Audiobooks narrated by Peter Lerman

The Open Conspiracy: Blue Prints for a World Revolution

H. G. Wells, one of the 20th Century’s greatest writers—author of The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man—wrote The Open Conspiracy to express his ideas about how a peaceful and cooperative world community could bring happiness and prosperity to all the inhabitants of the earth. Wars would no longer be fought and hunger would not rear its ugly head. Writing shortly after World War One, he writes of the horrible waste of life and immense suffering that extreme nationalism brought to Europe. He is no fan of Socialism or Communism but neither is he a supporter of unbridled Capitalism. It is an engrossing and compelling argument for peace and prosperity through nations laying down arms and joining forces to move civilization forward. Although The Open Conspiracy did not result in the global movement Wells envisioned, it was part of his broader effort to promote progressive social and political ideas. The book has been interpreted as a precursor to discussions about globalism, world governance, and international cooperation, themes that have become even more relevant in the 20th and 21st centuries.

H.G. Wells (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Russian Revolution: The Catastrophe!: An Insider's Account

In 1914, the Great War was raging all around the globe. It was by far the largest and bloodiest conflagration the world had ever seen. The balance of vast imperial powers the world over was shifting in tectonic, unpredictable ways. During this maelstrom, in 1917, Russia underwent a revolution. Or rather, two. The abdication of Czar Nicholas II of The Russian Empire, in March of 1917, brought to an abrupt and brutal end the 300-year rule of the Romanoff Dynasty. The seat of power became immediately occupied by the fragmented and weak Duma (parliament) and the hastily assembled Provisional Government. It was a moderate, temporary governing coalition. Between that world altering day in March and the establishment of Lenin’s Bolshevik government in November did the story of the transition from Monarchy to Communism take place. One Revolution in March and another in October. The Premier of the new nation from July until October of 1917 was Alexander Kenresky. He had first been Minister of Justice and then Minister of War; ultimately becoming Premier. He knew well all the principals of the Monarchy, the Duma, the Provisional Government, and those who ultimately established the Bolshevik/Communist regime. This is his detailed eyewitness account of the world changing upheaval of the political, military and economic structure of Europe and the world during those six months.

Alexander Kerensky (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Other People's Money and How the Bankers Use It

America’s biggest financial institutions controlled vast sums of money used for the domination and manipulation of American financial markets, business and industry. The money was - by and large - the funds of depositors. It was Other People’s Money. ‘Other People’s Money and How Bankers Used It’ was a seminal text in the Progressive Era, aligning with broader calls for reform in American society. The book contributed to the growing push for financial regulation, and its ideas influenced the creation of laws such as the Federal Reserve Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act, which were intended to curb the power of monopolies and promote fair competition. The great disparity between the extremely wealthy class and the millions of the working people of America led to widespread discontent and suffering. Some say these very same oppressive conditions are upon us again, today.

Louis Brandeis (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Space Age Generation: Lives and Lessons from the Golden Age of Solar System Exploration

Klaus R. Brasch, William Sheehan (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

High, Wide and Lonesome: Growing Up On The Colorado Frontier

A memoir of a childhood homesteading in frontier Colorado: 'A book from the heart . . . the stuff of the American dream' (The New York Times). In this memoir of a lost America, Hal Borland tells the story of his family's migration to eastern Colorado as homesteaders at the turn of the twentieth century. On an unsettled and unwelcoming prairie landscape, the Borlands build a house, plant crops, and eke out a meager existence. While life is difficult—and self-reliance is necessary with no neighbors for miles—the experience brings the family close and binds them closer to the terrible and beautiful natural patterns that govern their lives. Borland would grow up to study journalism and become an acclaimed nature writer, and it was these childhood years on the prairie that shaped the author's heart and mind.

Hal Borland (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

How to Create Innovation: The Ultimate Guide to Proven Strategies and Business Models to Drive Innov

Bringing together a wealth of experience from sixty-plus distinguished global thought leaders, How to Create Innovation is a comprehensive guide to becoming a leader in innovation and an organization that plays to win, containing all of the working methods, separate business innovation models, and processes you need to transform your organization digitally. Written by Stefan F. Dieffenbacher, founder of an international award-winning consulting agency, the book draws upon Dieffenbacher's experiences working with clients like Amazon, BMW, Google, and Pfizer to deliver a one-stop, end-to-end solution to innovative transformation. In this book, listeners will learn how to uncover opportunities by finding your niche and devising a more nuanced business strategy; lead culture change by recognizing and avoiding common reasons for failure; and harness proven strategies developed under the Understanding and Navigating Innovation and Transformation in Enterprises (UNITE) model. With ready-to-use assets included to help you start taking action immediately, How to Create Innovation earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of business leaders, entrepreneurs, and managers who want to take their organizations to the next level and overcome the competition through tried and tested strategies for innovation.

Andreas Rein, Caroline Hüttinger, Douglas Lines, Stefan F. Dieffenbacher, Susanne M. Zaninelli, Suzanne M. Zaninelli (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Under the Dome: Politics, Crisis, and Architecture at the United States Capitol

The domed US Capitol Building is recognized around the world as America's most iconic symbol, the forum for representative democracy, and the physical stage for the transfer of executive power. As the United States grew in size and complexity, the Capitol was built, rebuilt, enlarged, and extended many times under the direction of the few who have served as Architect of the Capitol. This official heads the agency dedicated to preserving and upgrading this magnificent structure, and all the buildings and grounds of Capitol Hill. In Under the Dome, Alan Hantman, the Architect of the Capitol from 1997 to 2007, provides a personal account of how the Capitol works as a physical space; who runs it, how and why decisions are made about the security of the Capitol and the people who work there, and how politicians think about the Capitol Building. He also recounts security threats to the Capitol during his tenure-including the 1998 shooting murder of two police officers and the Capitol evacuation on 9/11 as a hijacked airplane approached-that underscore one of his greatest challenges as Architect. The tension between securing the Capitol and opening it to the public drove the design and construction under his direction of the Capitol Visitor Center, the largest expansion of the Capitol in its history, increasing its size by seventy percent.

Alan M. Hantman (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Brief Global History of the Left

The Left seems to be dying a slow death. While many commenters have predicted its demise, the Left has always defied these bleak prognoses and risen from the ashes in the most unexpected ways. Nevertheless, we are witnessing today a global decline in organized movements on the Left, and while social struggles and rebellious citizens continue to challenge dominant political regimes, these efforts do not translate into support for traditional left parties or into the creation of dynamic movements on the left. Bestselling historian Shlomo Sand argues that the global decline of the Left is linked to the waning of the idea of equality that has united citizens in the past and inspired them to engage in collective action. Sand retraces the evolution of this idea in a wide-ranging account that includes seventeenth-century England, the French Revolution, the birth of anarchism and Marxism, the decolonial, feminist, and civil rights revolts, and the left populism of our time. In piecing together the thinkers and movements that built the Left, Sand illuminates the global and transnational dynamics which pushed them forward, often picking up the gauntlets their predecessors had laid down. He outlines how they shaped the notion of equality, while also analyzing how they were confronted by its material reality, and the lessons that they did-or did not-draw from this.

Shlomo Sand (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld

This is the 1927 book that years later inspired the movie of the same name. It is a book about criminal violence, corrupt politics and police, and illicit sex. The City of New York, from the late colonial period up to the early twentieth century, was a bustling hub of commerce, industry, and immigration. For many the city was the gateway to a new life in America, and for many others it was a place to steal a buck from their fellow New Yorkers and visitors to the city with thievery, fraud, and vice—in neighborhoods such as the Five Points, the Bowery, Hells Kitchen, and the Water Front. These are the stories of the infamous criminals of the era—the many vicious gangs and their “specialties.” At many times in the city’s history the notoriously corrupt police force was just another gang. The crooked political machines, including the infamous Tammany Hall, cast a blind eye towards all sorts of gambling dens, dance halls, houses of ill repute, sellers of illegal liquor and drugs, pickpockets, brawlers, murderers, lewd performances, and more. No one was safe, and it took until the twentieth century for the City of New York to become a place where rampant criminality was (somewhat) under control.

Herbert Asbury (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Art of the Strategist: 10 Essential Principles for Leading Your Company to Victory

From ancient battlefields to the modern business landscape, competitors have tried innumerable approaches to conquering adversaries. Success for the victors has taken many forms and traveled many paths, but at its heart, winning strategy can be boiled down to ten universal principles. When learned and implemented, these principals become powerful drivers of business excellence. Renowned strategy expert William A. Cohen, whose considerable experience in the military, corporate, and academic sectors forms the basis for The Art of the Strategist, presents the timeless lessons of: - commitment to a definite objective - seizing and maintaining the initiative - economization to mass (concentration of resources) - positioning - surprise - multiple simultaneous alternatives - the indirect approach - simplicity - timing - exploiting success With examples including the conquests of Hannibal and Alexander the Great, the political triumphs of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the business successes of internet giant VeriSign and other high-profile companies, The Art of the Strategist proves how superior strategy trumps other factors in almost every competitive arena. The ten lessons in turn form a roadmap to decisive victory in business. Accompanying figures are included in the audiobook companion PDF download.

William Cohen (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Curse of Demagogues: Lessons Learned from the Presidency of Donald J. Trump

The Curse of Demagogues: Lessons Learned from the Presidency of Donald J. Trump is a collection of 32 essays by 22 writers that make the case that the pathway back to a healthy American democracy is for citizens to understand demagogues and defend against them. More than any other book in print, The Curse of Demagogues makes the story of Donald Trump's rise to the White House coherent and understandable. Trump, a demagogue, gained ascendancy in a laissez-faire political culture wherein neither the Republican Party nor the other gatekeepers of democracy, including the news media, effectively counteracted him. Once in the highest office in the land, Trump devolved into authoritarianism in order to retain power, as demagogues are well-known to do. The book has three overarching aims. First, it constitutes a short history of Trump's years in the White House (and his first two campaigns for president) as told from the perspective of scholars, journalists, and legal experts who specifically warned the public about his dangers as a demagogue in real time. Second, the collection is a detailed primer on demagogues and the multifarious ways they poison the vital organs of constitutional democracy. Third, the book is an urgent call to restore gatekeepers to their essential role as defenders of democracy against demagogues. To revivify our once great democracy, we must defend it against demagogues by strengthening gatekeeping systems within political parties, the media, and the US Congress (powers of impeachment, conviction, and disqualification from future office), and through vigorous civics, ethics, and media literacy education for grades K-12. As Eli Merritt, editor and contributor, writes in the book's introduction: 'The enemy of democracy is not a Democrat or Republican. It is a demagogue.' ©2022 Eli Merritt (P)2023 Peter Lerman

Eli Merritt (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Comet Madness: How the 1910 Return of Halley's Comet (Almost) Destroyed Civilization

Since the dawn of civilization, humans had believed comets were evil portents. In 1705, Edmond Halley liberated humanity from these primordial superstitions, proving that Newtonian mechanics rather than the will of the gods brought comets into our celestial neighborhood. Despite this scientific advance, when Halley's Comet returned in 1910, newspapers gleefully provoked a global hysteria that unfolded with tragic consequences. In Comet Madness, author and historian Richard J. Goodrich examines the 1910 appearance of Halley's Comet and the ensuing frenzy sparked by media manipulation, bogus science, and outright deception. As the comet neared Earth, scientists and journalists alike scrambled to get the story straight as citizens the world over panicked. As a result, workmen shelved their tools, farmers refused to plant crops they would never harvest, and formerly reliable people stopped paying their creditors. Others suffered mental breakdowns, and some took their own lives. Comet Madness reveals how humans confront the unknown, how scientists learn about the world we inhabit, and how certain people-from outright hucksters to opportunistic journalists-harness fear to produce a profit.

Richard J. Goodrich (Author), Peter Lerman (Narrator)

Audiobook

-1
0
1
2
3
4
5

Audiobooks Narrated by Peter Lerman