
Hero of Two Worlds
The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution
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Narrated by:
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Mike Duncan
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By:
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Mike Duncan
About this listen
From the best-selling author of The Storm Before the Storm and host of the Revolutions podcast comes the thrilling story of the Marquis de Lafayette’s lifelong quest to defend the principles of liberty and equality.
Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over 50 incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic. He was a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist, and abolitionist.
As a teenager, Lafayette ran away from France to join the American Revolution. Returning home a national hero, he helped launch the French Revolution, eventually spending five years locked in dungeon prisons. After his release, Lafayette sparred with Napoleon, joined an underground conspiracy to overthrow King Louis XVIII, and became an international symbol of liberty. Finally, as a revered elder statesman, he was instrumental in the overthrow of the Bourbon Dynasty in the Revolution of 1830.
From enthusiastic youth to world-weary old age, from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair, Lafayette never stopped fighting for the rights of all mankind. His remarkable life is the story of where we come from and an inspiration to defend the ideals he held dear.
©2021 Mike Duncan (P)2021 PublicAffairsListeners also enjoyed...
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In 1990, a country disappeared. When the Iron Curtain fell, East Germany ceased to be. For over forty years, from the ruin of the Second World War to the cusp of a new millennium, the German Democratic Republic presented a radically different Germany than what had come before and what exists today. Socialist solidarity, secret police, central planning, barbed wire: this was a Germany forged on the fault lines of ideology and geopolitics. Acclaimed historian Katja Hoyer sets aside the usual Cold War caricatures of the GDR to offer a kaleidoscopic new vision of this vanished country.
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Good summary of ordinary life in the DDR
- By Z' on 03-09-24
By: Katja Hoyer
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The Last Goodnight
- A World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure, and Betrayal
- By: Howard Blum
- Narrated by: Tristan Morris
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Betty Pack was charming, beautiful, and intelligent - and she knew it. As an agent for Britain's MI6 and then America's OSS during World War II, these qualities proved crucial to her success. This is the remarkable story of this "Mata Hari from Minnesota" ( Time) and the passions that ruled her tempestuous life - a life filled with dangerous liaisons and death-defying missions vital to the Allied victory.
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Fascinating
- By Salui on 11-30-16
By: Howard Blum
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Crash Dive: The Complete Series (Books 1-6)
- By: Craig DiLouie
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 29 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Crash Dive: The Complete Series chronicles the adventures of Charlie Harrison as he fights the Imperial Japanese Navy during WW2. Gripping, action-packed, authentic, and filled with larger-than-life men and women of the Greatest Generation, Crash Dive puts you aboard a submarine during the war. You'll stand alongside Charlie as he proves himself time and again by keeping his wits and being decisive in crisis, though each encounter leaves him more heavily scarred for it.
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great series
- By Old Diamond Jim on 12-30-19
By: Craig DiLouie
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The Giant Killer
- American Hero, Mercenary, Spy... The Incredible True Story of the Smallest Man to Serve in the U.S. Military - Green Beret Captain Richard J. Flaherty
- By: David A. Yuzuk
- Narrated by: Steven Wenger
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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At 4' 9" 97 lbs, Richard J. Flaherty is believed to be the smallest man to ever serve in the US military. Needing a congressional waiver just to join the army, he achieved the impossible by becoming a Green Beret Captain and a Vietnam vet war hero, earning the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts - 101st Airborne and 3rd Special Forces Group.
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l had to make a choice.
- By Ed on 03-02-21
By: David A. Yuzuk
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Vertigo
- The Rise and Fall of Weimar Germany
- By: Harald Jähner
- Narrated by: Sam Peter Jackson
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Out of the ashes of the First World War, Germany launched an unprecedented political project: its first democratic government. The Weimar Republic, named for the city where it was established, endured for only fifteen years before it was toppled by the insurgent Nazi Party in 1933. In Vertigo, prizewinning historian Harald Jähner tells the Republic’s full story, capturing a nation caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty and struggling toward a better future.
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How. Did It Happen?
- By Bettyb on 10-19-24
By: Harald Jähner
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Manhunt
- The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
- By: James L. Swanson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin, John Wilkes Booth, led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild 12-day chase through the streets of Washington, DC, across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.
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Written by a Booth fanboy.
- By Alan on 08-18-16
By: James L. Swanson
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Pacific
- Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers
- By: Simon Winchester
- Narrated by: Simon Winchester
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling author Simon Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in the modern world, exploring our relationship with this imposing force of nature. Winchester's personal experience is vast and his storytelling second to none. And his historical understanding of the region is formidable, making Pacific a paean to this magnificent sea of beauty, myth, and imagination that is transforming our lives.
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Political Asides Have Become Bombastic Didactic
- By Mark Patterson on 12-25-15
By: Simon Winchester
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Arabs
- A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes, and Empires
- By: Tim Mackintosh-Smith
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 25 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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This kaleidoscopic book covers almost 3,000 years of Arab history and shines a light on the footloose Arab peoples and tribes who conquered lands and disseminated their language and culture over vast distances. Tracing this process to the origins of the Arabic language, rather than the advent of Islam, Tim Mackintosh-Smith begins his narrative more than a thousand years before Muhammad and focuses on how Arabic, both spoken and written, has functioned as a vital source of shared cultural identity over the millennia.
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“The hourglass that swallows you”
- By Jefferson on 05-22-21
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Hammerhead Six
- How Green Berets Waged an Unconventional War Against the Taliban to Win in Afghanistan's Deadly Pech Valley
- By: Ronald Fry, Tad Tuleja - contributor
- Narrated by: Ronald Fry
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2003, the Special Forces soldiers entered an area later called "the most dangerous place in Afghanistan". Here, where the line between civilians and armed zealots was indistinct, they illustrated the Afghan proverb "I destroy my enemy by making him my friend." Fry recounts how they were seen as welcome guests rather than invaders. Soon after their deployment ended, the Pech Valley reverted to turmoil. Their success was never replicated.
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A compelling read from start to finish
- By Gregory on 03-05-16
By: Ronald Fry, and others
What listeners say about Hero of Two Worlds
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- D. Littman
- 09-04-21
Simply outstanding
One of the best nonfiction audiobooks I’ve listened to in years. No surprise to me since I’ve been listening to the author’s outstanding podcast for years. This is laser focused on Lafayette narrative history with great narrative drive. It would help the reader to have some context about French political & economic history, but that is not necessary to enjoy & to learn much from this book.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 09-08-21
An Intricate and Personal Story Set Within an Often Simplified and Grandiose Era
Duncan’s “Hero of Two Worlds” succeeds on a variety of fronts, but the most notable of these is the novel’s ability to simultaneously exist as an enthralling account of both the American and French revolutions, and the story of a simple man’s life; flaws, failures and shortcoming notwithstanding. Duncan’s skill as a veteran podcaster shines through here, with his witty commentary and perfectly tuned inflection never once allowing the listener to become disengaged with the story. An excellent listen, an excellent book, and nothing less than what long-time fans expect from Mr. The History of Rome.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 09-09-21
amazing stuff as always from Mike Duncan
engrossing from beginning to end, this book shows why Lafayette is such an interesting person, while never failing to show his quirks and faults along the way
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- Jaimelyn
- 09-01-21
Made my week
I’ve been waiting for this to be available, and it did not disappoint. So we’ll written
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- Ryan Anderson
- 09-05-21
One of the great biographies of our time
Duncan joins the ranks of America's great biographers with this wonderful book that breaths life into the adventures of liberty's greatest advocate. From start to end Duncan covers the life of Lafayette in glorious detail in his journey from the court of the Ancien Regime to the last living major general of the American revolution. This is the book every fan of history needs to read.
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- Oren Bernstein
- 09-02-21
Not a “Great Man” - just a good man
After listening to this book, I feel like Lafayette is a personal friend. The Marquis was a remarkable but understated man, never wavering in his principles and almost eager to spend his blood, treasure and reputation in defense of those principles. This is the story of a truly good person.
Duncan’s narration is the perfect complement to his text, with the same mix of friendliness and precision. I was so engrossed in the story that I could hardly believe it when I came to the end so soon.
A must-listen for anyone with an interest in history.
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- Noneya business
- 09-11-21
A dense and epic history.
Hero of Two Worlds was a real page turner read in a familiar style. I enjoyed it and I look forward to more epic histories from Mike Duncan.
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- LT P
- 10-17-21
Duncan is fantastic as ever
thoroughly enjoyed. worth the listen. connects two of the most monumental events in world history with the actions of one man so heroic its hard to believe he wasnt fictitious
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- Yee
- 10-12-21
Another good one by Mike Duncan
Ever since History of Rome, Mike has always delivered!
It's also nice to know a tiny bit of the almost miracle birth of the USA,
Thank you!
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- E. Boswell
- 10-13-21
Flabby for Quotation
Suffers keenly from insecurely inserting frequent quotations thus hurting the pace. in The Storm Before the Storm and his podcasts The history of Rome and Revolutions Mr. Duncan did not or does not rely on quotation to give his point weight.
However, in Hero of Two Worlds Mr. Duncan spent 2 years living in France researching the novel. The work reflects this time spent, seemingly he had found too many quotes that he wished to include so he did not omit a single one. This has the effect of stuttering the pace of the novel as well as its style. Long passages of solid modern writing will be interrupted by multiple quotations in an 18th century style that do nothing to strengthen his point but everything to throw off the cadence.
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