Essays audiobooks

The 50-Percent Theory of Life

By: Steve Porter

Narrated by: Steve Porter

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Steve Porter uses his experience on the family farm to explain his "50-Percent Theory of Life" 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... 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

Why I Close My Restaurant

By: George Mardikian

Narrated by: George Mardikian

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, restaurateur George Mardikian tells of his immigration to the United States and how he tries to repay the warm embrace Americans have given him, in “A New Birth of Freedom”, his contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

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

There is Such a Thing as Truth

By: Errol Morris

Narrated by: Errol Morris

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Filmmaker Errol Morris contemplates the lengths people may go to uncover--or deny--the facts in "There Is Such a Thing as Truth," 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 Rule of Law

By: Michael Mullane

Narrated by: Michael Mullane

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Professor and attorney Michael Mullane says that we are all protected by and accountable to the law, in "The Rule of Law," 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... 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

Mysterious Connections that Link Us Together

By: Azar Nafisi

Narrated by: Azar Nafisi

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Professor and author Azar Nafisi remembers empathy from unexpected sources in "Mysterious Connections that Link Us Together", 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

Natural Links in a Long Chain of Being

By: Victor Davis Hanson

Narrated by: Victor Davis Hanson

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Professor of Classics Victor Davis Hanson contemplates the continuity of generations in "Natural Links in a Long Chain of Being", 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

Science Nourishes the Mind and Soul

By: Brian Greene

Narrated by: Brian Greene

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

Physicist Brian Greene describes how an awareness of our small place in the universe can inspire personal strength, in "Science Nourishes the Mind and the Soul," 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

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 Benefits of Restlessness and Jagged Edges

By: Kay Redfield Jamison

Narrated by: Kay Redfield Jamison

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Professor of psychiatry Kay Redfield Jamison describes the power of intense emotions and temperaments in "The Benefits of Restlessness and Jagged Edges", 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... Read more

The Power of Love to Transform and Heal

By: Jackie Lantry

Narrated by: Jackie Lantry

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Jackie Lantry describes meeting her adopted Chinese son for the first time in "The Power of Love to Transform and to Heal," 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

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

A New Birth of Freedom

By: Maximilian Hodder

Narrated by: Maximilian Hodder

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, Polish-American director Maximilian Hodder tells of his restored faith in humanity after escaping a Soviet gulag, in "A New Birth of Freedom," 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

Talking with the Sun

By: Joy Harjo

Narrated by: Joy Harjo

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Poet Joy Harjo reflects on the importance of maintaining her ancestors' connection to the sun, in "Talking with the Sun,"* 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

Seeing in Beautiful, Precise Pictures

By: Temple Grandin

Narrated by: Temple Grandin

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Animal expert Temple Grandin describes the benefits of the concrete thinking that accompanies her autism, in "Seeing in Beautiful, Precise Pictures," 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... Read more

Disrupting My Comfort Zone

By: Brian Grazer

Narrated by: Brian Grazer

Length: 4 minutes

Abridged: No

Oscar Award-winning producer Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13) talks about "Disrupting My Comfort Zone" in both his professional and personal life 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... Read more

The Light of a Brighter Day

By: Helen Keller

Narrated by: Helen Keller

Length: 5 minutes

Abridged: No

In this essay originally aired in the 1950s, deaf and blind author, activist, and lecturer Helen Keller discusses her vision of faith and how it gives her hope for the future of mankind in "The Light of a Brighter Day", her contribution to NPR’s This I Believe series.

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

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

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