Essays audiobooks

The Real Consequences of Justice

By: Frederic Reamer

Narrated by: Frederic Reamer

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Frederic Reamer finds his belief in justice tested every time he faces criminals and victims at parole board hearings in "The Real Consequences of Justice," 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

There is More to Life than Life

By: Jamaica Ritcher

Narrated by: Jamaica Ritcher

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

A daughter's question about their dead cat leads Jamaica Ritcher to realize her beliefs, in "There Is More to Life Than My Life," 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

Tomorrow Will be a Better Day

By: Josh Rittenberg

Narrated by: Josh Rittenberg

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Teenager Josh Rittenberg contemplates the past his ancestors overcome and the future his generation faces in "Tomorrow Will Be a Better Day," 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... Read more

Free Minds and Hearts at Work

By: Jackie Robinson

Narrated by: Jackie Robinson

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, baseball legend Jackie Robinson reflects on fighting imperfection to create a better world in "Free Minds and Hearts at Work", 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

The Artistry in Hidden Talents

By: Mel Rusnov

Narrated by: Mel Rusnov

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Mel Rusnov describes the delight of discovering "The Artistry of Hidden Talents", especially music, in people otherwise defined by their careers, 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... Read more

When Children Are Wanted

By: Margaret Sanger

Narrated by: Margaret Sanger

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger explains how wanting children before conception can lead to greater good in the world, in "When Children Are Wanted," her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

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

The People Have Spoken

By: Mark Shields

Narrated by: Mark Shields

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Political commentator Mark Shields expresses his faith in politics and admiration for politicians willing to take an unpopular stand, in "The People Have Spoken", 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

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

By: Andrew Sullivan

Narrated by: Andrew Sullivan

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Andrew Sullivan reflects on what some of America's most fundamental values mean to him in "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness", 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... Read more

Finding Prosperity By Feeding Monkeys

By: Harold Taw

Narrated by: Harold Taw

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Harold Taw explains an unusual birthday tradition in "Finding Prosperity by Feeding Monkeys", 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 make up the program... Read more

I Agree with a Pagan

By: Arnold Toynbee

Narrated by: Arnold Toynbee

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, historian Arnold Toynbee describes how relating to others, even when it causes us to suffer, makes us human, in "I Agree With A Pagan", 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

How Do You Believe in a Mystery?

By: Loudon Wainwright, III

Narrated by: Loudon Wainwright, III

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Musician Loudon Wainwright III explains that the joy in writing a song comes from the mystery of its creation, in "How Do You Believe in a Mystery?", 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... Read more

Creative Solutions to Life's Challenges

By: Frank X. Walker

Narrated by: Frank X. Walker

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Frank X. Walker sees many supposed survival skills as "Creative Solutions to Life’s Challenges" in 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 make up the... Read more

Goodness Doesn't Just Happen

By: Rebecca West

Narrated by: Rebecca West

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Critic, journalist, novelist, and feminist Rebecca West describes her discovery that human nature does not naturally support liberty in "Goodness Doesn’t Just Happen", 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... Read more

When Ordinary People Achieve Extraordinary Things

By: Jody Williams

Narrated by: Jody Williams

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams reflects that average people can unite to create a better world, in "When Ordinary People Achieve Extraordinary Things," 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... Read more

This I Believe

By: Jay Allison & Dan Gediman

Narrated by: various

Length: 5 hours 41 minutes

Abridged: No

Based on the NPR series of the same name, This I Believe features 80 Americans—from the famous to the unknown—completing the thought that begins with the book's title. The pieces that make up the program compel listeners to re-think not only what and how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs, but also the extent to which they share... Read more

The America I Believe In

By: Colin Powell

Narrated by: Colin Powell

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Former Secretary of State, and first generation American, Colin Powell explains the importance of remaining an open and welcoming nation 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... Read more

The Power of Presence

By: Debbie Hall

Narrated by: Debbie Hall

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Psychologist Debbie Hall values the simple act of "being there" as a form of connection in "The Power of Presence," 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 pieces that... Read more

Jazz is the Sound of God Laughing

By: Colleen Shaddox

Narrated by: Colleen Shaddox

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Colleen Shaddox explains how music unites her family even during difficult times in "Jazz is the Sound of God Laughing", 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 pieces... Read more

The Bright Lights of Freedom

By: Harold Hongju Koh

Narrated by: Harold Hongju Koh

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Harold Hongju Koh describes how the partition of Korea and his role as a human rights official in the State Department shaped his belief in "The Bright Lights of Freedom", 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... Read more

Spoiled Rotten America - Abridged

By: Larry Miller

Narrated by: Larry Miller

Length: 3 hours 3 minutes

Abridged: Yes

Like Kofi Annan, Larry Miller is one of the most irresistible comic personalities working today. Known for years as an actor, writer, comedian, and sexual pioneer, he's gained a new following as a cultural commentator and frequent guest on political shows. Now, in Spoiled Rotten America, he fixes his gaze on what's funny about our daily... Read more

Creationists

By: E.L. Doctorow

Narrated by: E.L. Doctorow

Length: 4 hours 32 minutes

Abridged: No

E. L. Doctorow is acclaimed internationally for such novels as Ragtime, Billy Bathgate, and The March. Here now are his rich, revelatory essays on the nature of imaginative thought. In Creationists, Doctorow considers creativity in its many forms, from the literary to the comic to the cosmic. As he wrestles with the subjects that have teased and... Read more

The Areas of My Expertise - Abridged

By: John Hodgman

Narrated by: John Hodgman

Length: 6 hours 58 minutes

Abridged: Yes

Hot on the heels of the #1 bestsellers The Onion's Our Dumb Century and Jon Stewart's America comes The Areas of My Expertise, the brilliant and uproarious #15 bestseller (i.e., a runaway phenomenon in its own right-no, seriously) - a lavish compendium of handy reference tables, fascinating trivia, and sage wisdom - all of it completely... Read more

The Rant Zone - Abridged

By: Dennis Miller

Narrated by: Dennis Miller

Length: TBA

Abridged: Yes

In this fourth installment of his acclaimed Rants series, the bestselling author, Emmy® Award-winning talk show host and wise-cracking analyst for ABC's Monday Night Football makes hamburger out of society's most sacred cows as only he can, with the kind of allusions that require high SAT scores—or at least a smart crib sheet. In ranting against... Read more

Microthrills

By: Wendy Spero

Narrated by: Wendy Spero

Length: 6 hours 21 minutes

Abridged: No

Raised in Manhattan by her overprotective sex-therapist mother (who wore “nine inches of shoulder pads”), Wendy Spero has always sought excitement in microthrills, the small, strange highs that give her life meaning—from finding a strip tease video of her grandmother to selling knives door-to-door. As a little girl, Spero passed the time... Read more