Anthony, Lawrence & Graham Spence. Babylon’s Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo. Tantor Audio. ISBN 9781494507985. Read by Simon Vance.
When the Iraq war began, conservationist Anthony was concerned about the fate of the Baghdad Zoo, caught in the crossfire at the heart of the city. Once Anthony entered Iraq he discovered that hostilities and uncontrolled looting had devastated the zoo and its animals. Originally published in 2007, this work chronicles Anthony’s hair-raising efforts to save a pride of Saddam’s lions, close a deplorable black-market zoo, run ostriches through shoot-to-kill checkpoints, and rescue the dictator’s personal herd of thoroughbred horses.
Close, Jessie & Pete Earley. Resilience: Two Sisters and a Story of Mental Illness. Hachette Audio. ISBN 9781478924524. Read by the author and Glenn Close.
When the Close sisters were very young, their parents joined a cult called the MRA, or Moral Rearmament, which led the family to Switzerland and then the Belgian Congo where their father became the personal physician to President Mobutu. After the girls returned to the States for boarding school, Jessie started to exhibit symptoms of severe bipolar disorder. The condition worsened throughout her life and was passed on to her son, Calen. It wasn’t until Calen entered McLean’s psychiatric hospital that Jessie herself was diagnosed. Fifteen years and 12 years of sobriety later, Jessie is a stable, productive member of society. Here the sisters share their story of triumphing over Jessie’s illness.
Cullen, Maura. 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say: Surprising Things We Say That Widen the Diversity Gap. Brilliance Audio. ISBN 9781501226571. Read by Mary Robinette Kowal.
Statements such as “Some of my best friends are… (black, white, Asian, etc.),” “I don’t think of you as… (gay, disabled, Jewish, etc.),” or “I don’t see color, I’m colorblind” can build a divide between people, even when the speaker’s intent is the opposite. They often widen the diversity gap, sometimes causing irreparable harm personally and professionally. Cullen holds a doctorate in social justice and diversity education from UMass Amherst and has led seminars on diversity since 1987. Here she presents a guide to becoming more inclusive and diversity-smart.
Davis, William C. Crucible of Command: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—The War They Fought, the Peace They Forged. Blackstone Audio. ISBN 9781483024240. Reader to be announced.
This dual biography of two iconic leaders examines how they fought a bloody, brutal war then forged a lasting peace that fundamentally changed our nation. Each the subject of innumerable biographies, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee have never before been paired as they are here. Davis (The Rogue Republic) finds surprising similarities between the two men as well as new perspectives on how their lives prepared them for the war they fought and influenced how they fought it: Lee’s sense of failure before the war, Grant’s optimism during disaster, and the sophisticated social and political instincts that each had when waging a war between democracies.
Doidge, Norman. The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity. Books on Tape. ISBN 9781101888094. Read by George Newbern.
Doidge (The Brain That Changes Itself) here presents astounding advances in the treatment of brain injury and illness. He advocates exploring neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change its own structure and function in response to mental experience—to alleviate the symptoms of such conditions as strokes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and cerebral palsy, as well as to stave off dementia.
Foner, Eric. Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad. HighBridge. ISBN 9781622315901. Read by J.D. Jackson.
Sydney Howard Gay, an abolitionist newspaper editor; Louis Napoleon, a furniture polisher; and Charles B. Ray, a black minister, operated the Underground Railroad in New York at great risk to themselves. In secret coordination with black dockworkers who alerted them to the arrival of fugitives and with counterparts in Norfolk, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Albany, and Syracuse, Underground Railroad operatives in New York helped more than 3,000 fugitive slaves reach freedom between 1830 and 1860. Foner (The Fiery Trial) uses fresh evidence—including the meticulous record of slave rescues secretly kept by Gay—to explore the courageous efforts of men and women who broke the law to help escaped slaves reach freedom.
Fuller, Alexandra. Leaving Before the Rains Come. Recorded Bks. ISBN 9781490637051. Reader to be announced.
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and her dissolving marriage and feeling alienated from her adopted homeland, America, Fuller (Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight) returns to Africa and finds in her father’s harsh, simple and uncompromising ways the key to her salvation. Casting a fresh eye on her parents’ boisterous strengths and debilitating weaknesses, painting a vivid picture of America at the end of decades of false certainty and security, and revealing her Africa, vital and resilient, this is a remarkable memoir.
Gopal, Anand. No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes. HighBridge. ISBN 9781622316663. Read by Assaf Cohen.
Gopal covered the war in Afghanistan for The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor and here traces in vivid detail the lives of three Afghans caught in America’s war on terror. He follows a Taliban commander, who rises from scrawny teenager to leading insurgent; a U.S.-backed warlord, who uses the American military to gain personal wealth and power; and a village housewife trapped between the two sides, who discovers the devastating cost of neutrality. Though their dramatic stories, Gopal shows that the Afghan war, so often regarded as a hopeless quagmire, could have gone very differently. This heartbreaking story of mistakes and misdeeds challenges perceptions of the Afghan conflict, its victims, and its supposed winners.
Lehr, Dick & Gerard O’Neill. Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. Recorded Bks. ISBN 9781464023828. Read by Christopher Evan Welch.
This gritty New York Times best-seller, originally published in 2001, tells the story of John Connolly and James “Whitey” Bulger, who grew up together in South Boston. Decades later, in the mid 1970s, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI’s Boston office and Bulger had become godfather of the Irish Mob. What happened next—a dirty deal to bring down the Italian mob in exchange for protection for Bulger—would spiral out of control, leading to murders, drug dealing, racketeering indictments, and, ultimately, the biggest informant scandal in the history of the FBI.
Oswalt, Patton. Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life from an Addiction to Film. S. & S. Audio. ISBN 9781442375130. Read by the author.
Comedian and actor Oswalt (Zombie Spaceship Wasteland) here writes about coming of age as a performer and writer in the late ’90s while obsessively watching classic films at the legendary New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles at least three nights a week. Silver screen celluloid became Patton’s life schoolbook, informing his notions of acting, writing, comedy, and relationships. Set in the nascent days of the alternative comedy scene, Oswalt’s memoir chronicles his journey from fledgling stand-up comedian to self-assured sitcom actor, with the colorful New Beverly collective supporting him all along the way.
Leovy, Jill. Ghettoside: A Story of Murder in America. Books on Tape. ISBN 9780449009734. Ready by Rebecca Lowman.
On a warm spring evening in South Los Angeles, a young man is shot and killed on a sidewalk minutes away from his home, one of the thousands of black Americans murdered that year. His assailant ran down the street, jumped into an SUV, and vanished, hoping to join the vast majority of killers in American cities who are never arrested. But as soon as the case was assigned to Detective John Skaggs, the odds shifted. This fast-paced narrative of a devastating crime is a surprising new lens into the subject of murder in America. Leovy, a reporter and editor with the Los Angeles Times, started The Homicide Report, an interactive map, database, and blog that chronicles homicides in Los Angeles County.
Mitchell, Andie. It Was Me All Along. Books on Tape. ISBN 9780553546279. Read by the author.
In this heartbreakingly honest, endearing memoir of incredible weight loss, a young food blogger (canyoustayfordinner.com) battles body image issues and overcomes food addiction. Mitchell travels from working-class Boston to the romantic streets of Rome, from morbidly obese to half her size, from seeking comfort in junk food to finding balance in exquisite (but modestly portioned) bowls of handmade pasta. This story is about much more than a woman who loves food and abhors her body. It is about someone who made changes when her situation seemed too far gone and how she discovered balance in an off-kilter world. More than anything, though, it is the story of her finding beauty in acceptance and learning to love all parts of herself.
Moore, Wes. The Work: My Search for a Life That Matters. Books on Tape. ISBN 9780804190930. Read by the author.
Moore (The Other Wes Moore) continues his inspirational quest for a meaningful life and shares the powerful lessons—about self-discovery, service, and risk-taking—that led him to a new definition of success for our times. Moore graduated from a difficult childhood in the Bronx and Baltimore to an adult life that would find him at some of the most critical moments in our recent history: as a combat officer in Afghanistan; a White House fellow in a time of wars abroad and disasters at home; and a Wall Street banker during the financial crisis. In this insightful book, Moore shares the lessons he learned from people he met along the way and tells the stories of other 21st-century change-makers who’ve inspired him in his search.
Ritland, Mike & Gary Brozek. Team Dog: How To Train Your Dog—the Navy SEAL Way. Blackstone Audio. ISBN 9781481504485. Read by John Pruden.
Former Navy SEAL Ritland teaches you how to give your dog the exceptional training and loyalty of a combat dog. He taps into 15 years’ worth of experience and shares, in accessible and direct language, the science behind gaining a dog’s trust. He also offers invaluable steps for achieving any level of obedience. His unique approach incorporates entertaining examples and anecdotes from his work with dogs on and off the battlefield and tips from the Navy SEAL guidebook to teach dog owners how to choose the perfect dog for their household, establish themselves as the “team leader,” master “command and control,” employ “situational awareness,” and solidify their dog’s position as the family’s ultimate best friend.
Shankman, Peter. Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans. Dreamscape Media. ISBN 9781633795297. Reader to be announced.
Shankman (Nice Companies Finish First) works with companies to create what he calls “zombie loyalists,” fervent fans who help companies massively increase their customer base, brand awareness, and revenue. Shankman examines how large companies (e.g., the Ritz Carlton, Commerce Bank, and Starwood Hotels) and smaller businesses turn their customers into zombie loyalists and shows how listeners can create their own customer armies.
Slahi, Mohamedou Ould. Guantánamo Diary. Blackstone Audio. ISBN 9781478957997. Reader to be announced.
Slahi has been imprisoned at the detainee camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, since 2002. The United States has never charged him with a crime, and although his release was ordered by a federal judge, the U.S. government fought that decision, and there is no sign that the United States plans to let him go. Three years into his captivity, Slahi began a diary, recounting his life before he disappeared into U.S. custody and daily life as a detainee. His diary is not merely a vivid record of a miscarriage of justice, but a deeply personal memoir—terrifying, darkly humorous, and surprisingly gracious.
Wittenborn, Dirk & Jazz Johnson. The Social Climber’s Bible: A Book of Manners, Practical Tips, and Spiritual Advice for the Upwardly Mobile. Recorded Bks. ISBN 9781490642260. Read by Mazhan Marno.
This tongue-in-cheek—or is it?—work will teach listeners the art of social climbing at gallery openings, cocktail parties, and funerals; social climbing as a family; how to handle sex, dating, marriage, and love; and how to spot what the authors call big fish, whales, turtles, and unicorns, and what they can do for you. Wittenborn (Fierce People) was the screenwriter and producer of the documentary Born Rich, which profiled such wealthy youngsters as his coauthor, Johnson & Johnson heiress Jazz Johnson.