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The Shortest History of Democracy
- 4,000 Years of Self-Government-A Retelling for Our Times
- By: John Keane
- Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 5
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5
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Story3 out of 5 stars 4
This tumultuous global story begins with democracy's radical core idea: We can collaborate, as equals, to determine our own lives and futures. John Keane traces how this concept emerged and evolved, from the earliest "assembly democracies" to European-style electoral democracy to our present system of "monitory democracy." Keane calls this media- and communication-driven system "the most complex and vibrant form of democracy yet"—but it is not invulnerable. At this urgent moment, Keane's book mounts a new defense of a precious global ideal.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Too Ideological
- By Anonymous User on 10-31-23
- The Shortest History of Democracy
- 4,000 Years of Self-Government-A Retelling for Our Times
- By: John Keane
- Narrated by: Grant Cartwright
Too Ideological
Reviewed: 10-31-23
The author too often tries to champion his own personal views without providing the reader with evidence. He starts the book by claiming democracy originated in the east, and provides evidence, but does not take into account that democracy could have originated earlier, but without surviving evidence for the lack of writing. He seems to want to connect homosexuality to democracy, when of course democracy is not inherently pro- or anti-gay. The book contains a very interesting part about spain. He tries too hard to connect the emergence of different kinds of democracy to different communication technology without adding enough evidence. Democracies collapsing in europe during ww2 is portrayed as a inside failure, when in fact many of them (Czhechia, Norway, Denmark, Benelux, France) collapsed from invasion. He falsley claims that JFK claimed to be a type of food in his "Ich bin ein berliner" speech, a misconception that will hopefully go away some day. He makes statements about the poor state of democracy in hungary, india, and turkey (even calling Erdogan a despot), but refuses to get specific. international observers have called the most recent election in Turkey "free".
The audio performance itself is top notch!
Take everything with a spoon of salt, and be sceptical if you want to listen to this audiobook. It is less like a textbook, and more like an opinion piece.
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1 person found this helpful
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Plan of Attack
- By: Bob Woodward
- Narrated by: Boyd Gaines
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 383
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 126
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Story4 out of 5 stars 125
Plan of Attack is the definitive account of how and why President George W. Bush, his war council, and allies launched a preemptive attack to topple Saddam Hussein and occupy Iraq. Bob Woodward's latest landmark account of Washington decision making provides an original, authoritative narrative of behind-the-scenes maneuvering, examining the causes and consequences of the most controversial war since Vietnam.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Rorschach Test
- By Michael on 05-03-04
- Plan of Attack
- By: Bob Woodward
- Narrated by: Boyd Gaines
Well written!
Reviewed: 10-25-23
Well written book for anyone wishing to understand the invasion of iraq. Covers Bush and his cabinet, and the intelligence they received.
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Did Jesus Exist?
- The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 413
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 363
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 364
Large numbers of atheists, humanists, and conspiracy theorists are raising one of the most pressing questions in the history of religion: "Did Jesus exist at all?" Was he invented out of whole cloth for nefarious purposes by those seeking to control the masses? Or was Jesus such a shadowy figure - far removed from any credible historical evidence - that he bears no meaningful resemblance to the person described in the Bible?
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4 out of 5 stars
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Vintage Ehrman
- By Jacobus on 07-17-12
- Did Jesus Exist?
- The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth
- By: Bart D. Ehrman
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
Ulimately unconvincing.
Reviewed: 05-28-23
I was agnostic about the existence of a historical jesus prior to listening to this book. I still am. The evidence is simply insufficient either way. The narrator was very good.
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