Audiobooks narrated by Roxana Ortega

"What happens when good people make one bad decision? Imagine you are on the way to a remote mountain cabin with your friends. Upon arrival, you discover an abandoned armored van with fifteen million dollars on board. Would you take the money? Nova and her friends answer with a resounding yes. Perhaps their answer would have been different had they known that a professional killer was already tracking down the money. Or that a legendary creature known as the Wraith roams the mountain, ravenous with hunger. Thinking they’re safe and anonymous, Nova and her friends divvy up the stolen cash, unaware who or what is after them, unaware that soon they will be fighting for their lives."

David Oppegaard (Author), Aaron Shedlock, LuLu Lam, Roxana Ortega (Narrator)

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A Light in the Dark: Surviving More than Ted Bundy

"When Kathy Kleiner survived Ted Bundy’s attack to testify against him, the news media swarmed the courthouse. Young women sat in the courtroom and fawned at him from a distance, staring Kathy down. Within a year, one of the serial killer’s friends published a book about him, describing him as intelligent and crafty. She made his victims seem naive and stupid, as if they could have prevented their murders. But, several, like Kathy, were attacked in their beds as they slept soundly. Others were startled or attacked from behind. And many witnesses, particularly those who saw him in the hours before he killed, found him alarming and odd. And yet, the legend of the charming serial killer persisted. The truth is, Ted Bundy wasn’t a charming serial killer. He was a nightmare. The truth is, the victims weren’t seduced to their deaths. We’ve been missing the full story all this time. The book ends with brief biographies of the women and girls murdered by this monster. Their stories have always been reduced to an afterthought that lingers behind the Bundy legend. In telling her story, Kathy Kleiner Rubin hopes to shine a light on their stories too."

Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Kathy Kleiner Rubin (Author), Roxana Ortega (Narrator)

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ER Nurses: True stories from the frontline

"Brought to you by Penguin. In this extraordinary work of non-fiction, we hear the unforgettable stories of everyday heroes who look after our families, our friends and ourselves in the most challenging circumstances imaginable. When we're at our worst, nurses are at their best. Around the clock, highly skilled and compassionate men and women sacrifice and struggle for us and our loved ones. You have never heard their true stories. Not like this. From big-city and small-town hospitals. These are stories told from the heart. This book will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you understand the importance of the work they do. Praise for ER Nurses 'James Patterson's account of the twilight world between life and death that nurses inhabit is one of the most moving things I have ever read.' Sebastian Junger 'The compassion, the work ethic, and the selflessness of nurses . . . are given the respect they deserve and captured beautifully.' Sanjay Gupta, MD © James Patterson 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021"

James Patterson (Author), Betsy Foldes Meiman, Christine Lakin, Erin Bennett, Kiff Vandenheuvel, Mela Lee, Rick Zieff, Roxana Ortega, Sterling Sulieman, Tracey Leigh, Will Collyer (Narrator)

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Illegal: A Disappeared Novel

"What does it mean to be illegal in the United States? Life in Mexico is a death sentence for Emiliano and his sister Sara.To escape the violent cartel that is after them, they flee across the border, seeking a better life in the United States and hoping that they can find a way to bring their pursuers to justice.Sara turns herself over to the authorities to apply for asylum.Emiliano enters the country illegally, planning to live with their father.But now Sara is being held indefinitely in a detention facility, awaiting an asylum hearing that may never come, finding it harder every day to hold on to her faith and hope. Life for Emiliano is not easy either. Everywhere he goes, it's clear that he doesn't belong. And all the while, the cartel is closing in on them...Emiliano sets off on a tense and dangerous race to find justice, but can he expose the web of crimes from his place in the shadows?Award-winning author Francisco X. Stork's powerful follow-up to Disappeared delves with his usual sensitivity into the injustice that hides under the guise of the law in the United States. This is a timely and moving story that takes an unsparing look at the asylum process and the journey to find a new life in the US."

Francisco X. Stork (Author), Christian Barillas, Roxana Ortega (Narrator)

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No Justice in the Shadows: How America Criminalizes Immigrants

"This provocative account of our immigration system's long, racist history reveals how it has become the brutal machine that upends the lives of millions of immigrants today. Each year in the United States, hundreds of thousands of people are arrested, imprisoned, and deported, trapped in what leading immigrant rights activist and lawyer Alina Das calls the 'deportation machine.' The bulk of the arrests target people who have a criminal record -- so-called 'criminal aliens' -- the majority of whose offenses are immigration-, drug-, or traffic-related. These individuals are uprooted and banished from their homes, their families, and their communities. Through the stories of those caught in the system, Das traces the ugly history of immigration policy to explain how the U.S. constructed the idea of the 'criminal alien,' effectively dividing immigrants into the categories 'good' and 'bad,' 'deserving' and 'undeserving.' As Das argues, we need to confront the cruelty of the machine so that we can build an inclusive immigration policy premised on human dignity and break the cycle once and for all."

Alina Das (Author), Alina Das, Roxana Ortega (Narrator)

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Mañanaland

"Newbery Honoree Pam Munoz Ryan weaves an entrancing tale of courage and self-discovery. 'Uniquely magical...Timely and timeless.' -- New York Times* 'This tightly packed, powerful fantasy contains resonant truths.' -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review* 'Another unforgettable work from a master storyteller.' -- Booklist, starred review* 'Richly tiered... wrenchingly real...compelling.' -- Publishers Weekly, starred review'A gem of a story with timely messages.' -- School Library Journal'Rich and relevant.' -- The Horn Book'A luminous embodiment of hope.' -- Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor-winning author of One Crazy Summer and Clayton Byrd Goes Underground'Mananaland is that rare gift of a book.' -- Francisco X. Stork, award-winning author of DisappearedMaximiliano Cordoba loves stories, especially the legend Buelo tells him about a mythical gatekeeper who can guide brave travelers on a journey into tomorrow.If Max could see tomorrow, he would know if he'd make Santa Maria's celebrated futbol team and whether he'd ever meet his mother, who disappeared when he was a baby. He longs to know more about her, but Papa won't talk. So when Max uncovers a buried family secret--involving an underground network of guardians who lead people fleeing a neighboring country to safety--he decides to seek answers on his own.With a treasured compass, a mysterious stone rubbing, and Buelo's legend as his only guides, he sets out on a perilous quest to discover if he is true of heart and what the future holds.This timeless tale of struggle, hope, and the search for tomorrow has much to offer today about compassion and our shared humanity."

Pam Muñoz Ryan (Author), Roxana Ortega (Narrator)

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Noncompliant: A Lone Whistleblower Exposes the Giants of Wall Street

"A first-hand account of the oversight of the big banks in the wake of the financial crisis, from the Federal Reserve examiner who refused to be silenced In 2011, Carmen Segarra took a job as at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York supervising for Goldman Sachs. It was an opportunity, she believed, to monitor the big bank's behavior in order to avoid another financial crisis. Segarra was shocked to discover, however, the full extent of the relationship between Goldman and the Fed. She began making secret recordings that later became the basis of a This American Life episode that exposed the Fed's ineffectiveness in holding banks accountable. In Noncompliant, Segarra chronicles her experience blowing open the doors on the relationship between the big banks and the government bodies set up to regulate them. As we mark the tenth anniversary of the 2008 financial crisis, Noncompliant shows us how little has changed, and offers an urgent call for real reforms."

Carmen Segarra (Author), Roxana Ortega (Narrator)

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Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy

"What to read after What to Expect . . . . A badass, feminist, and personal deep-dive into the science and culture of pregnancy and early motherhood that debunks myths and dated assumptions, offering guidance and camaraderie to women navigating one of the biggest and most profound changes in their lives. Like most first-time mothers, Angela Garbes was filled with questions when she became pregnant. What exactly is a placenta? How does a body go into labor? Why is breast best? What are the signs and effects of post-partum depression? But as she discovered, it’s not easy to find satisfying answers. Your OB will cautiously quote statistics; online sources will scare you with conflicting and often inaccurate information; and even the most trusted books will offer information with a heavy dose of judgment. To educate herself, the food and culture writer embarked on an intensive journey of exploration, diving into the scientific mysteries and cultural myths that surround motherhood to find answers to her questions that had only previously been given through a lens of what women ought to do—instead of allowing them the freedom to choose the right path themselves. In Like a Mother, Angela offers a rigorously researched and compelling look at the physiology, biology, chemistry, and psychology of pregnancy and motherhood, informed by research, reportage, and her own experience. With a journalist’s curiosity and discipline, a mother’s urgency, and a food writer’s insatiability, she explores the science behind the pressing questions women have about a number of subjects, including postpartum hormones, breast milk, and miscarriage. Infused with candor and humor, born out of awe, appreciation, and understanding of the human body and its workings, Like a Mother is a full-frontal look at what’s really happening underneath your skin (and to it), and why women need to know."

Angela Garbes (Author), Angela Garbes, Roxana Ortega (Narrator)

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Disappeared

"* 'A tense thriller elevated by Stork's nuanced writing and empathy for every character, including the villains -- superb.' -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review Four Months AgoSara Zapata's best friend disappeared, kidnapped by the web of criminals who terrorize Juarez.Four Hours AgoSara received a death threat -- and with it, a clue to the place where her friend is locked away.Four Weeks AgoEmiliano Zapata fell in love with Perla Rubi, who will never be his so long as he's poor.Four Minutes AgoEmiliano got the chance to make more money than he ever dreamed -- just by joining the web.In the next four days, Sara and Emiliano will each face impossible choices, between life and justice, friends and family, truth and love. But when the criminals come after Sara, only one path remains for both siblings: the way across the desert to the United States.Award-winning author Francisco X. Stork delivers his most gripping novel yet in this tense and timely international thriller."

Francisco X. Stork (Author), Christian Barillas, Roxana Ortega (Narrator)

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Lucky Boy

"A gripping tale of adventure and searing reality, Lucky Boy gives voice to two mothers bound together by their love for one lucky boy. "Sekaran has written a page-turner that's touching and all too real."-People "A fiercely compassionate story about the bonds and the bounds of motherhood and, ultimately, of love."-Cristina Henríquez, author of The Book of Unknown Americans Eighteen years old and fizzing with optimism, Solimar Castro-Valdez embarks on a perilous journey across the Mexican border. Weeks later, she arrives in Berkeley, California, dazed by first love found then lost, and pregnant. This was not the plan. Undocumented and unmoored, Soli discovers that her son, Ignacio, can become her touchstone, and motherhood her identity in a world where she's otherwise invisible. Kavya Reddy has created a beautiful life in Berkeley, but then she can't get pregnant and that beautiful life seems suddenly empty. When Soli is placed in immigrant detention and Ignacio comes under Kavya's care, Kavya finally gets to be the singing, story-telling kind of mother she dreamed of being. But she builds her love on a fault line, her heart wrapped around someone else's child. "Nacho" to Soli, and "Iggy" to Kavya, the boy is steeped in love, but his destiny and that of his two mothers teeters between two worlds as Soli fights to get back to him. Lucky Boy is a moving and revelatory ode to the ever-changing borders of love."

Shanthi Sekaran (Author), Roxana Ortega, Soneela Nankani (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Roxana Ortega