Showing results by narrator "Matthew J Chandler-Smith" in All Categories

F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the foremost American novelists of his time. His works, which included masterpieces such as The Great Gatsby, portrayed the Jazz Age of the Roaring Twenties and gave voice to a lost generation, but somewhere along the way, Fitzgerald himself became lost. After the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression, the world cared not so much about glitz and glamor as they did simply trying to scrape together enough money to get by.

Spencer Tracy was a man who truly immersed himself in his craft. Ever since he was a boy, he dreamed of making his way to the big screen to play larger-than-life roles, and he didn’t stop until he made that dream a reality. Tracy brought a whole string of box office hits to the Golden Age of Film; still, his life wasn’t perfect. The actor struggled with alcohol addiction, and due to infidelity, his marriage at home would be strained. After separating from his wife, he kept in place a long-term relationship with actress Katharine Hepburn until the day he died. 

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. 

If you had to name the most destructive conflicts in human history, you likely wouldn’t put the Thirty Years’ War near the top of that list, but in fact, this conflict resulted in more than eight million fatalities throughout Europe. It resulted in widespread destruction, and it bankrupted the majority of the powers involved. For such a destructive war, the Thirty Years’ War is not well-known, and yet it changed the geopolitical face of Europe as well as the role of religion and nation-states in society. This audiobook tells the compelling story of the Thirty Years’ War. 

A prominent Lakota Sioux chief and medicine man, Sitting Bull was both a man of peace and a man of war as he sought to simultaneously fight and negotiate on behalf of his people during the westward expansion of the United States. His visions inspired and led the Native American warriors to victory in the legendary Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. This triumph would, however, be short-lived, and Sitting Bull and his loyal band of followers would be forced to surrender their freedom only five years later. This book reveals his incredible life and legacy in full.

With the help of a newspaper reporter, a legend was created of Jesse James as a hero and defender of the South. That legend gave Jesse James 20 years to rob and kill at will, as it was usually disguised in the press as heroism. No lawman was ever able to bring Jesse James down; ultimately, he died at the hands of one of his own men. This book tells the story of his life from beginning to end. 

For 28 years, the Berlin Wall was a symbol of communist oppression and tyranny. The barricade was built in August 1961 to keep East German citizens from defecting to West Germany. This is the story of an oppressive symbol — a wall erected to form a prison for those within its border — but it is also the story of triumph over tyranny when finally, 28 years after it was first built, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down in 1989.

Saint Peter, also known as Peter the Apostle, was one of the main figures of the early Christian Church. He began his life as a simple fisherman who caught fish in the Sea of Galilea, but one day, this fisherman became a “fisher of men” instead. In good time, he would help to form one of the largest religious movements the world had ever known, eventually giving his life to the cause when he was sentenced to death by crucifixion. Here, in this audiobook, we discover the life of Saint Peter from beginning to end. 

Constantine the Great was one of the most pivotal figures in the history of the Roman Empire and the widespread expansion of the Christian religion. This is in no way an understatement; Constantine was not only one of the last truly powerful Roman emperors, but he also successfully reconstituted the whole empire according to his vision of Rome’s future. He played the most significant role in transforming the Empire from a Greco-Roman pagan dominion into a bulwark of the Christian faith, granting for the first time real temporal power for the early Christian church.

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.

James Baldwin grew up in a poverty-stricken home, but through the skill of his prose and his keen observation, he was able to rise above it all. Baldwin was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of artist who had an uncanny understanding of people, situations, and the status quo. As a writer, Baldwin was highly critical of many aspects of society, and he used his pen to question why things were the way they were. This audiobook follows James Baldwin’s journey from Harlem to France, as he sorts out both his personal inclinations and the world as a whole.

The Gulf War took place between August 1990 and February 1991, when Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invaded neighboring Kuwait, a small, oil-rich country in the Middle East. His actions horrified and terrified world leaders and average citizens alike, as fears about his use of chemical weapons and his plans for further expansion spurred the United Nations into action.

The Chernobyl Disaster, which occurred in late April 1986, was the worst nuclear accident in history. It not only caused widespread radioactive contamination, but even more importantly, it claimed many lives and caused panic worldwide about the safety of nuclear power. In short, it changed the face of nuclear energy globally.

Joan Crawford was a legend. Few could compare to the charm and grace that she brought to the silver screen. Little did anyone know, however, of the charmed yet ultimately tragic life she led away from the camera and the main stage. Crawford was married four times and ended up disinheriting two of her children from her will. She certainly had her share of problems, but no one could keep this ambitious leading lady down for long. In this audiobook, we cover the life and legend of Joan Crawford in full.

If the history of the Eastern Han dynasty were limited to the accomplishments of its scholars, scientists, and inventors, it would be a glorious saga of the innovation and creativity of the human mind. Anesthesia was first used during surgical procedures in the years of the Eastern Han emperors, earthquake tremors were measured, and perhaps, most remarkable of all, a process for manufacturing paper was developed by a eunuch of the imperial court. 

Pancho Villa was many things to many people. To some, he was a freedom fighter and revolutionary; to others, he was nothing more than a bloodthirsty bandit and killer. Villa’s life did indeed take many twists and turns, and some of the decisions he made would undoubtedly make many of us question his motives. This book seeks to cut through all of the moral ambiguity and deliver a testament of his life as it really was. Here, you will find the life and legacy of Pancho Villa in full.

The Civil Rights Movement in America is a broad term for the movement in the mid-20th century among and for the African American community in pursuit of equal protection and rights under the law. In reality, it began much earlier than the 1950s and continues until this day. What is more, it was about so much more than the extension of universal rights; the Civil Rights Movement is about the story of the long struggle to overcome the legacies of slavery and racism. It is a story of triumph over adversity and perseverance in the face of great hardship.

The history of the Western Han dynasty reveals a time of magnificence for China: A time when the country expanded its territory, perfected the weaving of silk to such an extent that a trade route extending from China all the way to Rome would take its name from that prized export, and capitalized upon the technological advances within its country to witness an agricultural revolution that predated Europe’s farming innovations by hundreds of years.

On a December night in 1773, in an iconic act of civil disobedience, American colonists dressed as Native Americans boarded a merchant ship laden with tea. They tossed the tea into the Boston Harbor in protest of taxation without representation. Their motivation at the time was not one of a battle for independence; rather, they sought what they viewed as their constitutional right to representation in the British Parliament.

Very few lives can be described as fit for a Hollywood film. Audrey Hepburn’s life, however, is undoubtedly one of those few. After a difficult childhood that saw her parents divorce and her young existence shattered by the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, Audrey Hepburn’s career as an actress knew no bounds. Audiences flocked to see her, and actors yearned to star alongside her. Dressed often exclusively by Givenchy, Audrey was the epitome of chic and elegance.