Audiobooks narrated by Tom Perkins

The Woman Who Couldn't Wake Up: Hypersomnia and the Science of Sleepiness

Sleep was taking over Anna's life. Despite multiple alarm clocks and stimulants, the young lawyer could sleep for thirty or even fifty hours at a stretch. She stopped working and began losing weight because she couldn't stay awake long enough to eat. Anna's doctors didn't know how to help her until they tried an oddball drug, connected with a hunch that something produced by her body was putting her to sleep. The Woman Who Couldn't Wake Up tells Anna's story—and the broader story of her diagnosis, idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), a shadowy sibling of narcolepsy that has emerged as a focus of sleep research and patient advocacy. Quinn Eastman explores the science around sleepiness, recounting how researchers have been searching for more than a century for the substances that tip the brain into slumber. He argues that investigation of IH could unlock new understandings of how sleep is regulated. Eastman foregrounds the experiences of people with IH, relating how publicity around Anna's successful treatment helped others form a community. Sharing emerging science and powerful stories, this book testifies to the significance of underrecognized diseases and sheds new light on how our brains function, day and night. It is a must-listen for anyone interested in sleep and sleep disorders, including those affected by or seeking to treat them.

Quinn Eastman (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

GalaxiesEssential: (The MIT Press Essential Knowledge series)

In Galaxies, Or Graur offers a brief and fascinating overview of the history, physics, and astrophysical uses of galaxies. Starting with the history of the last two thousand years of galaxy studies, Graur discusses the types of galaxies we observe and the physics that drive them; the myths and physical structure of the Milky Way; how galaxies were used to discover and study the mysterious phenomena of dark matter and dark energy; and how scientists think galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang and evolved to their present forms. Tracing galaxy studies back thousands of years ago to their beginnings, Graur describes their origin in Ptolemy's book Almagest, which was written in the first century CE. Almagest catalogued hundreds of stars and a few hazy cloud-like objects, one of which was the Andromeda galaxy. The listener will also encounter in this book well-known figures such as William Herschel, who, along with his sister Caroline, discovered hundreds of galaxies and lay the foundations for modern galaxy studies, as well as lesser-known astronomers, including tenth-century Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi. Galaxies concludes by showing listeners how they can get involved in galaxy studies themselves and do their part to fight the light pollution that today obscures the Milky Way and all but the brightest of stars.

Or Graur (Author), Burl Eaman, Tom Perkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

On a Sea of Glass: The Life and Loss of the RMS Titanic

On the night of 14/15 April 1912, a supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest either drowned or froze to death. How could this 'unsinkable' vessel sink and why did so few of those aboard survive? The authors bring the tragedy to life, telling the story of the ship's design, construction, and maiden voyage. The stories of individuals who sailed on her, many previously known only as names on yellowing passenger and crew lists, are brought to light using rarely seen accounts of the sinking. The stories of passengers of all classes and crewmembers alike, are explored. They tell the dramatic stories of lives lost and people saved, of the rescue ship Carpathia, and of the aftermath of the sinking. Despite the tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic led to untold numbers of lives being saved due to new regulations that came into force after the tragedy. This book is an accurate and engrossing a telling of the life of the White Star Line's Titanic. Made special by the use of so many rare survivor accounts from the eyewitnesses to that night to remember, the narrative places listeners in the middle of the maiden voyage and brings the tragic sinking to life as never before.

Bill Wormstedt, J. Kent Layton, Tad Fitch (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

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Beautiful Writers: A Journey of Big Dreams and Messy Manuscripts–with Tricks of the Trade from Bests

2023 International Book Awards Winner & 2023 Firebird Book Awards 'Speak Up Talk Radio' Winner Imagine you're at a dinner party with some of the most successful authors of our time. 'Book Mama' and Beautiful Writers Podcast cocreator Linda Sivertsen is the host. As she shares her story of the many hilarious, outrageous, and practical things she did to launch her bestselling writing career, your favorite writers chime in with their own anecdotes, leaving you enlightened and newly inspired. The wisdom in this book will nourish anyone who appreciates the art of storytelling and dreams of living a creative life. Beautiful Writers is a love letter to reading, writing, and everyone who reads and writes. It's the book Linda wished she had when she was starting out. In it, she shares-and expands on-the best of advice and storytelling from her podcast and follow-up interviews with literary greats, including Terry McMillan, Cheryl Strayed, Tom Hanks, Van Jones, Jenny Lawson, Steven Pressfield, Elizabeth Gilbert, Anne Lamott, Mary Karr, Seth Godin, Abby Wambach, Martha Beck, Marie Forleo, Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell, Dean Koontz, Maria Shriver, Dr. Jane Goodall, Sabaa Tahir, Tomi Adeyemi, Ann Patchett, Dani Shapiro, Danielle LaPorte, Tosca Lee, Joy Harjo, and Deepak Chopra.

Linda Sivertsen (Author), Leanne Woodward, Linda Sivertsen, Tom Perkins (Narrator)

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You Can't Always Say What You Want: The Paradox of Free Speech

The freedom to think what you want and to say what you think has always generated a pushback of regulation and censorship. This raises the thorny question: to what extent does free speech actually endanger speech protection? This book examines today's calls for speech legislation and places it into historical perspective, using fascinating examples from the past 200 years, to explain the historical context of laws regulating speech. Over time, the freedom to speak has grown, the ways in which we communicate have evolved due to technology, and our ideas about speech protection have been challenged as a result. Now more than ever, we are living in a free speech paradox: powerful speakers weaponize their rights in order to silence those less-powerful speakers who oppose them. By understanding how this situation has developed, we can stand up to these threats to the freedom of speech.

Dennis Baron (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sustaining the Carrier War: The Deployment of U.S. Naval Air Power to the Pacific

The ability of the US Navy to fight and win a protracted war in the Pacific was not solely the result of technology, tactics, or leadership. Naval aviation maintenance played a major role in the US victory over Japan in WWII. The naval war against Japan did not achieve sustained success until enough aircraft technicians were available to support the high tempo of aviation operations that fast carrier task force doctrine demanded. When the US realized war was imminent and ordered a drastic increase in the size of its aviation fleet, the Navy was forced to develop new policies in maintenance, supply, and technical training. Not only did a shortage of technicians plague the Navy, but the scarcity of aviation supply and repair facilities in the Pacific soon caused panic in Washington. While the surface Navy's modernization of at-sea replenishment was beneficial, it didn't solve the problems of sustaining wartime aircraft readiness levels sufficient to winning a naval air war. Fisher outlines the drastic institutional changes that accompanied an increase in aviation maintenance personnel, the complete restructuring of the naval aviation technical educational system, and the development of a highly skilled labor force. This book is the first comprehensive study on the importance of aircraft maintenance and the aircraft technician in the age of the aircraft carrier.

Stan Fisher (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Lies of the Land: Seeing Rural America for What It Is―and Isn’t

A 'piercing, unsentimental' (New Yorker) history that boldly challenges the idea of a rural American crisis. It seems everyone has an opinion about rural America. Is it gripped in a tragic decline? Or is it on the cusp of a glorious revival? Is it the key to understanding America today? Steven Conn argues that we're missing the real question: Is rural America even a thing? No, says Conn, who believes we see only what we want to see in the lands beyond the suburbs-fantasies about moral (or backward) communities, simpler (or repressive) living, and what it means to be authentically (or wrongheadedly) American. If we want to build a better future, Conn argues, we must accept that these visions don't exist and never did. In The Lies of the Land, Conn shows that rural America-so often characterized as in crisis or in danger of being left behind-has actually been at the center of modern American history, shaped by the same forces as everywhere else in the country: militarization, industrialization, corporatization, and suburbanization. Examining each of these forces in turn, Conn invites us to dispense with the lies and half-truths we've believed about rural America and to pursue better solutions to the very real challenges shared all across our nation.

Steven Conn (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

Lincoln and California: The President, the War, and the Golden State

In Lincoln and California Brian McGinty explains the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and the Golden State, describing important events that took place in California and elsewhere during Lincoln's lifetime. He includes the histories of Lincoln's close friends and personal acquaintances who made history as they went to California, lived there, and helped to keep it part of the imperiled Union. McGinty demonstrates that California was in large part responsible for beginning the Civil War, as the principal purpose of its conquest in the Mexican War was to acquire land into which the Southern states could extend their cotton-growing and slaveholding empire. The decision of California's first voters to exclude slavery from the state but to enact virulently racist legislation encouraged Southerners' hope that, if they established a separate republic, it would become an independent slave nation with the power to extend its territory to the Pacific coast of North America and into the Caribbean and Latin America. Lincoln's opposition to their plans unleashed the Civil War. As the struggle played out, the hopes of the proslavery Confederates were ultimately defeated because California played a vital role in helping Lincoln save the Union. Lincoln and California shines new light on an important state, a pivotal president, and a turning point in American history.

Brian Mcginty (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

American Patriots: A Short History of Dissent

The history of America is a history of dissent. Protests against the British Parliament's taxation policies led to the American Revolution and the creation of the United States. In the twenty-first century, hundreds of thousands protested the war in Iraq, joined the 2011 Occupy movement, the 2017 Women's March, and the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprisings. There have been dissenting Americans for as long as there has been an America. In American Patriots, historian Ralph Young chronicles the key role dissent has played in shaping the United States. Some of these protesters are celebrated heroes of American history, while others are ordinary people, frequently overlooked, whose stories show that change is often accomplished through grassroots activism. Yet not all dissent is equal. In 2021, thousands of rioters stormed the US Capitol, and Americans on both sides of the aisle watched the destruction with horror. American Patriots contrasts this attack with the history of American protest, and challenges us to explore our definition of dissent. What are the limits of dissent? American Patriots is a necessary defense of our right to demand better for ourselves, our communities, and our nation.

Ralph Young (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

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Following Caesar: From Rome to Constantinople, the Pathways That Planted the Seeds of Empire

In 66 BC, young, ambitious Julius Caesar, seeking recognition and authority, became the curator of the Via Appia. He borrowed significant sums to restore the ancient highway. It was a way to curry favor from Roman citizens in villages along the route, built from Rome to Brindisi between 312-191 BC. After achieving greatness in Rome and the far reaches of Gaul, he led armies along this road to battle enemies in Roman civil wars. And then, across the Adriatic Sea, he joined Via Appia's sister road, the Via Egnatia that began in today's Albania. Other armies followed these two roads that eventually connected Rome to Byzantium, today's Istanbul. In the early second century AD, the emperor Trajan charted a new coastal route between Benevento and Brindisi, later called the Via Traiana. Today, short stretches of the original three roads can be seen in the ruins of ancient Roman cities, now preserved as archaeological wonders, and through the countryside near, and sometimes under, modern highways. Following those routes is the purpose of treading along the path that Caesar and so many others took over the early centuries. Modern eyes, seeing through the mists of more than two thousand years of history, lead the traveler along these three roads coursing through six countries between Rome and Istanbul.

John Keahey (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

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Investing in Stocks For Dummies

Yes, you can make money in the stock market-this guide shows you how Investing in Stocks For Dummies gives you a straightforward introduction to stock investing. You'll learn the basics of buying and selling stocks, including how to research stocks and the factors that influence their performance. Even in an uncertain and challenging marketplace, you can profit by making smart financial decisions and investing wisely. This book explains how to calculate net worth, deal with tax laws, and do all the things that will make you a successful investor. This Dummies guide is packed with clear instructions and solid advice so you can start investing with confidence. - Learn how to choose the best stocks for your goals and create a diverse portfolio - Understand the risks involved in stock investing and choose a strategy that works - Navigate the market's ups and downs with time-tested techniques - Plan for your financial future and invest according to your timeline The expert info in this book will start you off on the right foot as you begin your journey down Wall Street.

Paul J. Mladjenovic, Paul Mladjenovic (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

Logic Pro For Dummies, 3rd Edition

This one-stop source for Logic Pro insight helps you spend more time creating music Every minute you spend trying to figure out how to set up a new track or build a drum loop is a minute you don't spend creating and recording your music. This guide to the recording software favored by Mac users helps you bypass the time needed to search for tech answers and spend more time capturing sounds. Discover the full recording power of Logic Pro, starting with launching a project and recording your audio. Explore the built-in digital instruments and beat makers, augment your recording power with plug-ins, and finalize your song by editing, adding effects, mixing, mastering, and sharing. The final step is music stardom! - Learn your way around the Logic Pro interface and understand the workflow - Set up your project and add tracks and regions - Record acoustic audio or conduct your orchestra of MIDI instruments - Edit, mix, automate, export, and feel proud of your audio files For beginning music creators and producers, this Dummies guide makes it simple to get started with Logic Pro.

Graham English (Author), Tom Perkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Tom Perkins