Interesting Audio Books Archives

Warm, Wise and Revelatory…”Becoming”, by Michelle Obama

Not many women get the opportunity to be the First Lady of the United States, so in her eight years in that position, Michelle Obama established herself as a powerful force for the issues that were most important to her. Michelle has written a book, Becoming, that gives an overview of her time as the wife of the first black President, Barrack Hussein Obama, expressing her intimate thoughts about the experience. She chose issues that were important to her and ones that would be good examples for her two daughters. She promoted healthier and more active lifestyles, and served as an advocate for women and girls.

She has been given glowing reviews by her fans as presenting a work of deep reflection and descriptive storytelling. She writes a chronological description of her world as she has lived it, beginning with her childhood in the South Side of Chicago, to the years she was an executive, trying to balance work and family, to the eight years she lived in “the people’s house”. One reader described her personal view of the book as warm, wise, and revelatory. The story of a black woman who always exceeded expectations.

In her own words……. “I was humbled and excited to be First Lady, but not for one second did I think I’d be sliding into some glamorous, easy role. Nobody who has the words “first” and “black” attached to them ever would. I stood at the foot of the mountain, knowing I’d need to climb my way into favor.”

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Great Belief in an Open and Honest Mind…”The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors”, by Charles Krauthammer

Before his death, American Columnist and Political Analyst, Charles Krauthammer compiled a collection of his most important works. The book, entitled The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors. Krauthammer was highly regarded for his opinions and analyzes of current issues and their effect on global democracy. He always cut through all the background noise of politics to get to the important issues with clarity and integrity. The book is edited and introduction written by his son, Daniel Krauthammer.

The book will fill the void left for thousands of fans who had great respect for Charles, and who tuned in with great anticipation to hear what he would have to comment on the issues of the day. He never disappointed in his clear, concise views. Even the most uninterested could have their interest peaked by his observations. But the book does more…… it shows his personal side, that of a husband, a dad and just a human being, who enjoyed chess, baseball, ideas, and competition.

The best description of Krauthammer’s book is the following…… it’s brimmed with a cup overflowing toward emotion paired with precise logic, and yet succinct in word craft nailing to the logical analysis…….a look at the man behind the words……one who had a great belief in an open and honest mind. R.I.P. Charles Krauthammer.

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Great President, Even Better Father…”41: A Portrait of My Father” by George W. Bush

Only twice in history have a father and a son both served as President of the United States. As an admirer suggested to “W”…….. You and John Quincy are the only sons of former Presidents to become President…..I think you should write a book about your father.

It is in this vein that the 43rd President wrote a very personal biography of his father, the 41st President in his book, 41: A Portrait of My Father. It should be stressed that it is a personal account of family stories and experiences, not any type of foot noted biography. “W” had one purpose in writing, and that was to show the love, respect, and admiration that he had for his father.

There will be many books analyzing the professional aspect of President George H. W. Bush, from his life events to his political policies. But, it is very special to have a book written by your son, who walked in your same shoes in the most powerful job in the world. According to “W”, “this book is a personal portrait of the extraordinary man who I am blessed to call my dad”. His purpose was to show why George H. W. was a great President, and an even better father.

There were several rare circumstances where this father/son were connected. One being that the father and mother were present when their son was sworn into office as President. The only other instance of that occurring was when Joseph and Rose Kennedy were present at the oath ceremony of President John F. Kennedy. A truly special occasion for both the Kennedy’s and Bush’s. And then there was the record set by the elder Bush’s of surpassing John and Abigail Adams once they passed their 54th anniversary. Another milestone in Presidential history came when the elder Bush’s were still living as Bush ’43 left office. The only time that has happened in history.

As George W. would explain, this book by a prominent political figure is in no way political. He also adds some humble self- deprecation, and tells some hilarious stories about his first visit to the White House and other anecdotes. He relates how his father influenced his life from childhood, to campaign trips, to his decision to go into politics resulting in a two-term Presidency. John Quincy quote might have influenced the writing of this book…….

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The Worst of Humanity…”Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History” , by Bill O’Reilly

In all of human history, people have never had such torment and torture as those who were led to the death camps in Germany during the Holocaust. It is almost unimaginable how those Jewish ancestry people were herded like animals on trains to the death camps. How did the Nazis convince so many to first participate? The new offering by Bill O’Reilly delves into a lesser known subject……that of four of the SS Agents, the worst of the worst, who managed to escape to another country, primarily Argentina and Brazil. The four that O’Reilly tracks are Josef Mengele, the “angel of death”, who performed hideous medical experiments at Auschwitz; Martin Bormann, Hitler’s brutal personal aid; Klaus Barbie, “Butcher of Lyons”, and possibly the most evil of all, Adolf Eichmann, who coordinated and organized every aspect of the “final solution”, which ended up torturing and killing millions of Jews.

A group called the Nazis Hunters, consisting of Israeli Mossad, a French husband and wife team, an American lawyer who served during D-day, a German prosecutor who had signed a Nazis Party note, and a death camp survivor. Over decades, this group tracked down not only the four worst, but the many, many others who were monsters involved in the satanic plan.

The book is told by O’Reilly as he is very descriptive of the horrendous atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people, Gypsies, Homosexuals, and Special needs people. All who Hitler and his minions determined to be defective people. The book has been extensively researched and organized in its formation. It is a very graphic book, because it is a very graphic subject, following the worst of humanity as they perpetrated monstrous and evil crimes against those they despised.

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War Hero, Senator, Presidential Candidate…”The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations, by John McCain and Mark Salter

The memoir written by Arizona Senator John McCain, has even more significance now since his recent death. He had been in another war, this time, a personal one, with an inoperable brain tumor. During his terminal illness, he wrote his newest book: The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations.

McCain writes his final book describing his personal history including the 2008 presidential campaign against Barack Hussein Obama, along with his crusades on behalf of democracy and human rights in third world countries. He includes stories of his most satisfying career moments of public service. Those who read, “Faith of My Father’s…..A Family Memoir”, consider it helpful in understanding McCain in his most current book.

Many readers find McCain to be more aligned with progressives than with the party he represented. They appreciate what they perceive to be his maturity in thinking and approach to issues. They firmly believe his voice resonates for politicians and citizens alike. He was an Arizona Senator, but was born in Panama and traveled the world. The experience as a Vietnam prisoner of war also played an important role in his vision. Rest in peace, Senator John McCain.

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A Bit Gentler…A little Kinder….”Medium Raw”, by Anthony Bourdain

Anyone who is familiar with food critic, Anthony Bourdain, is familiar with his most of the time brash and bawdy language when he is describing food and restaurant experiences. In his first book, Kitchen Confidential, there were many who criticized his, what they observed as, overuse of tawdry language. He contends that it was the descriptively best to use in rants about food and cooking failures along the way. After serving as a journeyman cook, he became a world traveler giving elaborate prose on what he has seen and heard from the most prestigious chefs in the world.

In his newer work, Medium Raw, it has been said that he is a bit gentler in his descriptive language, and just a little kinder to those that he had previously ripped apart. Some give kudos to his status change as a father to a three year old daughter. It was humorous to read that he is already educating his daughter as to the evils of American fast food. One quote had him telling her……the fast food industry is the enemy……that Ronald McDonald has cooties and stinks like…..poo! Poor child!

In Medium Raw, Bourdain gives a witty and insightful view of the culinary world. He describes the many changes that have taken place in the subculture of chefs, cooks, the restaurant business, and in his personal life in the ten years since he wrote Kitchen Confidential. One recommendation was to listen to an audio book version of the book. Hearing his own voice tell the stories gives the book another added dimension.

It was with great sadness that the world learned of Bourdain’s suicide by hanging in June of this year, while in France.

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Accomplishing What His Predecessors Could Not, “Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire by Bret Baier

Three Days in January, Fox News anchor and author, Bret Baier, gives an enlightening description of the leadership style of President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the beginning of the Cold War. In Baier’s new book, Three Days in Moscow, he gives a detailed look into the previous and post view of the Soviet Union, then Russia. President Ronald Reagan was able to accomplish what his predecessors could not.

On May 31, 1988, Reagan was the first American president to stand on Russian soil with thousands of people listening to him talk about human rights and freedom. He begged the Soviet people to join him in completing his new vision for the future. Less than a year later, the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union began disintigrating. That end to the Cold War was a defining historical moment not to be forgotten.

Baier’s writing style is easy to read, and his research is very detailed without getting in the way of presenting the picture of Reagan and his accomplishments. It also shows the change made in American reporting of the news. It was with Reagan that news media started putting their own interpretation of the events happening in the Reagan administration. Prior to that time, the media sheltered Presidents from negative reporting and covered mostly positive situations. But, with Reagan, they all but ignored his great accomplishments and many times made him out to be an aging old clown. Of course, he was anything but that fraudulent description. Many would say that the “fake news” sources are doing the same to President Trump now. And they did the same to President George H. W. Bush. They always made their readers and audience think that he was not very intelligent. A very sad commentary for the importance of the truth.

President Ronald Reagan brought down a murderous, debilitating, and horrific regime without bombs or huge numbers of human lives being lost. It has been said that for that, he can never be given enough credit.

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Anything, But a Fairlytale…”Wallis In Love”, by Andrew Morton

I remember hearing about a king abdicating his throne for the love of his life…….but I did not know the real story. Apparently, according to biographer, Andrew Morton, Wallis Simpson was not the person who was really worthy of such sacrificial love as exhibited by Edward VIII. I had imagined a graceful, beautiful lady whose charms just could not be resisted by Edward, Prince of Wales. Not a picture of the actual Wallis Simpson at all.

Bessie Wallis Warfield was always only out for herself. Even as a little girl, she was known to say, “me, me” instead of “ma, ma”. Through diary entries, letters, and other records, Morton takes the reader through Wallis’s romantic adventures in China, Washington, and her entrance into London society. Instead of the one supposed romantic story, she had one husband who was a Navy pilot……through him, she met a richer crowd. After that marriage, she met husband #2, a shipping broker who gave her the life she wanted, but also led her to meet Edward, the Prince of Wales. He immediately became infatuated with her and showered her with gifts and attention, as her husband watched from the background. She actually thought she might realize her dream of becoming a queen. But, she did not realize that twice divorced women would never become queen. She thought sure she could trick her way into receiving the title. When Edward’s father died, Edward was in line to become king, but he decided to abdicate the throne to be with Wallis Simpson. She was not happy about his decision, so she made his life miserable after that and treated him very badly.

Wallis was a taker all her life, never giving back to anything or anyone. She was a hollow person, famous for being famous. She was not a temptress or vixen, but an ordinary gold digger, who found out that in the end, what she thought would make her happy did not turn out anything as she had thought. What I always imagined to be a fairytale romance ended up being anything but………

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Walk Like a Queen…”Gold Dust Women, The Biography of Stevie Nicks”, by Stephen Davis

When we think of who is an awesome iconic woman in serious rock’n roll……one of the first names that comes to mind has to be Stevie Nicks. Her place in music history was secured by her years of performing with Fleetwood Mac. To this day, she performs to sold out venues at the age of 69. Her fans are die-hard and have gobbled up the information in author, Stephen Davis’ unauthorized biography entitled Gold Dust Woman. Even self-proclaimed Stevie Nicks-aholics admit that the prospect of another biography about the rocker icon left them less than interested, but they were pleasantly surprised at how much more they learned about Stevie and her illustrious career and colorful personal life.

Stevie became interested in music through her grandfather, when she was a child. Eventually, she met Lindsey Buckingham and her years as a rock goddess began. Her career with Fleetwood Mac has been described by the author in various stages of the good, the bad, and the ugly. It follows her journey through battling drug addiction and various exes, and on to a very successful solo career in present day.

Gold Dust Woman portrays the life of Stevie Nicks taking the reader through her relationship with controlling Lindsey Buckingham, her rally to assert her strength to stand up to him and the man’s music world of Fleetwood Mac, and her fight to the top as she proved her worth as an outstanding talent who deserves her celebrity status. She aspired to and gained the right to “walk like a queen”.

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Complex Genius…”Leonardo da Vinci”, by Walter Isaacson

Most literate, and perhaps some not so literate, people around the world know Leonardo daVinci for his two most famous paintings…….The Last Supper, and Mona Lisa, but there was so much more to be learned about this complex genius. As with most extremely creative people, DaVinci had an insatiable curiosity for just about everything. He used his curiosity about many subjects….. anatomy, engineering, the heart, flying, machines, botany, geology, weaponry……. just on and on……to give a dimension to his art work that very few other artists, if any, could accomplish. He was much ahead of his time displaying just as much interest in science and technology as he did in his art. Being able to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, which was illustrated by his famous drawing of Vitruvian Man, led his critics to think of him as one of history’s most creative geniuses.

How many times do you hear children ask inquisitive questions such as where does rain come from? But, as children grow older, that inquisitiveness seems to lessen and lessen until it all but disappears. Isaacson found that the childlike trait in Leonardo daVinci never did disappear. DaVinci kept many notebooks about all of his thoughts on subjects, and all of his drawing collections, making a perfect source for Isaacson’s biography. He found him to be a very complex man, but very comfortable in his own skin. He was born illegitimate and was known to be homosexual, so it was used to his advantage. Nobody had set ideas that he was expected to live within or parameters that he was expected to honor. He was very at ease with himself, and gave himself the freedom to take his imagination in many directions. The biography of DaVinci is the newest for author Isaacson who is well-known for his acclaimed best sellers…….Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin. It is a lengthy, beautifully illustrated book that should be savored.

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