Showing results by narrator "Stephen Paul Aulridge Jr." in All Categories

Siddhartha is a novel by Hermann Hesse that deals with the spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the Gautama Buddha.

There is no such thing as the perfect crime, but there are some crimes that go unsolved for a long time. They are called cold cases. The authorities run out of leads and clues to track down, and sometimes these old crimes go for years and even decades unsolved. The cases contained in Cold Cases Solved are some of these stories.

Catherine the Great is one of the most influential rulers in Russian history. Though born in Prussia, she endeavored to gain the throne of Russia and went on to be the longest-ruling empress in Russian history. She ruled as an enlightened despot, promoting the principles of the European Enlightenment as she sought to modernize her beloved country. She reformed the educational system of Russia, creating a national system that utilized modern educational theory in a co-educational setting.

After the Battle of Midway, the Japanese were forced into the position of trying to defend the territory they had previously taken; their dreams of expanding their acquisitions and becoming the dominant power in the Pacific were gone. The tide of war in the Pacific had shifted.

Bob Dylan is the prince of self-reinvention and deflection. Whether it's the folkies of Greenwich Village, the student movement of the 1960s and 1970s, born-again Christians, the Chabad Lubavitch community, or English department postmodernists, specific intellectual and sociopolitical groups have repeatedly claimed Bob Dylan as their spokesperson. But in the words of filmmaker Todd Haynes, "The minute you try to grab hold of Dylan, he's no longer where he was."

The British people had no sooner finished rescuing their trapped army from Dunkirk than they found themselves preparing for an attack from the Germans once again. But the heroism of the Royal Air Force and the fortitude of the British people turned Germany’s certain victory into defeat, forcing Hitler to abandon his plans to invade England. “We shall never surrender,” Churchill vowed, and his words rallied a nation, delivering a blow to the Nazi war machine that would, in the end, prove to be a turning point in World War II.

The specter of global war loomed large in President Franklin Roosevelt's mind as he prepared to present his 1941 State of the Union address, yet his rallying cry to the nation was about more than just national security or why Americans should care about a fight still far overseas. He instead identified how Americans defined themselves as a people, with words that resonated and defined the parameters of American politics and foreign policy for generations.

During 14 years, from 1955 to 1969, the Soviet Union and the United States of America were engaged in a dramatic race against each other to conquer space. This period encompassed dramatic victories, humbling defeats, and more than one tragedy. This is a story of human courage and ingenuity at its best and political maneuvering at its worst, of almost unbelievable technological progress undertaken with the object not just of advancing human knowledge but also of proving the superiority of one country over another.

Inside this two-in-one bundle, you’ll discover two classic books which have stood the test of time. Both of these books had a huge impact at their time of publication and continue to resonate with the hearts of millions this very day.

Nero. The very name seems to embody the character of a tyrant. The years of his reign come down to us with tales full of self-serving totalitarianism. Wasn’t he the one that fiddled while Rome burned after all? Wasn’t this the mad monarch who wished to embark upon a building project, so he set the old buildings that were in his way on fire? But besides this power-mad tyranny, what do we know about Nero? Surely even the most despotic dictator has a good side?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt described December 7, 1941, the date when the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the United States while the two countries were still officially at peace, as a day that would live in infamy. The action hurled the United States into the global conflict of World War II, a violent conflagration that the nation, fiercely isolationist, had intended to ignore. But the rising tide of militarism across the globe meant that American neutrality could not last. War was contagious, and sooner or later, no matter how a nation tried to quarantine itself, the infection would find it.

Listen to the epic saga of the ordinary British civilians who sailed across the English Channel to the embattled port of Dunkirk to rescue their trapped soldiers, while the German military launched its might to prevent the evacuation.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the traditional name for the unfinished record of his own life written by Benjamin Franklin from 1771 to 1790. This work has become one of the most famous and influential examples of an autobiography ever written. Franklin's account of his life is divided into four parts, reflecting the different periods at which he wrote them. Franklin's Autobiography has received widespread praise, both for its historical value as a record of an important early American and for its literary style.

Where survival is the meaning of life. A speculative fiction serial of adventure novellas set in a strange and punishing world. In book two, Longhorn, a man finds himself in a terrifying landscape without shelter, explanation, or memory. Join him as he searches for answers and struggles to survive. Find out if life and knowledge of his past are truly worth the price.

Jeffrey Porter never wanted to follow in his father's footsteps; he had other plans. Now his father is missing, and forces are conspiring to draw Jeffrey back to the mysterious house with two cellars. When he follows his father down the rabbit hole, he enlists the help of August Kimball, a man of quite different beliefs, talents, and temperament. In their search, Jeffrey works to reconcile memory and fact, and soon finds that if he and August are to lay claim to the future, he must first reclaim the past.

Murders Unsolved, Volume 2, a continuation of the Murders, Mayhem, and Scandals Series, contains famous unsolved murders from history to today. Each case tells the story of the murder, including the victim's backstory, the circumstances of his or her death, the investigation, any suspects, and the current status of the case.

History describes the 872-day Siege of Leningrad as the most devastating siege in history. The German army had made its way to Leningrad before the city had the opportunity to prepare for an assault, and the consequences were lethal. Accompanied by one of the worst famines in history, as well as a brutally cold winter in 1941-1942, the civilians were doomed. It’s a harrowing saga of bravery and brutality, but one that must be told.

Executed Unjustly: True Stories of People Executed Wrongfully, or Were They? recounts the true stories of people who were accused, convicted, and executed for crimes. Some of them were later officially exonerated for the crimes, and for others the preponderance of evidence today shows they were executed wrongfully, though they were never officially found innocent.

In the Buddhist tradition, Vipassana means "insight into the true nature of reality". It is one of the world's most ancient forms of meditation and courses in the technique are offered around the world. In this detailed essay, author Robert Crayola describes his experiences at one such course, providing a thorough account of the pros and cons involved. This audiobook will help you decide if a course in Vipassana is right for you, and includes information on taking a course yourself.

The most famous man of the Middle Ages was probably Charlemagne, and few would argue that he was also the most important man during those centuries. When Charlemagne became king of the Franks, he proceeded to create one of the largest European empires since the collapse of Rome. Through his conquests across Western Europe and Italy, Charlemagne became the first holy Roman emperor after a famous imperial coronation by Pope Leo III.