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

In this book, we explore the life of Tupac Shakur in full—from his humble beginnings in East Harlem to his meteoric rise to stardom. Tupac lived a life of contradictions. Learn about his years spent in art school acting in plays and writing poetry, his later run-ins with the law, as well as the drive-by shooting that ended his life prematurely. This is the story of Tupac Shakur.

Raoul Wallenberg lived at a time when one of the worst outrages of inhumanity was occurring: the Holocaust. As a Swedish businessman in Hungary, he bore witness to this tragedy firsthand as Hungarian Jews were being shipped off to Auschwitz.

Shirley Chisholm was a force to be reckoned with. Emerging from the humble beginnings of a working-class family in Brooklyn, New York, she carved a path that few dared to tread. With her family barely scraping by, Chisholm witnessed first-hand the trials of living paycheck to paycheck and facing adversity at every turn. Yet it was this very struggle that forged her into the powerhouse she would become.

Lyndon B. Johnson was a powerful figure in American politics for many decades. Rising to prominence as a congressman and senator in his home state of Texas, he then became the surprise vice-president pick for the young and dashing John F. Kennedy. LBJ certainly cut a far different figure and utilized a much different approach than JFK, but he was just as charismatic (and not to mention cunning) in his own right. When Kennedy was tragically struck down by an assassin’s bullet in 1963, Johnson was sure to rise to the occasion.

On May 25, 1961, less than two months after a Soviet cosmonaut had made the very first space flight, President John F. Kennedy told Congress, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”

John Tyler is perhaps one of America’s lesser-known presidents, and the fact that he even became president was due to the tragic death of his predecessor, William Henry Harrison. Throughout history, Tyler was indeed mostly known merely for the fact that he was the first vice president to be promoted to the presidency, but there is more to John Tyler’s story than that. He presided over a tumultuous time in American history and continued to play a decisive role in American politics even after leaving the White House. Here, in this book, we explore his life and his legacy in full.

In 1979, alarmed Soviet leaders watched the growing civil war in Afghanistan with trepidation. Russia’s neighbor had been a close ally for many years, acting as a buffer between Russia and British India, proving vital in the “Great Game” between the two empires. Various coups had, by this point, led to a Moscow-friendly government in Kabul, but things were not playing out as the Soviets had hoped.

James Brown is known as the “Godfather of Soul”—and for good reason. All you have to do is listen to that signature James Brown sound, and you understand the impact he made on music. Just one lip curl and Elvis was sent running. Just one “Hey! Hey! Hey!” and Michael Jackson was inspired. It seems that James Brown’s every move has somehow made an impact on the world of music.

The American Civil War was a long and bloody conflict whose effects are still felt today in the United States. The descendants of the men who fought in the war continue to pay the fallen their respects and remember the events of the war, the various battles, and the personalities of the many leaders involved.

Seen by many as one of America’s greatest presidents, Harry S. Truman was, in many ways, an unexpected president. He came from a very undistinguished background and is, in fact, the only US president in recent history with the honor of being a college dropout. Despite what he may have lacked in formal education, Truman was a quick learner from the real-life experience he was given on the world stage. As president, he gets the credit for some major milestones in American policy. Here, in this book, we cover the dynamic life and powerful legacy of President Harry S. Truman in full.

The creation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922 was one of the defining events of the 20th century. This new federation, created to embody the ideals of communism and the notion of rule by the people, was intended to be different from any other nation in the world. This utopian vision inspired people around the world, and soon, communism became an international movement. However, the history of the Soviet Union did not develop in the way its originators envisaged.

Almost half a millennium later, in 224 CE, a new Persian dynasty, the House of Sasan, challenged the waning power of the Parthian Empire, restoring the Persians to dominance. Emperors in the ancient world lived an exalted but often precarious existence, and this was true for the monarchs, or shahs, as they were known, of the Sasanian Empire. Some of the Sasanian shahs were mighty leaders, adept in battle and in governance, but that was no protection against the threat of assassination.

For many generations, the Aniyunwiya (meaning the “real people” or “principal people”) lived in harmony with the land they inhabited. They worshipped their ancestors and believed that every living thing—people, animals, trees, and plants—had a spirit and an important place in the world.

Many of us dream of finding instant wealth. Just imagine if you were able to go to a place where you could simply gather from the ground gold worth many thousands of dollars. Now imagine that at a time when the average wage for an unskilled worker was barely ten dollars per month.

Few figures in Irish history are as well known as James Joyce. He was born into hardship in a country mired in political conflict, but rather than allow himself to get bogged down, he used his experiences to create some of the finest pieces of modernist literature to date.

Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of President John F. Kennedy, is one of the most iconic and beloved First Ladies in American history, lauded for her style and class. But who was the woman behind the image? In this intimate biography, listeners will discover the true Jackie, from her privileged upbringing and education to her marriage to JFK and her life after his assassination.

On the dawn of June 1, 1921, this haven of Black progress came under a brutal and unrelenting attack when several hundred armed White people launched an assault on Greenwood. Among them were members of the Tulsa Police Department, supported by aircraft and even a heavy machine gun. They murdered Greenwood’s inhabitants and systematically looted and burned its buildings. By afternoon, virtually nothing remained of Black Wall Street, and those of its residents who had survived the assault were arrested and confined in makeshift internment camps.

Martha Washington was the original First Lady of the United States and, of course, the wife of General and President George Washington. Yet as much as history has kept her lingering in the shadows of her husband, she has her own unique story to tell. This biography delves into her early life in colonial Virginia, her first marriage to Daniel Parke Custis, and the untimely death that left her a young widow managing a vast estate. The narrative then charts her storied courtship and subsequent marriage to George Washington, the man who would become the father of a burgeoning nation.