What do Billy Wilder, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, and Superman have in common? More than one might expect, and this audiobook explains the complicated story beautifully. Coauthor and narrator Bonnie Siegler thought her grandfather's stories were just amusing tales. But when she and journalist Helene Stapinski investigated, they found the stories were, if anything, underplayed. She learned of her grandfather Jules Schulback's escape from Nazi Germany and his incredible return to rescue his family, posing as Clark Gable's manager. Schulback rubbed shoulders with the famous and infamous, including Donald Trump. One such man was porn magazine publisher and organized crime associate Harry Donenfeld, who secretly funded Jews escaping the Nazis, including Schulback. Donenfeld also believed in Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and published their offbeat creation, Superman.
Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
Duration: 8 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9781797153889
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Emily Sutton-Smith narrates a story of Auschwitz and the Nazi regime throughout Europe in a low, wistful tone without an accent. The novel features Rachael, a Jewish woman imprisoned in Auschwitz who finds a diamond ring in the mud, and Samual, a Jewish man living and working in Prague who is in love with a woman named Hanna. Sutton-Smith's slow-paced delivery portrays Rachael's ebbing strength and feelings of hopelessness, which contrast with the hopeful feelings of lovesick Samual, who attempts to hide his past from everyone, including himself. Sutton-Smith's attempts at Hebrew and Yiddish are barely recognizable, and she uses German accents sparingly. This poignant story, both imagined and based on the historical accounts of survivors, grows increasingly depressing as life leaches out of characters who are in the iron grip of the Nazi regime.
Pub Date: June 24, 2025
Duration: 12 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781632999986
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Narrator Leighton Pugh's calm British demeanor provides an effective vehicle for this scathing critique of the Nazi character. In these two dozen brief biographies of Hitler and his circle, Pugh strips bare the venality and pretentiousness that characterized so many of the dictator's underlings: Goebbels and Goering, Himmler and Hess and Heydrich, and don't forget Albert Speer and Leni Riefenstahl. The portraits are unsparing, the indictments backed by compelling evidence. The opening biography of Hitler is largely familiar but provides a foundation and context for the individual portraits that follow, which by necessity parallel the same timeline. For those who don't know the history well, this audiobook proves an excellent vehicle for understanding the Nazi movement and the individuals who shaped it.
Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
Duration: 12 hrs, 30 mins
DD ISBN: 9780593864654
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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