Performance audiobooks

Kojak - The Prodigal Son

By: Arthur Korb

Narrated by: The Power Performance Players

Length: TBA

Abridged: No

A dramatic performance by the Power Performance Players of one of Kojak's cases from the fictional files of the New York Police Department. Read more

Author Erik Larson Looks Back At Another Time of Crisis: London’s Blitz

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 9 minutes

Abridged: No

In previous books like "The Devil in the White City" and "Isaac's Storm,"
bestselling author Erik Larson has used everyday people to chronicle
historical events. But his latest offering, "The Splendid and the Vile: A
Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance during the Blitz," explores Winston
Churchill's turbulent first year as Britain's wartime... Read more

House Democrats In Trump Districts Tread Delicately On Impeachment

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Only seven of the 235 House Democrats have not articulated support for the impeachment inquiry. Each represents a district President Trump won in 2016. John Yang traveled to upstate New York to find out what constituents are saying to one of the holdouts, Rep. Anthony Brindisi, who narrowly defeated a Republican incumbent in 2018. Read more

This Nonprofit Has A Sweet Plan For Reclaiming Vacant Detroit Lots

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 2 minutes

Abridged: No

Detroit is known for the rhythms of Motown and the hum of automobile manufacturing plants. Now, one nonprofit is adding a new sound to this urban landscape: the buzzing of bees. Special correspondent Mary Ellen Geist reports on the efforts of Detroit Hives to reclaim some of the city’s vacant spaces -- while also leveraging the nutritional... Read more

Why Twyla Tharp wants us to ‘shut up' and do what we love

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Twyla Tharp is the greatest choreographer of our era. Her groundbreaking
career in dance blended classical ballet with contemporary culture. Now, at
age 78, Tharp is sharing her innovative approach to health and aging in a
new book. Jeffrey Brown visited the American Ballet Theater recently to ask
Tharp what she looks for in fellow dancers and... Read more

In Cambodia, Sand Mining Is Big Business — But It Comes At A Price

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

Sand mining accounts for 85 percent of all worldwide mineral extraction, a $70 billion industry. In Cambodia, the practice is big business -- but it comes with a price. The country relies upon the Mekong River for commerce and transportation, but extensive dredging to harvest sand is fundamentally changing its ecosystem and eroding its banks.... Read more

Kevin Wilson’s Novel “Nothing To See Here” Makes Fun Of Your Child’S Meltdown

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

A new, acclaimed novel takes a young child's meltdown and turns it into a
surreal satire of modern life. In "Nothing to See Here," author Kevin
Wilson uses a universal experience of parenthood to explore some incendiary
family dynamics. Wilson sits down with Jeffrey Brown for a conversation. Read more

How The Dallas Street Choir Grants Homeless Residents A Voice

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

The mantra of the Dallas Street Choir is “homeless, not voiceless.” Some
2,000 singers have passed through the group in the last five years, seeking
support, artistic expression and community as they contend with life on the
streets. The organization also aims to raise awareness of Dallas’ growing
homelessness problem, even as the city’s economy... Read more

In Italy, Rising Anxiety Over Falling Birth Rates

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 7 minutes

Abridged: No

Family size has been shrinking in the industrialized world for decades, and in Italy, the decline has been particularly dramatic. A generation ago, Italian mothers commonly had more than four children. Now they average less than two. Demographers warn that a shrinking population could yield an unprecedented economic crisis. Special correspondent... Read more

‘Conversations With Friends' Author Sally Rooney Answers Your Questions

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Sally Rooney, author of our September pick for the NewsHour-New York Times book club, Now Read This, joins Jeffrey Brown to answer reader questions on “Conversations with Friends,” and Jeff announces the October book selection. Read more

Soaring Housing Costs Stretch Already-Strapped College Students

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

For many college students, living costs may exceed the cost of tuition and fees, as affordable housing options are becoming increasingly hard to find. Some find they struggle with debt, or paying for meals; others are at risk for homelessness. As part of our series Rethinking College, Hari Sreenivasan travels to Philadelphia to see how students... Read more

How Chanel Miller took her story back after her rapist's lenient sentence left her feeling ‘invisible'

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 8 minutes

Abridged: No

For years, she was known to the world as Emily Doe, the survivor of a
sexual assault that garnered national attention in part because her
attacker served only three months in prison, a sentence that sparked
outrage. This week, Chanel Miller is stepping into the spotlight with a new
memoir, Know My Name. Miller sits down with Amna Nawaz to tell... Read more

This Philadelphia Art Exhibit Pushes The Envelope With Designs For The Future

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

What will the future look like? That’s the big question posed by a new
exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Eighty designers from around
the world have put their imaginations to work, leveraging both anxiety and
excitement over the possibilities offered by innovation and new technology.
Jeffrey Brown reports. Read more

Americans Are Drowning In Medical Debt, So This Nonprofit Is Buying — And Forgiving — It

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

Collectively, Americans owe nearly a trillion dollars of medical debt, and Congress is trying to figure out a policy response. But in the meantime, economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on an unusual non-profit’s effort to relieve the burden of medical debt for those in need. Read more

Brad Pitt on turning undertold stories into movies: ‘Every film needs some champion’

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 14 minutes

Abridged: No

As one of the world's biggest and best-known movie stars, Brad Pitt is
spending as much time helping get films made as he is acting. His latest
project, Ad Astra, is about a journey to the far reaches of the solar
system, as well as the journey inward for a tortured soul. Pitt sits down
with Jeffrey Brown to discuss his career, and why he helps... Read more

The little-known story of the Republican Party’s 1st presidential nominee

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In a new book, NPR’s Steve Inskeep has chronicled the little-known story of
how the illegitimate son of an immigrant rose to become the Republican
Party’s first presidential nominee in 1856 -- with a lot of help from his
wife. Lisa Desjardins sits down with Inskeep to discuss “Imperfect Union:
How Jessie and John Frémont Mapped the West,... Read more

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton: Gutsy Women

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

As an impeachment inquiry into President Trump’s actions on Ukraine begins, Hillary Clinton says that it appears that there is evidence of abuse of power and obstruction of justice and contempt of Congress. The former secretary of state and daughter Chelsea sit down with Judy Woodruff to discuss the decision to withdraw troops from Syria,... Read more

What Trump's Refugee Policies Could Mean For Places Like Bowling Green, Kentucky

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

For the year that began in October, President Trump has capped the number of refugees who may enter the U.S. at 18,000 -- the lowest level since 1980. The policy is having a significant effect in what may seem like an unlikely place: Bowling Green, Kentucky, where a disproportionate number of refugees has settled in recent years, forming a... Read more

For Daca Students, It's Hard To Focus On A Bright Future When Faced With Deportation Fears

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

Like many college students, 19-year-old Jimmy Rodriguez has a lot on his plate. But unlike most of his peers, Rodriguez, a DACA beneficiary, is pursuing a degree and a future in a country he may one day be forced to leave. Hari Sreenivasan reports on the unique challenges faced by undocumented students as part of our series, Rethinking College. Read more

What Life Is Like For Afghans Under Taliban Control

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

For months, American diplomats have been negotiating with Taliban leaders
to end the war in Afghanistan. U.S. officials hoped the Taliban would
announce a suspension of fighting this week, but details have yet to be
determined. Meanwhile, the war grinds on, with attacks nearly every day.
But what is life like for Afghans existing under Taliban... Read more

Inside The ‘Extraordinary' Campaign To Put Brett Kavanaugh On The Supreme Court

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 7 minutes

Abridged: No

President Trump's nomination of federal judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018 launched a bitter partisan fight that grew even more polarized when Christine Blasey Ford said Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in high school. Kavanaugh was ultimately confirmed and now sits on the Court. The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus details his... Read more

These Forest Fungi Are A Bounty For Arizona Mushroom Hunters

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 2 minutes

Abridged: No

Mushroom hunters have long fanned out across the forest floor seeking what can be lucrative and delicious finds for teas, broths and medicinal remedies. But what does climate change mean for the fungi? From the Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, Melanie Porter reports on what the foragers of the Arizona Mushroom Society... Read more

Memory is a superpower in Ta-Nehisi Coates' novel about the Underground Railroad

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

To make the case for reparations for the toll of slavery, acclaimed writer
Ta-Nehisi Coates has offered forceful advocacy and powerful data-driven
argument. With his first novel, The Water Dancer, he uses fiction to
illuminate the Underground Railroad. Coates joins Jeffrey Brown to discuss
the difference between history and myth, and his... Read more

How This Philanthropist Hopes To Boost Mid-Career Women Artists

By: PBS NewsHour

Narrated by: PBS NewsHour

Length: 6 minutes

Abridged: No

The work of women artists makes up only 3 to 5 percent of major museums'
permanent collections in the U.S. and Europe. Many of these artists
struggle financially -- but Susan Unterberg is trying to change that. For
decades, the artist has supported her female peers as an anonymous
benefactor. Jeffrey Brown sits down with Unterberg to discuss why... Read more