Showing results by narrator "J. A. Smith" in All Categories

Mary Baker Eddy stands unique in our collective remembrances of supposed prophets of the bygone past. She was a girl that quite literally felt a calling at an early age when she thought she heard a supernatural voice call her name. Shortly thereafter, she was intermittently beset with chronic illnesses and remarkable bouts of healing. Whether or not you believe her claims of healing and divine intervention, the story of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist, is a riveting one all the same.

Jefferson Davis - was he a rebel for a bad cause, or just a greatly misunderstood man? Davis was certainly lambasted as the ultimate evil during the American Civil War since he was the leading statesman of the Southern Confederacy. But what do we really know about Jefferson Davis? What motivated him and what made him tick? What inspired him to lead a cause that very nearly ripped the United States asunder? Davis was a statesman and politician for sure, but he was also a soldier, a husband, and a father.

“I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.” How could Malcolm X, whose favorite mantra was “the white man is the devil,” have been the author of those words? In this book, you will join Malcolm X on his sincere search for truth. You will discover the painful, tortuous journey of Malcolm X’s life, which holds the key to the influences and experiences that shaped this man’s mind.

In this twistingly beautiful and epically thrilling conclusion to the fantasy trilogy The Legacy of the Mercenary King, Michael, the infamous Kingkiller, and Serena, the Hollow Queen, race against the odds to have the future they’ve worked so hard to protect…or risk bringing about the end of the world.

Emerson wrote most of his important essays as lectures first and then revised them for print. His first two collections of essays, Essays: First Series (1841) and Essays: Second Series (1844), represent the core of his thinking. They include the well-known essays "Self-Reliance" and "The Over-Soul". Together with "Nature", these essays made the decade from the mid-1830s to the mid-1840s Emerson's most fertile period.

The Battle of the Coral Sea was a major naval conflict which took place a month before the Battle of Midway. Because Midway is regarded as the turning point in the war in the Pacific, Coral Sea is seldom given the respect it deserves. This view fails to take into account the strategic victory that the Allies enjoyed over their powerful, more experienced Japanese foe.

The Mongol Empire, founded by Genghis Khan and continued by his heirs, was one of the largest and most powerful the world has ever seen. Modern China was created from the remnants of the Mongol Empire, and at its peak, this empire controlled one-sixth of the total landmass of the world. Even today, it is estimated that one in every 200 people in the world carries the DNA of Genghis Khan. The world would never be quite the same after the relatively brief reign of Genghis Khan, his children, and grandchildren.

Bette Davis didn’t fit the usual Hollywood image of beauty, but by sheer force of will she became one of the most famous and prominent actresses of the twentieth century. Her entire life was focused on her six-decades-long career. This invariably led to the loss of three husbands and estrangement from her oldest daughter. Still, Bette Davis lived with few regrets. Her most famous movies, Jezebel, All About Eve, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? are still considered classics, discovered by a generation that wasn’t even born when the movies were made.

After the shock and devastation of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the Americans were determined to take their revenge on the Empire of Japan. The Japanese were just as determined to become the dominant power in the Pacific, a goal they were well on their way to achieving as they occupied China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaya, Burma, Northern Borneo, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines.

On a battlefield so littered with dead bodies that General Ulysses S. Grant said it would have been possible to walk across it in any direction without a foot touching the ground, the Union Army notched a brutal but significant victory against the Confederate Army. The two-day battle, with the highest number of casualties recorded in the fighting up to that time, dashed the hopes of a short war. Still, few could have grasped that this battle was only the beginning of a national campaign of slaughter that would see so many Yankee and Rebel deaths.

Margaret Thatcher, famously known as the “Iron Lady” due to her tough-as-nails personality, was not only Britain’s first female prime minister, but one of the most influential political leaders of the 20th century. She commanded the spotlight at a crucial moment in both British and world history. Although she had her problems along the way—dealing with the Cold War, incursions at the Falkland Islands, and attacks by the IRA, at one point almost losing her life in the process—she rose to the occasion.

The Minoan Civilization has, since its rediscovery in the early 20th century by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans, been a source of fascination for the modern world. Some have claimed it represents evidence of a matriarchal society given its progressive treatment of women; others believe it to be the mythical lost city of Atlantis. One area of consensus is that it’s the first advanced civilization in Europe.

This book tells the story of the temperance movement in America, of its rise over a period of 100 years to encompass the growing women’s movement, and how it eventually attained its goal in 1920. It tells the story of Prohibition itself, of how people exploited loopholes in the law to continue drinking legally, and of how they simply ignored the law and drank illegally. It tells the story of the bootleggers and corrupt officials who made fortunes during Prohibition and the politicians who supported and attacked it.

Buddy Holly, born in Lubbock, Texas, was the unassuming yet powerful voice of a generation, singing songs that would become standards of the emerging rock and roll genre in America. From his teenage years, Holly rode high on both his love for music and the pure enthusiasm of his fans. He secured a record deal in the mid-1950s, and soon the whole world would be jamming to his tunes, grooving to hits such as “That’ll Be the Day” and “Peggie Sue”. He was a legend then, and his life—as well as his music—still manages to speak to us today.

The Battle of Jutland, fought near Denmark’s Jutland peninsula in 1916, was unique in the first World War as the only major battle to be fought at sea. In this audiobook, you will hear about these battles, the personalities of the men involved, the planning, and the skirmishes that finally led to the confusion and devastating loss of life at the Battle of Jutland.

When the American Civil War finally drew to an end in 1865, victory for the North seemed to herald a new beginning for African Americans. Emancipation for thousands of former slaves appeared, for the first time, to offer people the chance of full and equal participation in American society. That dream didn't last for long, particularly in the Southern states where new Jim Crow laws prevented African Americans from exercising fundamental rights, including the right to vote.

Award-winning author and visionary self-awareness teacher Geoffrey Saign has reduced 50 years of advanced studies in stress management, brain function, and relaxation techniques to one brilliant stress reduction method that anybody can use for instant, life-changing anxiety relief.

For one thousand years, a peace law has ruled over the realm of Raymara with an iron fist. When a storyteller unleashes five deadly beasts from the magic of his dreams, the once-harmless land is thrown into chaos. Five unlikely companions embark on a harrowing quest to find the beasts and return them to the pages from which they were created. Little do they know, they've been given a task much greater than they've bargained for.

Michael Jackson is undoubtedly a legend. His music is known all over the world, and his status as the “King of Pop” is rarely if ever disputed. However, as much as we know about Jackson’s larger-than-life presence on the stage, less is known about the story of his life. MJ dominated the '80s, then fell hard in the '90s, but was poised for a comeback in 2009. He would put everything on the line to make sure that his performance was flawless. Although he would ultimately leave this mortal plane in the undertaking, his legacy would become greater than ever before.

Little Richard was an incredible performer and musical pioneer who revolutionized music for generations to come. For just about anyone else, such words might sound like hyperbole, but for Little Richard, it’s the pure and simple truth. Little Richard, with his jumpy driving sound and innovative vocalizations, certainly earned his title as the “Architect of Rock and Roll.”