Essays audiobooks

No Shortcuts to the Top - Abridged

By: Ed Viesturs & David Roberts

Narrated by: Ed Viesturs

Length: 5 hours 51 minutes

Abridged: Yes

This gripping and triumphant memoir follows a living legend of extreme mountaineering as he makes his assault on history, one 8,000-meter summit at a time.

For eighteen years Ed Viesturs pursued climbing’s holy grail: to stand atop the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much... Read more

Firstlight

By: Sue Monk Kidd

Narrated by: Kate Forbes

Length: 4 hours 32 minutes

Abridged: No

From the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and the new novel The Invention of Wings (Viking, January 2014) comes a thoughtful, revelatory book of writings on self and spirit

Before she won an international readership with her novels, Sue Monk Kidd was best known for her smart, passionate spiritual writings. Now many of those early... Read more

Always Go to the Funeral

By: Deirdre Sullivan

Narrated by: Deirdre Sullivan

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Deidre Sullivan describes the lessons she learned from her father's advice to "Always Go To The Funeral" for NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel... Read more

The Fellowship of the World

By: Niven Busch

Narrated by: Niven Busch

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, novelist and screenwriter Niven Busch discusses faith, prayer, and subway rides in "The Fellowship of the World", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that... Read more

There is No Job More Important than Parenting

By: Benjamin Carson

Narrated by: Benjamin Carson

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson describes his mother's dedication to his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor in "There Is No Job More Important Than Parenting," his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that... Read more

A Journey Toward Acceptance and Love

By: Greg Chapman

Narrated by: Greg Chapman

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Greg Chapman describes the power of crafting his own story as a gay man from a conservative Baptist background in "A Journey Toward Acceptance and Love", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins... Read more

A Shared Moment of Trust

By: Warren Christopher

Narrated by: Christopher Warren

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher reflects on humanity’s interdependence and reliance on each other, in "A Shared Moment of Trust," her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the... Read more

The Hardest Work You Will Ever Do

By: Mary Cook

Narrated by: Mary Cook

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Mary Cook explains how her recovery from grief taught her that grieving is not a battle, but a surrender, in "The Hardest Work You Will Ever Do", her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the... Read more

Good Can Be as Communicable as Evil

By: Norman Corwin

Narrated by: Norman Corwin

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Radio producer and screenwriter Norman Corwin reflects on small but contagious acts of kindness and compassion in "Good Can Be As Communicable As Evil", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins... Read more

A Daily Walk Just to Listen

By: Susan Cosio

Narrated by: Susan Cosio

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Susan Cosio talks about finding God during "A Daily Walk Just to Listen" to Him in her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series. This short audio essay is an excerpt from the audiobook edition of NPR's This I Believe anthology.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown,... Read more

My Father's Evening Star

By: William O. Douglas

Narrated by: William O. Douglas

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, Former Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas encourages a return to the faith of his father's generation in "My Father’s Evening Star"*, his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown,... Read more

How Is It Possible to Believe in God?

By: William F. Buckley, Jr.

Narrated by: William F. Buckley, Jr.

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Public intellectual, conservative author and political commentator William F. Buckley, Jr., speaks to his belief in divine creation in "How Is It Possible To Believe In God?", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the... Read more

In Giving I Connect With Others

By: Isabel Allende

Narrated by: Isabel Allende

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

In her contribution to NPR's This I Believe series, novelist Isabelle Allende reflects on how her daughter's life--and death--taught her that "In Giving I Connect With Others".

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

An Honest Doubter

By: Elizabeth Deutsch (Earle)

Narrated by: Elizabeth Deutsch (Earle)

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, Elizabeth Deutsch (then 16 years old) became the youngest contributor to the first This I Believe series with "An Honest Doubter", in which she reflects on her active search for a personal philosophy and a personal faith.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from... Read more

Leaving Identity Issues to Other Folks

By: Phyllis Allen

Narrated by: Phyllis Allen

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Phyllis Allen reflects on tumultuous decades and the changing vocabulary of race in "Leaving Identity Issues to Other Folks", her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

Have I Learned Anything Important Since I was Sixteen?

By: Elizabeth Deutsch (Earle)

Narrated by: Elizabeth Deutsch (Earle)

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Elizabeth Deutsch Earle reflects on her original This I Believe Essay, first aired in the 1950s when she was then the youngest contributor to the program, in "Have I Learned Anything Important Since I was Sixteen?"

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought... Read more

An Athlete of God

By: Martha Graham

Narrated by: Martha Graham

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, legendary modern dance and ballet choreographer Martha Graham describes for NPR’s This I Believe series what it means to be a dancer, "An Athlete of God".

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with... Read more

Testing the Limits of What I Know and Feel

By: John Updike

Narrated by: John Updike

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike comments on how writing fiction can push the writer's boundaries, in "Testing the Limits of What I Know and Feel," his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins... Read more

The Mountain Disappears

By: Leonard Bernstein

Narrated by: Leonard Bernstein

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein expresses his belief in the potential of people to create change, in "The Mountain Disappears," his contribution to NPR's This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing... Read more

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

By: Tucker Max

Narrated by: Tucker Max

Length: 5 hours 43 minutes

Abridged: No

Tucker Max graduated with high honors from the University of Chicago in 1998 and received an academic scholarship to Duke Law School, where he graduated in 2001, despite the fact that he spent part of one semester--while still enrolled in classes--living in Cancun. He took these degrees and set out to help the world--by drinking, hooking up,... Read more

A Goal of Service to Humankind

By: Anthony Fauci

Narrated by: Anthony Fauci

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Dr. Anthony Fauci reflects on the meaning of knowledge, excellence, and service in his life in "A Goal of Service to Humankind", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The... Read more

The God Who Embraced Me

By: John W. Fountain

Narrated by: John W. Fountain

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

John W. Fountain reflects on the importance of fathers, both biological and divine, in "The God Who Embraced Me", his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that... Read more

The People Who Love You When No One Else Will

By: Cecile Gilmer

Narrated by: Cecile Gilmer

Length: 3 minutes

Abridged: No

Cecile Gilmer explains how she found a loving family when her biological one failed her in "The People Who Love You When No One Else Will", her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series... Read more

The Connection Between Strangers

By: Miles Goodwin

Narrated by: Miles Goodwin

Length: 3 minutes

Abridged: No

Miles Goodwin describes the profound impact of a small "Connection Between Strangers" for NPR’s This I Believe series.

This I Believe is a National Public Radio program that features Americans, from the famous to the unknown, completing the thought that begins with the series title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to... Read more