Audiobooks narrated by Suzie Althens

The Origins of Elected Strongmen: How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within

Since the end of World War II, democracies typically fell apart by coup d'état or through force. Today, however, they are increasingly eroding at the hands of democratically elected incumbents, who seize control by slowly chipping away at democratic institutions. To better understand these developments, this book examines the role of personalist political parties, or parties that exist primarily to further their leader's career as opposed to promote a specific policy platform. Using original data capturing levels of personalism in the parties of democratically elected leaders from 1991 to 2020, The Origins of Elected Strongmen shows that the rise of personalist parties around the globe is facilitating the decline of democracy. Personalist parties lack both the incentive and capacity to push back against a leader's efforts to expand executive power. As such, leaders backed by personalist parties are more likely to succeed in their efforts to dismantle institutional constraints on their rule. Such attacks on state institutions, in turn, reverberate throughout society, deepening political polarization and weakening supporters' commitment to democratic norms of behavior. In these ways, ruling party personalism erodes horizontal and vertical constraints on a leader, ultimately degrading democracy and raising the risk of democratic failure.

Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Erica Frantz, Joseph Wright (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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The Extinction of Experience: Reclaiming Our Humanity in a Digital World

Brought to you by Penguin. Drawing on decades of research, The Extinction of Experience is a philosophical defence of what makes us human – and a powerful, urgent call to reclaim ourselves in a digital world. Human experiences are disappearing. Social media, gaming and dating apps have usurped in-person interaction; handwriting is no longer prioritised in schools; and emotion is sooner expressed through likes and emojis than face-to-face conversations. With headphones in and eyes trained on our phones, even boredom has been obliterated. But, as Christine Rosen expertly shows, when we embrace this mediated life and conform to the demands of the machine, we risk becoming more disconnected and machine-like ourselves. There is another way. For too long, under the influence of corporate giants and tech enthusiasts, we’ve accepted the idea that change always means better. But rapidly developing technology isn’t neutral – it’s ambivalent, and capable of enormous harm. To improve our well-being, help future generations flourish and recover our shared humanity, we must become more critical, mindful users of technology, and more discerning of how it uses us. From TikTok challenges and algorithms to surveillance devices and conspiracy culture, The Extinction of Experience reveals the human crisis of our digital age – and urges us to return to the real world, while we still can. **A Lit Hub Most Anticipated Book of the Year** 'Essential reading in a dislocated world' KATHERINE MAY, author of Wintering 'A beautifully expressed ode to the vanishing components of life that remain unplanned, unresearched and unrecorded ... Excellent' ADAM ALTER, author of Irresistible © Christine Rosen 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Christine Rosen (Author), Suzie Althens, TBD (Narrator)

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AI + The New Human Frontier: Reimagining the Future of Time, Trust + Truth

AI + The New Human Frontier: Reimagining the Future of Time, Trust + Truth by Erica Orange, a renowned futurist, offers a compelling exploration of generative AI's potential to enhance human creativity rather than replace it. This pivotal book navigates how AI tools will help shape the human experience, and aid in augmenting human ingenuity and imagination. The author eloquently argues that the essence of human intelligence—our curiosity, critical thinking, empathy, and more—is not only irreplaceable but will become increasingly valuable as AI evolves to take on routine tasks. AI + the New Human Frontier is a clarion call for embedding trust, human oversight and judgment into AI development, ensuring that the technology amplifies our most human capabilities. At a time when the lines between what is real, fake, true and false are becoming more blurred, reliance on human-centric solutions, not just technological ones, will become more critical. Perfect for business leaders, managers, executives, and professionals navigating the new landscape of technology, AI + The New Human Frontier provides not only a vision of the future but also practical advice on thriving in an AI-enhanced world. Add this book to your library to ensure you're ready for the transformative changes that lie ahead.

Erica Orange (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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How To End Christian Nationalism

Christian nationalism is a powerful and pervasive ideology, and it is becoming normalized. From Amanda Tyler, lead organizer of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign, comes How to End Christian Nationalism, your vital companion for countering this dangerous ideology. Tyler draws on her experiences, conversations with pastors and laypeople, research, Scripture, her Baptist convictions, and her work as a constitutional law expert to help us confront Christian nationalist fervor. You'll learn how to distinguish Christian nationalism from the teachings of Jesus and to demonstrate how the former perpetuates white supremacy. This book also unpacks key truths we can share with others: Patriotism is not the same as nationalism. Religious freedom means little if it's not for everyone. Christians follow a gospel of love, not the idol of power. Here, you'll find stories of what Christians are doing to resist Christian nationalism in their churches and communities, plus ideas for your own work. From strategies for faith-rooted organizing to guidance for holding hard conversations with loved ones, Tyler offers practical ways to protect faith freedom for all. We've all seen what Christian nationalism can do. Now is the time for Christians to reckon with its harm. Now is the time to end it.

Amanda Tyler (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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At Every Depth: Our Growing Knowledge of the Changing Oceans

The world's oceans are changing at a drastic pace. In response, the people who know the ocean most intimately are taking action for the sake of our shared future. Community scientists track species in California tidepools. Researchers dive into the waters around Sydney to replant kelp forests. Scientists and First Nations communities collaborate to restore clam gardens in the Pacific Northwest. In At Every Depth, the oceanographer Tessa Hill and the science journalist Eric Simons profile these and other efforts to understand and protect marine environments, taking listeners to habitats from shallow tidepools to the deep sea. They delve into the many human connections to the ocean-how people live with and make their living from the waters-journeying to places as far-flung as coral reefs, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and the Arctic and Antarctic poles. At Every Depth shares the stories of people from all walks of life, including scientists, coastal community members, Indigenous people, shellfish farmers, and fisheries workers. It brings together varied viewpoints, showing how scientists' research and local and Indigenous knowledge can complement each other to inform a more sustainable future. This book offers a narrative perspective on the changing oceans, letting us see how our relationships to the oceans are changing too.

Eric Simons, Tessa Hill (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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A Parent’s Guide to Childhood Cancer: Supporting Your Child with Integrative Therapies Based on a Me

"Indispensable . . . Dr. Beine provides a practical primer on integrative cancer therapies for children based on a metabolic framework of understanding the disease. I can't recommend [this book] enough."-Chris Kresser, MS, LAc, founder of Kresser Institute; New York Times bestselling author An invaluable, revolutionary, research-based resource for parents-grounded in nutrition, detoxification, and mental wellbeing, while aiming to reduce suffering and promote long-term recovery. "Your child has cancer." Every day, forty-three American families hear these words, thrusting them headlong into the terrifying and unfamiliar territory of pediatric oncology. In A Parent's Guide to Childhood Cancer, pediatric oncology specialist Dagmara Beine guides readers through the most difficult scenario a parent will ever face-a child's diagnosis of life-threatening disease-and argues that the greatest tragedy of conventional oncology is its failure to incorporate safe, effective, and potentially life-saving integrative therapies. In A Parent's Guide to Childhood Cancer, Beine teaches parents how to effectively incorporate these integrative therapies alongside conventional oncology, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Beine's approach is grounded in the metabolic approach to cancer-pioneered by the work of Dr. Nasha Winters-applied to a wildly underserved cancer patient population: children. Topics include: - Understanding diagnoses and how to go about seeking a second opinion - Assembling a medical team that includes both conventional and integrative oncology experts - Essential tests-both conventional and integrative-and how to interpret them - How to develop a metabolically healthy, anti-cancer nutrition plan - Integrative therapies for specific diagnoses and reducing side effects - How to harness post-treatment detoxification and gut-healing protocols - The critical importance of, sleep, movement, stress reduction, and time outside - Plus much more Therapies covered include: - Mistletoe - N-Acetyl Cysteine - IV Vitamin C - Cannabinoids - Glutamine - Glutathione - Low-Dose Naltrexone - Melatonin - Hyperbaric Oxygen - And more With cancer, Beine says, there is no silver bullet. But with a metabolic approach and the wise integration of simple and effective complementary therapies under the supervision of a metabolic oncology practitioner, there is a path forward to what every parent wants for their sons and daughters: a happy childhood.

Dagmara Beine (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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Testing Education: A Teacher's Memoir

Since the 2002 implementation of No Child Left Behind, the American public education system has been fundamentally changed. Excessive testing, standardized curriculums, destructive demands on children, corporate-style evaluations, and top-down mandates have become the norm. In response, record numbers of demoralized educators have quit, and millions of students have been left educationally impoverished. This troubling transformation has been exhaustively critiqued by scholars and commentators. Yet one crucial voice has been missing. In Testing Education, Kathy Greeley recounts the impact of education reform from a teacher's point of view. Based on a teaching career ranging nearly forty years, Greeley details how schools went from learning communities infused with excitement, intellectual stimulation, and joy to sterile spaces of stress, intimidation, and fear. In this ultimately hopeful memoir, Greeley asks us to learn from the past to reimagine the future of public education.

Kathy Greeley (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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Neighborhood Watch

The neighborhood of Oleander Court is the poster child for suburban bliss. The residents compare lawns beautified by hired help. They monitor home values. They toss perfect furniture because they wanted tapioca, not beige. But when a string of murders rips through the neighborhood, suspicions abound as new secrets come to light. And as more and more bodies are taken away, it becomes clear that the killer is strategically selecting each and every victim, picking off the shallowest, most wasteful of the lot in spectacular fashion and leaving everyone in the neighborhood to wonder Who’s next? While most of their neighbors scatter like well-dressed cockroaches, a small group of the neighborhood ladies team up to solve their local mystery and restore their once-peaceful lives. But is this ragtag collection of amateur sleuths truly a united front? With reputations, freedom, and personal sanity on the line, the ladies must unmask the killer...even if the killer is among them.

Sarah Reida (Author), Bailey Carr, Carlotta Brentan, Carmen Jewel Jones, Dominique Franceschi, Jennifer Sun Bell, Joshua Manning, Kitty Hendrix, Megan Tusing, Romy Nordlinger, Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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Forgiveness after Trauma: A Path to Find Healing and Empowerment

Susannah Griffith wishes she had spent less time thinking about forgiveness. But as a Christian minister, a biblical scholar, and a survivor of abuse, she has learned a lot about it. In Forgiveness after Trauma, Griffith explores what the Bible says-and doesn't say-about the biblical call to forgive. She helps listeners understand this command in ways that are healing and restorative, framing it within broader concerns around lament, anger, accountability, release and rebirth, and reconciliation. The result is what Griffith calls 'trauma-informed forgiveness,' which takes seriously God's forgiveness of sinners while centering survivors of abuse and aiding their healing. This view also empowers those who have been harmed in other ways by abuses of power and justice in religious institutions. Listeners will resonate with Griffith's astute biblical analysis and personal reflection, which point to God's love-a love that never includes abuse and strives for justice for the vulnerable.

Susannah Griffith (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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Wear It Well: Reclaim Your Closet and Rediscover the Joy of Getting Dressed

Personal stylist Allison Bornstein has mastered the art of helping people look good and feel good. In Wear It Well, she shares her philosophy and outlines systems that will bring your style into alignment and create a wardrobe that delights your spirit. Wear It Well will inspire you to identify, articulate, and develop your personal style, and dress with ease. UNIQUE BLEND OF WELLNESS, SELF-CARE, AND FASHION: The only 'Joy of Dressing' book there is: no other book merges fashion, wellness, and self-care. This book will help take away the stress and anxiety around dressing. A PROVEN PROGRAM: The AB Closet Editing System and Three Word Method are simple ways to organize your closet and your mind. A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO BODY POSITIVITY: Wear It Well discusses how to combat and banish the voices of shame that permeate fashion culture and our own heads when we buy clothing. PROMOTES SUSTAINABLE FASHION: Bornstein's program is based on shopping our closets rather than going out to buy an all-new wardrobe. She demonstrates how to choose ten versatile pieces to mix and match within our wardrobe. She also encourages listeners to donate 'never going to wear' clothes and to dress intentionally.

Allison Bornstein (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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Remaking the World: Decolonization and the Cold War

Remaking the World examines the connections between the Cold War and decolonization, which helped define the post-World War II global order. Drawing on new scholarship, this comprehensive study provides a chronological overview from World War I to the Soviet collapse and highlights key developments in the international system as decolonization unfolded in tandem with the Cold War. Through six carefully selected case studies-India, Egypt, the Congo, Vietnam, Angola, and Iran-historian Jessica M. Chapman addresses the shifting of Soviet, American, Chinese, and Cuban policies, the centrality of modernization, the role of the United Nations, the often-outsized influence of regional actors like Israel and South Africa, and seminal post-Vietnam War shifts in the international system. Each of the case studies analyzes at least one geopolitical turning point, demonstrating that the Cold War and decolonization were mutually constitutive processes in which local, national, and regional developments altered the superpower competition. Chapman describes a picture of the complexities of international relations and the ways in which local communist and democratic movements differed from their Soviet and American counterparts, including their visions for independence and success.

Jessica M. Chapman (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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Chasing the Intact Mind: How the Severely Autistic and Intellectually Disabled Were Excluded from th

The concept of the intact mind, first described in a 2006 memoir, refers to the idea that inside every autistic child is an intelligent, typical child waiting to be liberated by the right diet, the right treatment intervention, the right combination of supports and accommodations. The sentiment itself is not new. Though the idea gives hope to parents devastated by a child's diagnosis, Amy Lutz argues that it has also contributed to widespread dismantling of services badly needed by severely disabled children and their families. In Chasing the Intact Mind, Lutz traces the history of the intact mind concept, explaining how it influences current policy and practice affecting those with autism. Lutz provides a historical analysis of the intact mind narrative and describes how the concept-originally unique to autism-has come to inform current debates at the heart of intellectual and developmental disability practice and policy in the United States. Lutz argues that focusing on the intact mind and marginalizing those with severe disability reproduces historic patterns of discrimination that yoked human worth to intelligence, and that it is only by making space for the impaired mind that we will be able to resolve these ongoing clashes-as well as even larger questions of personhood, dependency, and care.

Amy S.F. Lutz (Author), Suzie Althens (Narrator)

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Audiobooks Narrated by Suzie Althens