Showing results by publisher "InAudio" in Politics & Social Sciences

In 1845, after years of literary and emotional struggle, friend and colleague Ralph Waldo Emerson invited Thoreau to build a cabin on his land near Walden Pond, the location of which became Thoreau's inspiration. Walden records the doctrines of transcendentalism that he lived, supported, and for which he became famous. He focuses on the concept of self-knowledge and encourages all people to find some way to learn more about themselves and the world around them. Thoreau is remembered as a major American essayist, poet, and practical philosopher.

Over the course of 20 months, the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, five Democrats and five Republicans held 12 public hearings and received testimony from 160 witnesses. Dozens of government agencies and other entities provided the Commission with more than 2.5 million pages of documents and other material. The report and its recommendations can save American lives.

Solomon Northup was born in the early 1800s in New York as a free man. He lived as a free man for over 30 years, until he was tricked into moving to Washington, DC, by men offering him a job as a musician. Once he made it to DC, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana, where he was forced to work on a plantation until he could make his escape. 12 Years a Slave was a fast best-seller when it was published just eight years before the Civil War, and is an integral text from the time period.

In the greatest novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald, listeners can be transported back to that world to experience both the highs and lows of the time. These novels incorporated Fitzgerald’s own life experiences to give listeners a firsthand view of what life truly was like for his generation.

In the late 19th century, after Japan was restored to imperial rule, the samurais were no longer the seat of power. The families who were impacted by this shift lost wealth and power. Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto was the daughter of one such samurai, and had begun her life on a track to become a Buddhist priestess. But as the family lost their position in society, her path changed, and she was eventually sent to the United States to be in an arranged marriage to an American man. A Daughter of the Samurai is her personal memoir.

In 1892, investigative journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett published a pamphlet with unflinching and honest descriptions of the cruelties being enacted against Black Americans in the South by their White neighbors. Wells’ poignant and raw reporting of the horrors of lynching scandalized many of her readers outside the South, yet the practice continued unimpeded for more than half a century after. Today, Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases is a sobering reminder that American racism and inequality did not simply end with emancipation.

Set against the backdrop of a world and society in turmoil during the various revolutions across the globe, and written before the term “feminism” had become popularized, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is a treatise that explains the ways in which women were mistreated and marginalized. Specifically, this explication was writing to respond to a particular popular idea of the time: that women were unsuited for getting their own educations and were better off living private, quiet lives in service of husbands.

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations is the philosopher's writing on his personal philosophies and private life. The book is made up of 12 books that Marcus Aurelius used to outline his ideas for self-improvement and guidance.

The Souls of Black Folk was published in 1903 as a collection of essays from W.E.B. Du Bois, an African-American sociologist who wrote frequently about his experiences as a Black man for magazines and other publications. This book is comprised of 14 essays, with Du Bois’s overall message being that Black people were equally worthy of the rights of White people: to vote, to receive a good quality education, and to be treated justly.

All that we achieve and all that we fail to achieve is the direct result of our own thoughts. “Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power.” (James Allen, As a Man Thinketh) As Allen himself describes, “It shows how, in his own thought-world, each man holds the key to every condition, good or bad, that enters into his life, and that, by working patiently and intelligently upon his thoughts, he may remake his life, and transform his circumstances…and it can be carried in the pocket.”

The New Negro Movement of the 1920s marked a shift in the pursuit of African American equality. African American soldiers were returning home from World War I, and after fighting for freedoms abroad, they were inspired to continue that fight on their own soil. The “old” ways had focused on passively accepting social policies, but the “new” ways would harness their collective voices in defining their own identity. The intellectual and artistic movement of the Harlem Renaissance stirred a tremendous wave of social change.

The beloved prophet Almustafa (meaning “The Chosen One”) has lived within the city walls of Orphalese for twelve years. He has walked among the people and formed a deep connection to the place, but he knows this is not where he ultimately belongs. On the seventh day of Ielool (“the month of reaping”), Almustafa climbs a hill beyond the boundaries of the city wall and gazes out across the misty sea. He is filled with joy as he catches sight of the ship that has come to free him from exile. His series of sermons form the 28 prose poems of this book.

In 1776, the United States of America was born from a document that declared all men created equal and free to choose who they serve in this world. What followed was a difficult fight against a monarchy, a fight that ended with the creation of a powerful country built on the tenets of freedom and equality. These documents are some of the foundational writings from the earliest days of the country that have shaped the United States government for centuries.

It is in this environment that The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is written. In this novel, the narrator describes his life as a Black child and young adult, working his way through the various social classes. He becomes a musician and travels the world as a free Black man for much of his life, but eventually makes the decision to live as a White man after witnessing a horrific lynching. The rest of his life is spent keeping a piece of himself hidden from everyone in an attempt at safety.

This audiobook is a reading of a report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense. Officially, the work is entitled: "Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Strategic Communication". Dick Hill, an accomplished reader of audiobooks, does a fine job, reading with clarity and appropriate seriousness. As one would expect from a government report, the prose is not dramatic; nevertheless, Hill's reading is as lively as possible.

Name of the Enemy weaves complex political, sociological, and religious issues together to provide a comprehensive understanding of the forces involved and the possible future of Islamic terrorism. This exceptional production is offered by InAudio as Global Jihad: Understanding September 11, and was awarded Book of the Year by Foreword Magazine.

A Middle East scholar writes in a clear straightforward manner, carefully explaining who the terrorists are, where they come from, how they justify killing civilians in the name of God, and why the United States has become the latest target.

In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, humankind has entered a dark age at some point in the unspecified future. Individuality is no longer permitted, and people are assigned roles to fulfill in their lives. The work's protagonist, Equality 7-2521, is given an undesirable job as a punishment for thinking for himself and desiring to become a scientist instead. The novella outlines his journey as he starts to commit more “crimes” against society, such as desiring a companion of his own choosing, discovering electricity, and ultimately fleeing from his leaders.

In an ancient Indian kingdom, a man named Siddhartha embarks on a journey from his home and family to seek spiritual enlightenment. Siddhartha gives up all belongings and wealth, becomes a homeless beggar, and focuses on meditating on the teachings of Buddha. Siddhartha’s travels take him all around the country, meeting new people and living a life of contemplation, until he meets Kamala, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding is a book by David Hume, a philosopher from the 18th century. Hume is known for being an empiricist philosopher, meaning he believed that sensory experiences and solid evidence are all that matters when it comes to knowledge. Empiricism posits that rationalism and empirical evidence are required to truly be able to “know” anything, that no knowledge is inherent to humans and every person is a blank slate until they gain experiences.