashe (Author), Landon Woodson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Black Earth Wisdom: Soulful Conversations with Black Environmentalists

A soulful collection of illuminating essays and interviews that explore Black people’s spiritual and scientific connection to the land, waters, and climate, curated by the acclaimed author of Farming While Black Author of Farming While Black and co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, Leah Penniman reminds us that ecological humility is an intrinsic part of Black cultural heritage. While racial capitalism has attempted to sever our connection to the sacred earth for 400 years, Black people have long seen the land and water as family and understood the intrinsic value of nature. This thought-provoking anthology brings together today’s most respected and influential Black environmentalist voices —leaders who have cultivated the skill of listening to the Earth —to share the lessons they have learned. These varied and distinguished experts include Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Alice Walker; the first Queen Mother and official spokesperson for the Gullah/Geechee Nation, Queen Quet; marine biologist, policy expert, and founder and president of Ocean Collectiv, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson; and the Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers, Land Loss Prevention Project, Savi Horne. In Black Earth Wisdom, they address the essential connection between nature and our survival and how runaway consumption and corporate insatiability are harming the earth and every facet of American society, engendering racial violence, food apartheid, and climate injustice. Those whose skin is the color of soil are reviving their ancestral and ancient practice of listening to the earth for guidance. Penniman makes clear that the fight for racial and environmental justice demands that people put our planet first and defer to nature as our ultimate teacher. Contributors include: Alice Walker • adrienne maree brown • Dr. Ross Gay • Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson • Rue Mapp • Dr. Carolyn Finney • Audrey Peterman • Awise Agbaye Wande Abimbola • Ibrahim Abdul-Matin • Kendra Pierre-Louis • Latria Graham • Dr. Lauret Savoy •Ira Wallace • Savi Horne • Dr. Claudia Ford • Dr. J. Drew Lanham • Dr. Leni Sorensen • Queen Quet • Toshi Reagon • Yeye Luisah Teish • Yonnette Fleming • Naima Penniman • Angelou Ezeilo • James Edward Mills • Teresa Baker • Pandora Thomas • Toi Scott • Aleya Fraser • Chris Bolden-Newsome • Dr. Joshua Bennett • B. Anderson • Chris Hill • Greg Watson • T. Morgan Dixon • Dr. Dorceta Taylor • Colette Pichon Battle • Dillon Bernard • Sharon Lavigne • Steve Curwood • and Babalawo Enroue Halfkenny Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Leah Penniman (Author), Janina Edwards, Karen Chilton, Landon Woodson, William Andrew Quinn (Narrator)

Audiobook

Black Empire

A pioneering work of Afrofuturism and antiracist fiction by the author of Black No More, about a Black scientist who masterminds a worldwide conspiracy to take back the African continent from imperial powers A Penguin Classic "An amazing serial story of Black genius against the world" is how Black Empire was promoted upon its original publication as a serial in The Pittsburgh Courier from 1936 to 1938. It tells the electrifying tale of Dr. Henry Belsidus, a Black scientific genius desperate to free his people from the crushing tyranny of racism. To do so, he concocts a plot to enlist a crew of Black intellectuals to help him take over the world, cultivating a global network to reclaim Africa from imperial powers and punish Europe and America for white supremacy and their crimes against the planet's Black population. At once a daring, high-stakes science fiction adventure and a strikingly innovative Afrofuturist classic, this controversial and fearlessly political work lays bare the ethical quandaries of exactly how far one should go in the name of justice. * This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF of additional notes and information on the writings of George S. Schuyler.

George S. Schuyler (Author), Landon Woodson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Landon Woodson