Can’t-Miss Audiobooks for American History Buffs
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, and we can’t think of a better time for readers to discover the audiobook editions of nuanced, deeply researched histories. From the epic power of The 1619 Project (read by a full cast) to Andrew Ross Sorkin’s recent runaway bestseller 1929 (read by the author), these listens are guaranteed to expand your understanding of the past, the present, and the future.
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Add to BookshelfThe 1619 Project
created by Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine
Read by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Full Cast
Read by a full cast, The 1619 Project reveals long-glossed-over truths around our nation’s founding and construction — and the way that the legacy of slavery did not end with emancipation but continues to shape contemporary American life.
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Washington
by Ron Chernow
Read by Scott Brick
Think you know George Washington? Not like this! In this Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, author Ron Chernow gives unmatched breadth and depth to the life of the first American president, creating an immersive experience that is only enhanced by award-winning narrator Scott Brick’s read.
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1929
by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Read by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Read by the author, 1929 is not only a riveting narrative of the most infamous stock market crash in history, but a crucial blueprint for understanding the cycles of speculation in American business, the forces that drive financial upheaval, and the warning signs we ignore at our peril.
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We the Women
by Norah O'Donnell and Kate Andersen Brower
Read by Norah O’Donnell
Over a decades-long, distinguished career, award-winning journalist Norah O’Donnell has made it her mission to shed light on untold women’s stories. Now, in honor of America’s 250th birthday, O’Donnell focuses that passion on the American heroines who helped change the course of history.
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Citizenship
by Daisy Hernández
Read by Daisy Hernández
Read by the author, Citizenship is a timely, provocative, and personal examination of one of the most vexing questions facing the United States today: Who is, and should be, a citizen?
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Killers of the Flower Moon
by David Grann
Read by Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee and Danny Campbell
Now a major motion picture by Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon is an account of one of the most monstrous crimes in American history, the echoes of which reverberate into the present day. Read by Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee, and Danny Campbell.
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The Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown
Read by Edward Herrmann
In need of a feel-good listen? Hear the #1 New York Times bestselling story of American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany, the inspiration for the PBS documentary The Boys of ’36.
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The American Revolution
by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns
Read by Robert Petkoff, Beth Hicks, Fred Sanders and Ken Burns
From the award-winning historian and filmmakers of The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, and The Roosevelts, The American Revolution is a human-centered history of America’s founding struggle — expanding on the landmark, six-part PBS series. The audiobook is read by Robert Petkoff, Beth Hicks, Fred Sanders, and Ken Burns.
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Strangers in the Land
by Michael Luo
Read by Eric Yang
In Strangers in the Land, award-winning journalist Michael Luo tells a masterful narrative history of the Chinese in America that traces the theme of exclusion and documents a more than century-long struggle to belong. Drawing on archives from across the country and written with style and sweep, Strangers in the Land is a revelatory and unforgettable American story.
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The War Within a War
by Wil Haygood
Read by Cary Hite
Award-winning author and journalist Wil Haygood explores how the Vietnam War became a mirror for the struggle of Black Americans — fighting for freedom abroad while demanding equality at home — and a powerful lens through which to understand the racial and political divides that continue to shape American life.
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Who Is Government?
edited by Michael Lewis
Read by Michael Lewis, Sarah Vowell, John Lanchester, Geraldine Brooks, Casey Cep, Dave Eggers and W. Kamau Bell
Who works for the government, and why does their work matter? Author Michael Lewis invited his favorite writers, including Casey Cep, Dave Eggers, John Lanchester, Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Vowell, and W. Kamau Bell, to join him in creating this urgent and absorbing civics lesson.
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Democracy Awakening
by Heather Cox Richardson
Read by Heather Cox Richardson
At a time when the very foundations of American democracy seem under threat, the lessons of the past can offer a road map. In Democracy Awakening, acclaimed historian Heather Cox Richardson examines the historical forces that have led to the current political climate, creating an essential listen for anyone concerned about the state of America.
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The Great Contradiction
by Joseph J. Ellis
Read by Kimberly Farr
From the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Founding Brothers and the National Book Award winner American Sphinx, comes an astounding look at how America’s founders — Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and Adams — regarded the issue of slavery as they drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
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All That She Carried
by Tiya Miles
Read by Janina Edwards
A renowned historian traces the life of a single object handed down through three generations of Black women to craft a “deeply layered and insightful” (The Washington Post) testament to people who are left out of the archives.
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American Struggle
by Jon Meacham
Read by Fred Sanders, Jon Meacham, Steve Hendrickson, Mike Chamberlain, Robert Petkoff, January LaVoy, Kimberly Farr, Robert Fass, Jim Seybert, Aaron Goodson, JD Jackson, Tavia Gilbert, Keith Szarabajka and Full Cast
Read by a full audiobook cast, in American Struggle, author Jon Meacham unites centuries of essential American voices to understand our national debates and divisions from 1619 to the present, with his signature commentary on the consequential speeches, letters, and essays that led us to this moment.
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America, U.S.A.
by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
Read by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
In America, U.S.A, Eddie S. Glaude Jr. presents a groundbreaking analysis of the vicious cycles of American history and the country’s enduring refusal to face its true nature — especially at the moments when national anniversaries steer us back toward the mythology meant to disguise the truth.
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