Share in the childhood tales of A Girl Named Zippy. Hear Kenneth Branagh read Samuel Pepys' exuberant 17th-century diary. Be transformed by the extraordinary women of Half the Sky. You'll find these and other remarkable life stories under biography and memoir.
by Anthony Youn, MD with Alan Eisenstock; read by Kyle Tait
In this thrilling and moving memoir, Dr. Anthony Youn reveals that the true metamorphosis from student to doctor occurs not in medical school but in the formative years of residency training and early practice. Learn More
Picasso's War sheds light on the conflict that was an ominous prelude to WWII and delivers an unforgettable portrait of a genius whose visionary statement about horror and terrible wounds of war still resonates today. Learn More
by Mercy Fontenot, Lyndsey Parker; read by Natasha Soudek
Mercy Fontenot was a Zelig who grew up in the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury scene, where she crossed paths with Charles Manson, went to the first Acid Test, and was friends with Jimi Hendrix (she was later in his movie Rainbow Bridge). Written just prior to her death in 2020, Permanent Damage shows us the world of the 1960s and 1970s music scene through Mercy's eyes. Learn More
The beauty, genius and heroism of the human spirit shines throughout this collection of encounters with exceptional individuals, selected and presented by NPR personalities whose lives have been enriched by a single conversation. Learn More
Despite the key part he played in the country's founding, few Americans today have heard of John Dickinson. Early chroniclers and historians cast him as a coward and Loyalist for not signing the Declaration. Many later historians have simply accepted and echoed this distorted and dismissive view. Jane Calvert's fascinating, authoritative, and accessible biography, the first complete account of Dickinson's life and work, restores him to a place of prominence in the nation's formative years. Learn More
This authoritative biography of Patrick Henry—the underappreciated founding father best known for saying, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"—restores him and his fellow Virginians to their seminal place in the story of American independence. Learn More
Acclaimed travel writer Jonathan Raban invites us aboard his boat, a floating cottage cluttered with books, curling manuscripts, and dead ballpoint pens. Learn More
Weaving the magical with the mundane, New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik offers a wholly delightful, often hilarious look at what it was to be an American family man in Paris at the end of the twentieth century. Learn More
by Jamal J. Myrick, EdD; read by Bill Andrew Quinn
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In a world where the journey of parenting is both beautiful and challenging, Parenting is Hard AF: 53 Affirmations for Black Parents Who Struggle stands as a guiding light, offering a collection of powerful affirmations designed specifically for Black parents. Learn More
If you've ever wondered about the constitutional basis for presidential pardons, this book explains it, offering examples from the recent and distant past. Follow constitutional law professor and popular newsroom commentator Kim Wehle through a fascinating rundown of how this executive power has been—and might be—used by American presidents. Learn More
