Narrator and author Kenneth Davis brings to life five historical figures who lived in the shadow of America's Founding Fathers due to the color of their skin. With a full cast of talented narrators, listeners hear the deep emotion in individual stories that emphasize the irony of the colonists seeking freedom while keeping others enslaved. Quotes from the Founding Fathers, when expressed against the backdrop of slavery in early America, reveal this same irony, and a timeline of facts shows the deep inequality that existed not only during the founding of the nation but also for decades afterward. Using both primary and secondary sources, Davis creates a narrative that offers personal accounts of the lives often forgotten in conventional history lessons.
(Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2016
Duration: 5 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781101891735
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In 1832 thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is sailing from Liverpool to Rhode Island to rejoin her family. Shocked to discover that the families who were to have been both guardians and companions will not accompany her, Charlotte embarks on a journey filled with terror and swashbuckling adventure. The first-person narrative makes this Newbery Honor book a wonderful choice for recording. O'Karma's reading, with its hint of cross-gender differentiation, allows the listener to feel as if Charlotte Doyle herself were relating the tale. This story should be particularly alluring to adolescent girls although the fast-paced action and the nautical setting will also appeal to male listeners. Ages 12-adult.
Ages 12+Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 6 hrs
Publisher: Recorded Books Inc.
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Listeners will be inspired by this principled prime minister who tackled her country’s biggest challenges with...
Aspiring leaders, take note! In her Kiwi accent, Jacinda Ardern narrates this heartfelt and sincere adaptation of her memoir A Different Kind of Power, eliciting chuckles with amusing anecdotes and tears over tragedies. Ardern recounts her modest childhood, her unlikely path to politics, and her rise to New Zealand’s highest office as a young, pregnant, unmarried woman—armed with empathy, intelligence, faith, supportive loved ones, and a desire to serve. She shepherded her country through a volcanic eruption, Covid-19, and a mass shooting. Her heartrending narration of the shooting switches to steely resolve as she works to ban assault rifles.
Listeners will be inspired by this principled prime minister who tackled her country’s biggest challenges with kindness. (Memoir. 12-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
Duration: 5 hrs, 55 mins
DD ISBN: 9798217342044
Publisher: Listening Library
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
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