A Confederacy of Dumptys
Portraits of American Scoundrels in Verse
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Narrated by:
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John Lithgow
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By:
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John Lithgow
About this listen
The next book in John Lithgow's New York Times best-selling series
Following the success of New York Times best sellers Dumpty and Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown, award-winning actor, author, and illustrator John Lithgow presents the third book in his runaway hit series. A Confederacy of Dumptys takes us through a history of 25 "American Scoundrels" in this all-new collection of Lithgow's satirical poems.
While the Trump Era was rife with corruption and abuse of power, it was nothing new. Through Lithgow's cutting humor, you will hear about a rogues' gallery of villains that came before Donald J. Trump, powerful men and women who were corrupt, venal, criminal, adulterous, racist, or just plain disgusting. With dark and lyrical stories from across American history, you will learn about long-forgotten figures and bad actors of today, including the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, the perpetrator of 19th-century women's pyramid schemes, and participants in both the Watergate scandal and the Capitol insurrection. Trump and Nixon show up, of course, but also Leona Helmsley, Boss Tweed, Typhoid Mary, Newt Gingrich, Ted Cruz, and many more. Skipping through time, and delivered with classic Lithgow wit and style, A Confederacy of Dumptys is an exuberant reminder of how not to repeat history.
Digital audio edition read by the author.
The perfect book for:
- Political satire fans - viewers of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
- American history buffs and trivia enthusiasts - listeners of Jon Stewart's America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction and Josh Clark's Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things.
- Poetry aficionados.
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Narration Speed...It's Half the Battle
- By B. Westman on 03-21-17
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After the Civil War
- The Heroes, Villains, Soldiers, and Civilians Who Changed America
- By: James Robertson
- Narrated by: Barry Press
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Returning to the turbulent days of a nation divided, best-selling author and acclaimed historian James Robertson explores 70 fascinating figures who shaped America during Reconstruction and beyond. Relentless politicians, intrepid fighters, cunning innovators - the times called for bold moves, and this resilient generation would not disappoint.
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Just a southern lost cause book
- By Russell Hansen on 03-24-21
By: James Robertson
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Jesse James
- Last Rebel of the Civil War
- By: T. J. Stiles
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 18 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In this brilliant biography T. J. Stiles offers a new understanding of the legendary outlaw Jesse James. Although he has often been portrayed as a Robin Hood of the old west, in this ground-breaking work Stiles places James within the context of the bloody conflicts of the Civil War to reveal a much more complicated and significant figure.
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Borderline woke retelling of the era JJ live in
- By Rodney on 08-24-22
By: T. J. Stiles
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1932
- The Rise of Hitler and FDR - Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny
- By: David Pietrusza
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Two Depression-battered nations confronted destiny in 1932, going to the polls in their own way to anoint new leaders, to rescue their people from starvation and hopelessness. America would elect a Congress and a president - ebullient aristocrat Franklin Roosevelt or tarnished "Wonder Boy" Herbert Hoover. Decadent, divided Weimar Germany faced two rounds of bloody Reichstag elections and two presidential contests - doddering reactionary Paul von Hindenburg against rising radical hate-monger Adolf Hitler.
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What a waste of time
- By Pam Sullivan on 07-06-19
By: David Pietrusza
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Empire of Mud
- The Secret History of Washington, DC
- By: J. D. Dickey
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Washington, DC, gleams with stately columns and neoclassical temples, a pulsing hub of political power and prowess. But for decades it was one of the worst excuses for a capital city the world had ever seen. Empire of Mud unearths and untangles the roots of our capital’s story and explores how the city was tainted from the outset, nearly stifled from becoming the proud citadel of the republic that George Washington and Pierre L’Enfant envisioned more than two centuries ago.
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Not what I thought
- By William Elliott on 09-30-20
By: J. D. Dickey
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Rome's Last Citizen
- The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar
- By: Rob Goodman, Jimmy Soni
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Marcus Porcius Cato: aristocrat who walked barefoot and slept on the ground with his troops, political heavyweight who cultivated the image of a Stoic philosopher, a hardnosed defender of tradition who presented himself as a man out of the sacred Roman past-and the last man standing when Rome's Republic fell to tyranny. His blood feud with Caesar began in the chamber of the Senate, played out on the battlefields of a world war, and ended when he took his own life rather than live under a dictator.
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Unfortunate
- By Olivia N. on 11-06-20
By: Rob Goodman, and others
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Alexander Hamilton's Guide to Life
- By: Jeff Wilser
- Narrated by: Johnathan McClain
- Length: 7 hrs
- Unabridged
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Two centuries after his death, Alexander Hamilton is shining once more under America's spotlight - and we need him now more than ever. Orphaned as a kid, this young, scrappy, and hungry self-starter came from nothing and then helped win the Revolutionary War, created the country's financial system, seduced New York's most eligible ladies, ratified the Constitution, and landed his face on our $10 bill. (In his spare time he also formed the Coast Guard and the US Mint.) He is the ultimate underdog.
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Amazing
- By Robert McGrorty on 02-27-19
By: Jeff Wilser
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Every Drop of Blood
- Hatred and Healing at Lincoln's Second Inauguration
- By: Edward Achorn
- Narrated by: Adam Barr
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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By March 4, 1865, the Civil War had slaughtered more than 700,000 Americans. After a morning of rain-drenched fury, tens of thousands crowded Washington’s Capitol grounds that day to see Abraham Lincoln take the oath for a second term. As the sun emerged, Lincoln rose to give perhaps the greatest inaugural address in American history, stunning the nation by arguing, in a brief 701 words, that both sides had been wrong, and that the war’s unimaginable horrors - every drop of blood spilled - might well have been God’s just verdict on the national sin of slavery.
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New and fascinating
- By Clark Booth on 07-19-20
By: Edward Achorn
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The Mexican Revolution
- A Captivating Guide to the Mexican Civil War and How Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata Impacted Mexico
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The Mexican Revolution was a defining moment of the 20th century. The Mexican fight for democracy, equality, and justice sent shockwaves around the world. No other episode in its history has left a deeper mark. It is a three-act drama full of politics, persecution, and war, not to mention earthquakes, signs in the sky, and even spiritualist sessions, while being populated by larger-than-life villains, international spies, and the universally known figures of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata.
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Don’t have readers who speak Spanish - It’s the LAW!
- By James C on 06-26-21
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Crimes and Cover-ups in American Politics
- 1776-1963
- By: Donald Jeffries, Ron Paul - foreword
- Narrated by: Lars Mikaelson
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Jeffries spares no one and nothing in this explosive new book. The atrocities of Union troops during the Civil War, and Allied troops during World War II, are documented in great detail. The Nuremberg Trials are presented as the antithesis of justice. In the follow-up to his previous, bestselling book Hidden History: An Exposé of Modern Crimes, Conspiracies, and Cover-Ups in American Politics, Jeffries demonstrates that crimes, corruption, and conspiracies didn't start with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
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Southern apologetic nonesense
- By Amazon Customer on 07-26-20
By: Donald Jeffries, and others
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Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan
- The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate
- By: Rick Bowers
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 3 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Journalist Rick Bowers has contributed to Time, The Washington Post, and USA Today, and his fascinating Spies of Mississippi—about the spy network that tried to take down the Civil Rights Movement—earned a starred review from Booklist. Here, Bowers examines how, in the late 1940s, The Adventures of Superman radio show struck a powerful blow to the Ku Klux Klan when Superman aired episodes pitting the hero against the Klan in an effort to teach young listeners to stand up to bigotry.
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The willingness to visit the truth
- By David Alexander McDonald on 03-13-24
By: Rick Bowers
What listeners say about A Confederacy of Dumptys
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Eva Trevino
- 06-24-22
fantastic and quick listen
loved it !!! easy and quick listen.. honest but still comedic ...John is so talented
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- Wendy Hart
- 06-07-22
excellent
it's just a wonderful book to listen to and oh so true and now Lithgow
you've got my view good job
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- rkeinc
- 10-07-21
All 3 Books are Beyond Marvelous
JL has once again outdone himself with Book 3 of Dumpty. JL is the most talented actor, wit, comedian, author, artist and just all around honorable guy I know. He is the antithesis of #45 and makes me feel like I lived on the right/correct side of history. Thank-you for that!
The only comment of disappointment I have is that I miss the accompanying download of artwork that Book's 1 & 2 had.
Please do a Book 4!
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4 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 12-28-21
A Confederate of Dumptys by John Lithgow
This book was witty and empathetic to the mess that the DUMPTYS have made throughout this country's history!! The corruption needs to stop on both sides for TRUE CHANGE.
Thank you John!
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- Audible Lustener
- 02-21-24
Remarkable Writing and Reading!
John Lithgow is an incredibly creative writer and actor. The way he was able to capture these dumptys in verse was both entertaining and enlightening.
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- B
- 06-10-22
Best one so far!
While the first two tomes of John's political rhyme and lack of reason focus on Dumpty (a name which deserves to stick forever like shite to shoes) , this collection delves back into U.S. history to perhaps give us all hope that if our society can survive villains worse than the former boiled egg in chief, then maybe we'll make it past him as well.
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- Victoria Abel
- 11-15-24
History continually repeats itself
So sad that the ending, as a warning, has not been heeded. Excellent history summary.
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- T. Delaune
- 01-27-22
The history of politics in manageable bites
I love history, I love satire and I love John Lithgow….the truth with a twist to make it easier to swallow. I wish I could gift this to everyone who supports T*****. If only Dumpty’s administration would end up behind bars like Nixon’s
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- Cynthia Jorgensen
- 10-29-21
Lithgow is so smart and talented.
I loved this book. it gave me hope--until it didn't. I'm afraid Lithgow will get lots more inspiration from Trump in 2024.
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- Joe
- 06-30-22
Lithgow at his finest
very much enjoyed this book narrated by the author. I want to hear his other books
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