Politics & Economy bestsellers

The Message

By: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Length: 5 hours 20 minutes

“Ta Nehisi-Coates 1�7 beautiful writing illustrates the politics behind the craft of writing in the most moving, deeply profound way. He points to ways in which reading and writing are tools of both oppression and resistance that I had never even thought of before. You will think about this book for the rest of your life. Read more

The Small and the Mighty

Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement

By: Sharon McMahon
Narrated by: Sharon McMahon
Length: 10 hours 13 minutes

“A thoroughly informative and enjoyable look at 12 Americans who made a difference. Sharon McMahon narrates the book herself, and it’s all the better for her own inflections and emotions. Cannot recommend enough! Read more

A Promised Land

By: Barack Obama
Narrated by: Barack Obama
Length: 29 hours 9 minutes

“No one really needs my blurb to help sell this book, but I wanted to give it anyway, especially for the audiobook, narrated by Barack Obama himself. If you want to know his incredible knowledge and wisdom that guided him through major decisions, and also hear him drop a few F-bombs, you need to listen to this fantastically written book. Read more

How to Be an Antiracist

By: Ibram X. Kendi
Narrated by: Ibram X. Kendi
Length: 10 hours 29 minutes

“Among the multi-faceted array of antiracist literature newly published in the last two years, Ibram X. Kendi’s How To Be an Antiracist stands alone as a definitive source of history and socio-political critique, while offering a new paradigm of thought aimed at paving the way for correcting centuries of social injustice. Hearing this visionary... Read more

A People's History of the United States

By: Howard Zinn
Narrated by: Jeff Zinn
Length: 34 hours 9 minutes

“What this classic, alternative, and, yes, overtly leftist history of the United States most impressed upon me is that the history of American protest is just as vital and as old a tradition as the stars and stripes. The American people have always protested, gone on strike, marched - for suffrage, abolition, labor rights, civil rights,... Read more

Patriot

A Memoir

By: Alexei Navalny
Narrated by: Matthew Goode
Length: 16 hours 46 minutes

“A powerhouse of a memoir. Learn about Navalny's metamorphosis from ordinary Soviet citizen to activist who took on the corruption and treachery of Putin's regime, and as a result, was almost fatally poisoned. Navalny's is a tale of caution of what happens to a country when we allow autocrats and oligarchs to have complete rule which ultimately... Read more

Kid Olympians: Summer

True Tales of Childhood from Champions and Game Changers

Kid Legends: Book #9

By: Robin Stevenson
Narrated by: Pete Cross
Length: 3 hours 15 minutes

Athletes throughout history have dreamed of competing in the Olympics—and some were kids themselves when those dreams and plans began! In Kid Olympians: Summer, discover the childhood stories of legends such as -Usain Bolt, who used to skip practices to go to the arcade and play video games. -Serena Williams, who sometimes hit her tennis ball... Read more

Poverty, by America

By: Matthew Desmond
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Length: 5 hours 40 minutes

“Desmond challenges readers to recognize how they benefit from poverty through low cost goods, services, and systemic structures that benefit those who already have resources (no surprise - they also have roots in racism and misogyny!). He reminds us that both the rich and poor benefit from government assistance, but only programs for the poor... Read more

The Demon of Unrest

A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

By: Erik Larson
Narrated by: Will Patton & Erik Larson
Length: 17 hours 17 minutes

“I haven't read non-fiction since Chernow's Hamilton. THIS was the book that has brought me back to it. Thanks to Larson's artful story-telling, I am about to go down a Civil War rabbit hole. Mary Chestnut, James Henry Hammond, Edmund Ruffin...if you don't know these names, you need to. The narration performance by Will Patton is sublime, and... Read more

An Unfinished Love Story

A Personal History of the 1960s

By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Narrated by: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Length: 17 hours 37 minutes

“Great history/biography. The actual speeches are a great addition to a thoroughly enjoyable revisit to the 60’s political scene from insiders. Read more

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine

A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917 1�717

By: Rashid Khalidi
Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi & Rashid Khalidi
Length: 10 hours 30 minutes

This program includes an introduction read by the author.

A landmark history of one hundred years of war waged against the Palestinians from the foremost US historian of the Middle East, told through pivotal events and family history.

In 1899, Yusuf Diya al-Khalidi, mayor of Jerusalem, alarmed by the Zionist call to create a Jewish national home... Read more

Wild Faith

How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America

By: Talia Lavin
Narrated by: Talia Lavin
Length: 9 hours 45 minutes

The acclaimed author of Culture Warlords investigates the rise of the Christian Right over the last half-century that lays out the grim vision evangelicals are enforcing on our democracy.

All across America, a storm is gathering: from book bans in school libraries to anti-trans laws in state legislatures; firebombings of abortion clinics and... Read more

Kid Activists

True Tales of Childhood from Champions of Change

Kid Legends: Book #6

By: Robin Stevenson
Narrated by: Pete Cross
Length: 2 hours 44 minutes

Every activist started out as a kid—and in some cases, they were kids when their activism began! But even the world’s greatest champions of civil liberties had relatable interests and problems—often in the middle of extraordinary circumstances. Martin Luther King, Jr., loved fashion and argued with his dad about whether or not dancing was a sin.... Read more

Hood Feminism

Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot

By: Mikki Kendall
Narrated by: Mikki Kendall
Length: 6 hours 57 minutes

“Hood Feminism touches on many subjects that mainstream feminists may not think of as feminist issues. Issues like food and housing insecurity, parenting, and disability rights, among others. Mikki Kendall calls out mainstream feminism as existing only for the advancement of white women, to the detriment of women of color. Some of my biggest... Read more

That Librarian

The Fight Against Book Banning in America

By: Amanda Jones
Narrated by: Amanda Jones
Length: 9 hours 56 minutes

“This incredible memoir is a raw and honest account of Amanda Jones’s struggle as a librarian standing up for freedom of speech in her community. After voicing her concerns about book censorship at a local public hearing, she is harshly vilified and targeted, which was painful to read at some points but very necessary. I deeply admire Jones for... Read more

The Only Plane in the Sky

An Oral History of September 11, 2001

By: Garrett M. Graff
Narrated by: A Full 45-Person Cast
Length: 15 hours 54 minutes

“I absolutely believe this book should be listened to, instead of read. Each of the interviews and testimonies has a different voice, making this experience extremely intimate. I thought I knew. I had no idea. My memory is made up of all the big moments shared by the news. Planes, towers, explosions, the Pentagon, flight 93. All Images,... Read more

The Splendid and the Vile

A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

By: Erik Larson
Narrated by: John Lee & Erik Larson
Length: 17 hours 48 minutes

“What riveting trip through the war on the capable albeit somewhat eccentric shoulders of Churchill. Not only does Larson provide a top-notch history of World War II, but he also provides an intimate look at the man and the family and associates of that one man, that unlikely hero, who now seems the only one who could have led Britain through the... Read more

The Sum of Us

What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

By: Heather McGhee
Narrated by: Heather McGhee
Length: 11 hours 8 minutes

“I recommend this because it digs deeper into some of the harmful systemic practices that are or were in place for Black people in the US. It shows how not only does it affect Black people and other marginalized communities but those practices affect everyone. I also appreciated the perspective and how these facts and personal stories are told so... Read more

Mutual Aid

Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)

By: Dean Spade
Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
Length: 4 hours 41 minutes

“A great entry point for those looking to get involved in movement work! Read more

Emergent Strategy

Emergent Strategy: Book #0

By: adrienne maree brown
Narrated by: adrienne maree brown
Length: 8 hours 24 minutes

“A new way to move forward in societal and personal transformation, inspired by the science-fiction of Octavia Butler, in Emergent Strategy, adrienne maree brown invites us to shape the future we want to see through accepting and influencing the natural state of flux of the world around us and inside us. This book feels like an ongoing... Read more

Democracy Awakening

Notes on the State of America

By: Heather Cox Richardson
Narrated by: Heather Cox Richardson
Length: 8 hours 51 minutes

A New York Times Bestseller

A vital and urgent call to action about the precarious state of American democracy, charting its historical challenges and current threats, from one of our era’s most important and insightful historians, with a new afterword by the author.

“Magisterial. 1�7 –The Washington Post

“An excellent primer for anyone who needs the... Read more

Prequel

An American Fight Against Fascism

By: Rachel Maddow
Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
Length: 13 hours 9 minutes

“This eye opening true history of the Nazi plot to overthrow American Democracy in the 1930s and 1940s reads like a page-turning spy thriller novel! Tracking the historical strain of American far right politics that longs for an authoritarian ruler, Maddow draws astonishingly relevant parallels to our current political moment in America.... Read more

Blackshirts and Reds

Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism

By: Michael Parenti
Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
Length: 5 hours 29 minutes

A bold and entertaining exploration of the epic struggles of yesterday and today.

Blackshirts & Reds explores some of the big issues of our time: fascism, capitalism, communism, revolution, democracy, and ecology. These terms are often bandied about, but seldom explored in the original and exciting way that has become Michael Parenti's... Read more

On Freedom

By: Timothy Snyder
Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
Length: 10 hours 48 minutes

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  1�7 A brilliant exploration of freedom—what it is, how it’s been misunderstood, and why it’s our only chance for survival—by the acclaimed Yale historian and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller On Tyranny

“A rigorous and visionary argument . . . Buy or borrow this book, read it, take it to heart. 1�7i>—The... Read more

Nuclear War

A Scenario

By: Annie Jacobsen
Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
Length: 11 hours 18 minutes

“Jacobsen extensively researched the military science and our country's preparation plan should a nuclear war occur. The consequences are understandably brutal. The subject of nuclear warfare is described in an assertive style that will leave you thinking about the subject long after the book is finished. Told in a relentless play-by-play... Read more

Consumed

The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism

By: Aja Barber
Narrated by: Aja Barber
Length: 8 hours 17 minutes

“Consumed is an accessible, exceedingly readable introduction to the problem of consumerism and the fashion industry's contribution to the climate crisis, racial injustice, and poverty in the global south. If you have done any reading on intersectional environmentalism, many of the issues discussed here won't be new to you, but we could all stand... Read more

Defectors

The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America

By: Paola Ramos
Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal
Length: 9 hours 12 minutes

AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2024 • An award-winning journalist's exploration of how race, identity and political trauma have influenced the rise in far-right sentiment among Latinos, and how this group can shape American politics

“A deeply reported, surprisingly personal exploration of a phenomenon that is little understood in our politics: the... Read more

On Tyranny

Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

By: Timothy Snyder
Narrated by: Timothy Snyder
Length: 1 hour 47 minutes

“This pocket guide to preserving our freedoms and resisting authoritarianism, penned by Yale historian of fascism Timothy Snyder, takes lessons from the fall of democracies across Europe in the 20th Century, each posing a warning to us now in the 21st Century. A brief but mind blowing, eye-opening read that left me feeling sobered and empowered... Read more

The Shock Doctrine - Abridged

The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

By: Naomi Klein
Narrated by: Jennifer Wiltsie
Length: 9 hours 1 minute

The bestselling author of No Logo shows how the global "free market" has exploited crises and shock for three decades, from Chile to Iraq

In her groundbreaking reporting, Naomi Klein introduced the term "disaster capitalism." Whether covering Baghdad after the U.S. occupation, Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami, or New Orleans post-Katrina, she... Read more

The Sisterhood

The Secret History of Women at the CIA

By: Liza Mundy
Narrated by: Liza Mundy
Length: 17 hours 59 minutes

“Very well researched account of being a woman in the CIA. A microcosm of society at large, it was very interesting to learn about the experiences of women working for our country. Read more

Abraham Lincoln

By: Teri Kanefield
Narrated by: Pete Cross
Length: 4 hours 7 minutes

Born in a cabin deep in the backwoods of Kentucky and growing up in a family considered the poorest of the poor, Abraham Lincoln rose to become the sixteenth president of the United States. As president, he guided the United States through the Civil War, helped end slavery in America, and strengthened the federal government. This third... Read more

Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism

And Other Arguments for Economic Independence

By: Kristen R. Ghodsee
Narrated by: Esther Wane
Length: 5 hours 22 minutes

“In Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism, Ghodsee argues that unregulated capitalism is bad for women, as well as for everyone else. It goes on to argue that by nature capitalism forces a transactional relationship with sex and relationships between men and women. However, if we were to implement some of the gender equalizing policies of... Read more

California Burning

The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power Grid

By: Katherine Blunt
Narrated by: Nan McNamara
Length: 9 hours 41 minutes

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
2022 Winner of the Golden Poppy Award for Nonfiction (California Independent Booksellers Alliance)

A revelatory, urgent narrative with national implications, exploring the decline of California’s largest utility company that led to countless wildfires  1�7 including the one that destroyed the town of Paradise  1�7 and the human cost... Read more

So You Want to Talk about Race

By: Ijeoma Oluo
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 7 hours 41 minutes

In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Ijeoma Oluo offers a revelatory examination of race in AmericaA current, constructive, and actionable exploration of today’s racial landscape, offering straightforward clarity that readers of all races need to contribute to the dismantling of the racial divideIn So You Want to Talk about Race,... Read more

America First

Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War

By: H. W. Brands
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
Length: 14 hours 32 minutes

Bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands narrates the fierce debate over America's role in the world in the runup to World War II through its two most important figures: President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who advocated intervention, and his isolationist nemesis, aviator and popular hero Charles Lindbergh.

Hitler's invasion of... Read more

The JFK Conspiracy

The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy—and Why It Failed

By: Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch
Narrated by: Scott Brick
Length: 7 hours 17 minutes

"Scott Brick, with his rich baritone and impeccable pacing, delivers a commanding performance of a riveting, unconfirmed WWII incident."  1�7i>AudioFile on The Nazi Conspiracy

From the New York Times bestselling authors of The Nazi Conspiracy and The Lincoln Conspiracy comes a true, little-known story about the first assassination attempt on John F.... Read more

The Great Displacement

Climate Change and the Next American Migration

By: Jake Bittle
Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
Length: 10 hours 26 minutes

Shortlisted for the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Excellence

The “closely observed, compassionate, and far-sighted 1�7 (Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Under a White Sky) story of climate migration in the United States—the personal stories of those experiencing displacement, the portraits of communities torn apart by disaster, and the... Read more

When the Clock Broke

Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s

By: John Ganz
Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
Length: 15 hours 17 minutes

"John Ganz is the most important young political writer of his generation—just the one our dark moment needs." —Rick Perlstein

"Lively and kaleidoscopic." —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker

"John Ganz belongs to a species of public intellectual that is almost extinct . . . When the Clock Broke is the first of what I hope will be a shelf of books that... Read more

The Death of Expertise

The Campaign against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters, 2nd Edition

By: Tom Nichols
Narrated by: Tom Nichols
Length: 10 hours 7 minutes

Fully updated chapters continue to address how technology and increasing levels of education have exposed people to more information than ever before. These societal gains, however, have also helped fuel a surge in narcissistic and misguided intellectual egalitarianism that has crippled informed debates on any number of issues. Over the past... Read more

Surrender

40 Songs, One Story

By: Bono
Narrated by: Bono
Length: 20 hours 24 minutes

“In Surrender, Bono gives you personal insight into his life, the creation of U2, and the inspiration for some of U2’s most iconic songs. But even more so, he goes into detail about his advocacy and how they came to be. And he shares some amazing stories about the famous people that he has had the opportunity to meet and work with. With every... Read more

The Outlier

The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter

By: Kai Bird
Narrated by: Arthur Morey
Length: 27 hours 35 minutes

“Important . . . [a] landmark presidential biography . . . Bird is able to build a persuasive case that the Carter presidency deserves this new look.”�1�7�1�7i>The New York Times Book Review

An essential re-evaluation of the complex triumphs and tragedies of Jimmy Carter’s presidential legacy—from the expert biographer and Pulitzer Prize–winning co-author... Read more

Surviving Autocracy

By: Masha Gessen
Narrated by: Masha Gessen
Length: 5 hours 45 minutes

“When Gessen speaks about autocracy, you listen. 1�7/b>  1�7/b>The New York Times

“A reckoning with what has been lost in the past few years and a map forward with our beliefs intact.”„1�7b> 1�7i>Interview

As seen on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and heard on NPR’s All Things Considered: the bestselling, National Book Award 1�7/b>winning journalist offers an essential guide to... Read more