Social Science audiobooks

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee

By: David Treuer

Narrated by: Tanis Parenteau

Length: 17 hours 44 minutes

Abridged: No

FINALIST FOR THE 2019 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Named a best book of 2019 by The New York Times, TIME, The Washington Post, NPR, Hudson Booksellers, The New York Public Library, The Dallas Morning News, and Library Journal.

"Chapter after chapter, it's like one... Read more

Unbound

By: Tarana Burke

Narrated by: Tarana Burke

Length: 7 hours 9 minutes

Abridged: No

"Tarana Burke, I just finished Unbound. Searing. Powerful. Needed!! Thank you." —Oprah

“Sometimes a single story can change the world. Unbound is one of those stories. Tarana’s words are a testimony to liberation and love.” —Brené Brown

One of BookPage's 10 Best Audiobooks of 2021

This program is read by the author.

From the founder and activist... Read more

Real Queer America

By: Samantha Allen

Narrated by: Samantha Allen

Length: 7 hours 26 minutes

Abridged: No

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST
A transgender reporter's "powerful, profoundly moving" narrative tour through the surprisingly vibrant queer communities sprouting up in red states (New York Times Book Review), offering a vision of a stronger, more humane America.
Ten years ago, Samantha Allen was a suit-and-tie-wearing Mormon missionary. Now she's... Read more

Manufacturing Consent

By: Noam Chomsky & Edward S. Herman

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 15 hours 24 minutes

Abridged: No

In this pathbreaking work, now with a new introduction, Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky show that, contrary to the usual image of the news media as cantankerous, obstinate, and ubiquitous in their search for truth and defense of justice, in their actual practice they defend the economic, social, and political agendas of the privileged groups... Read more

The Indian Card

By: Carrie Lowry Schuettpelz

Narrated by: Amy Hall

Length: 7 hours 51 minutes

Abridged: No

A groundbreaking and deeply personal exploration of Tribal enrollment, and what it means to be Native American in the United States

“Candid, unflinching . . . Her thorough excavation of the painful history that gave rise to rigid enrollment policies is a courageous gift to our understanding of contemporary Native life.” —The Whiting Foundation... Read more

The Racism of People Who Love You

By: Samira Mehta

Narrated by: Fareeda Pasha

Length: 5 hours 49 minutes

Abridged: No

An unflinching look at the challenges and misunderstandings mixed-race people face in family spaces and intimate relationships across their varying cultural backgrounds

In this emotionally powerful and intellectually provocative blend of memoir, cultural criticism, and theory, scholar and essayist Samira Mehta reflects on many facets of being... Read more

Wandering in Strange Lands

By: Morgan Jerkins

Narrated by: Morgan Jerkins

Length: 8 hours 3 minutes

Abridged: No

One of Buzzfeed's 24 New Books We Couldn’t Put Down“One of the smartest young writers of her generation.”—Book RiotFrom the acclaimed cultural critic and New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing—a writer whom Roxane Gay has hailed as “a force to be reckoned with”—comes this powerful story of her journey to understand her... Read more

The Third Rainbow Girl

By: Emma Copley Eisenberg

Narrated by: Emma Copley Eisenberg

Length: 10 hours 32 minutes

Abridged: No

A stunning, complex narrative about the fractured legacy of a decades-old double murder in rural West Virginia -- and the writer determined to put the pieces back together.
In the early evening of June 25, 1980 in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, two middle-class outsiders named Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, were murdered in an... Read more

Nerd

By: Maya Phillips

Narrated by: Maya Phillips

Length: 9 hours 39 minutes

Abridged: No

In the vein of You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) and Black Nerd Problems, this witty, incisive essay collection from New York Times critic at large Maya Phillips explores race, religion, sexuality, and more through the lens of her favorite pop culture fandoms.

From the moment Maya Phillips saw the opening scroll of Star Wars, Episode V:... Read more

Off the Edge

By: Kelly Weill

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 7 hours 13 minutes

Abridged: No

“A deep dive into the world of Flat Earth conspiracy theorists . . . that brilliantly reveals how people fall into illogical beliefs, reject reason, destroy relationships, and connect with a broad range of conspiracy theories in the social media age. Beautiful, probing, and often empathetic . . . An insightful, human look at what fuels... Read more

Across That Bridge

By: John Lewis

Narrated by: Keith David

Length: 5 hours 27 minutes

Abridged: No

From celebrated Congressman John Lewis comes an eyewitness account of history from a key member of the Civil Rights Movement and confidant to Martin Luther King Jr.

In turbulent times Americans look to the Civil Rights Movement as the apotheosis of political expression. As we confront a startling rise in racism and hate speech and remain a... Read more

Trainwreck

By: Sady Doyle

Narrated by: Alex McKenna

Length: 7 hours 34 minutes

Abridged: No

She’s everywhere once you start looking for her: the trainwreck. 
 
She’s Britney Spears shaving her head, Whitney Houston saying, “crack is whack,” and Amy Winehouse, dying in front of millions. But the trainwreck is also as old (and as meaningful) as feminism itself. 

From Mary Wollstonecraft—who, for decades after her death, was more famous for... Read more

The Men Who Killed the News

By: Eric Beecher

Narrated by: Eric Beecher

Length: 13 hours 26 minutes

Abridged: No

Crikey owner and ex-News Corp and Fairfax editor lifts the lid on the abuse of power by media moguls – from William Randolph Hearst to Elon Musk – and on his own unique experience of working for (and being sued by) the Murdochs.  

What’s gone wrong with our media? The answer: its owners. From William Randolph Hearst to Elon Musk, from the... Read more

History for Tomorrow

By: Roman Krznaric

Narrated by: Roman Krznaric

Length: 7 hours 30 minutes

Abridged: No

Brought to you by Penguin.

What can humankind’s rich history of radical revolts teach us about the power of disobedience to tackle the climate crisis? What inspiration could we take from eighteenth century Japan to create a regenerative economy today? How might understanding the origins of capitalism spark ideas for bringing AI under control?

In... Read more

Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek

By: Thea Glassman

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

Length: 9 hours 2 minutes

Abridged: No

The untold stories of seven revolutionary teen shows (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, My So-Called Life, Dawson’s Creek, Freaks and Geeks, The O.C., Friday Night Lights, and Glee) that shaped the course of modern television and our pop cultural landscape forever.

The modern television landscape is defined by influential and ambitious shows for and... Read more

If Women Rose Rooted

By: Sharon Blackie

Narrated by: Sharon Blackie

Length: 13 hours 23 minutes

Abridged: No

In this life-changing book that blends myth, memoir, and modern-day mentors, renowned psychologist Dr. Sharon Blackie journeys from the wasteland of modern society to a place of nourishment and connection.



"Mind-blowing. An anthem for all we could be . . . I sincerely hope every woman who can read has the time and space to read it." —Manda Scott,... Read more

Wolfish

By: Erica Berry

Narrated by: Lessa Lamb

Length: 15 hours 36 minutes

Abridged: No

"Lessa Lamb narrates with a fine tone and timbre. She inhabits the youthful sound and elegant style of this layered audiobook. Her timing and sense of occasion add richness to its informed foray into all things wolf as she captures the drama, fear, and anxiety that underlie the immersive presentation." - AudioFile Magazine (Earphones Award... Read more

Waxing On

By: Ralph Macchio

Narrated by: Ralph Macchio

Length: 5 hours 13 minutes

Abridged: No

An instant New York Times Bestseller! 

Since The Karate Kid first crane-kicked its way into the pop culture stratosphere in June 1984, there hasn’t been a week Ralph Macchio hasn’t heard friendly shouts of “Wax on, wax off” or “Sweep the leg!” Now, with Macchio reprising his role as Daniel LaRusso in the #1 ranked Netflix show Cobra Kai, he is... Read more

Dying of Politeness

By: Geena Davis

Narrated by: Geena Davis

Length: 7 hours 36 minutes

Abridged: No

From two-time Academy Award winner and screen icon Geena Davis, the surprising tale of her “journey to badassery”—from her epically polite childhood to roles that loaned her the strength to become a powerhouse in Hollywood.At three years old, Geena Davis announced she was going to be in movies. Now, with a slew of iconic roles and awards under... Read more

Wastelands

By: Corban Addison

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

Length: 16 hours 15 minutes

Abridged: No

"Beautifully written, impeccably researched, and told with the air of suspense that few writers can handle, Wastelands is a story I wish I had written." —From the Foreword by John Grisham
 
The once idyllic coastal plain of North Carolina is home to a close-knit, rural community that for more than a generation has battled the polluting practices... Read more

My Body

By: Emily Ratajkowski

Narrated by: Emily Ratajkowski

Length: 5 hours 16 minutes

Abridged: No

This program is read by the author.

"Ratajkowski shares thoughts on sexuality, feminism, and power dynamics in a nuanced way that will have listeners looking for more from her." —AudioFile

"The essays are more impactful when you hear Ratajkowski read them, which she does with sincere emotion." —Shondaland

"My Body offers a lucid examination of the... Read more

Being Seen

By: Elsa Sjunneson

Narrated by: Elsa Sjunneson

Length: 6 hours 36 minutes

Abridged: No

A deafblind writer and professor explores how the misrepresentation of disability in books, movies, and TV harms both the disabled community and everyone else.

As a deafblind woman with partial vision in one eye and bilateral hearing aids, Elsa Sjunneson lives at the crossroads of blindness and sight, hearing and deafness—much to the confusion of... Read more

Seek You

By: Kristen Radtke

Narrated by: Kristen Radtke

Length: 1 hour 58 minutes

Abridged: No

From the acclaimed author of Imagine Wanting Only This—a timely and moving meditation on isolation and longing, both as individuals and as a society. • One of Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2021

There is a silent epidemic in America: loneliness. Shameful to talk about and often misunderstood, loneliness is everywhere, from the most major of... Read more

When the Stars Begin to Fall

By: Theodore R. Johnson

Narrated by: Theodore R. Johnson

Length: 9 hours 24 minutes

Abridged: No

A bold, thought-provoking pathway to the national solidarity that could, finally, address the ills of racism in America

“Racism is an existential threat to America,” Theodore R. Johnson declares at the start of his profound and exhilarating book. It is a refutation of the American Promise enshrined in our Constitution that all men and women are... Read more