Nonfiction audiobooks

Below the Edge of Darkness

By: Edith Widder, Ph.D.

Narrated by: Allyson Ryan

Length: 11 hours 55 minutes

Abridged: No

A pioneering marine biologist takes us down into the deep ocean to understand bioluminescence—the language of light that helps life communicate in the darkness—and what it tells us about the future of life on Earth in this “thrilling blend of hard science and high adventure” (The New York Times Book Review). 

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE... 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

The Woman They Could Not Silence

By: Kate Moore

Narrated by: Kate Moore

Length: 14 hours 36 minutes

Abridged: No

From the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Radium Girls comes another dark and dramatic but ultimately uplifting tale of a forgotten woman whose inspirational journey sparked lasting change for women’s rights and exposed injustices that still resonate today.1860: As the clash between the states rolls... 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

The 2000s Made Me Gay

By: Grace Perry

Narrated by: Grace Perry

Length: 8 hours 21 minutes

Abridged: No

This program is read by the author.

From The Onion and Reductress contributor, this collection of essays is a hilarious nostalgic trip through beloved 2000s media, interweaving cultural criticism and personal narrative to examine how a very straight decade forged a very queer woman.

"Honest, funny, smart, and illuminating.” —Anna Drezen, co-head... Read more

Running Out

By: Lucas Bessire

Narrated by: John Chancer

Length: 6 hours 19 minutes

Abridged: No

Finalist for the National Book Award This audiobook narrated by John Chancer recounts an intimate reckoning with aquifer depletion in America's heartland The Ogallala aquifer has nourished life on the American Great Plains for millennia. But less than a century of unsustainable irrigation farming has taxed much of the aquifer beyond repair.... Read more

Seed to Dust

By: Marc Hamer

Narrated by: Owen Teale

Length: 9 hours 48 minutes

Abridged: No

For readers of Late Migrations and H is for Hawk

A stunning meditation on gardening and the wisdom of plants, " that rare book that will appeal to nonfiction readers everywhere. . . Candid, tender, thoughtful and absorbing."—Shelf Awareness (STARRED Review)

"With chapters. . . [that] shimmer like lantern slides, lit with luminous imagery. . . Seed... Read more

Madhouse at the End of the Earth

By: Julian Sancton

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

Length: 13 hours 28 minutes

Abridged: No

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “exquisitely researched and deeply engrossing” (The New York Times) true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry—with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter

“The energy of the narrative never flags. . . . Sancton has produced a... Read more

Pop Song

By: Larissa Pham

Narrated by: Cindy Kay

Length: 7 hours 30 minutes

Abridged: No

Pop Song is a book about love and about falling in love—with a place, or a painting, or a person—and the joy and terror inherent in the experience of that love. Plumbing the well of culture for clues and patterns about love and loss—from Agnes Martin's abstract paintings to James Turrell's transcendent light works, and Anne Carson's Eros the... Read more

The Hard Crowd

By: Rachel Kushner

Narrated by: Rachel Kushner

Length: 7 hours 52 minutes

Abridged: No

AUDIO EXCLUSIVE: INCLUDES GALAXIE 500’S SONG “ANOTHER DAY!”

“The Hard Crowd is wild, wide-ranging, and unsparingly intelligent throughout.” —Taylor Antrim, Vogue

From a writer celebrated for her “chops, ambition, and killer instinct” (John Powers, Fresh Air), a career-spanning collection of spectacular essays about politics and culture.

Rachel... Read more

Finding Freedom

By: Erin French

Narrated by: Erin French

Length: 9 hours 35 minutes

Abridged: No

"[Erin French's] memoir treats listeners to a smooth ride through an anything-but-smooth life. French's engrossing narration delivers polished consistency, and her gentle tone ushers listeners through her story. She speaks with passion and grace, creating a compelling narrative--with plenty of mouthwatering food descriptions." -- AudioFile... Read more

Laundry Love

By: Patric Richardson & Karin B. Miller

Narrated by: Patric Richardson

Length: 5 hours 2 minutes

Abridged: No

This program is read by the author, and includes audio-exclusive bonus tips.

Patric Richardson, aka the "Laundry Evangelist,” reveals his revolutionary methods for cleaning clothes—and making laundry loads more fun.

Doing laundry is rarely anyone’s favorite task. But to Patric Richardson, laundry isn't just fun—it's a way of life. After years of... Read more

Shaking the Gates of Hell

By: John Archibald

Narrated by: Cameron Scoggins

Length: 9 hours 8 minutes

Abridged: No

On growing up in the American South of the 1960s—an all-American white boy—son of a long line of Methodist preachers, in the midst of the civil rights revolution, and discovering the culpability of silence within the church. By the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and columnist for The Birmingham News.

"My dad was a Methodist preacher and his... Read more

Gory Details

By: Erika Engelhaupt

Narrated by: Mari Weiss

Length: 8 hours 33 minutes

Abridged: No

Filled to the brim with far-out facts, this wickedly informative narrative from the author of National Geographic's popular Gory Details blog takes us on a fascinating journey through an astonishing new reality. Blending humor and journalism in the tradition of Mary Roach, acclaimed science reporter Erika Engelhaupt investigates the gross,... Read more

Four Lost Cities

By: Annalee Newitz

Narrated by: Chloe Cannon

Length: 8 hours 14 minutes

Abridged: No

In Four Lost Cities, acclaimed science journalist Annalee Newitz takes listeners on an entertaining and mind-bending adventure into the deep history of urban life. Investigating across the centuries and around the world, Newitz explores the rise and fall of four ancient cities, each the center of a sophisticated civilization: the Neolithic site... Read more

Aftershocks

By: Nadia Owusu

Narrated by: Nadia Owusu

Length: 8 hours 32 minutes

Abridged: No

In the tradition of The Glass Castle, this “gorgeous” (The New York Times, Editors’ Choice) and deeply felt memoir from Whiting Award winner Nadia Owusu tells the “incredible story” (Malala Yousafzai) about the push and pull of belonging, the seismic emotional toll of family secrets, and the heart it takes to pull through.

“In Aftershocks, Nadia... Read more

The Secret Life of Groceries

By: Benjamin Lorr

Narrated by: Benjamin Lorr

Length: 8 hours 57 minutes

Abridged: No

In the tradition of Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, an extraordinary investigation into the human lives at the heart of the American grocery storeThe American supermarket is an everyday miracle. But what does it take to run one? What are the inner workings of product delivery and distribution? Who sets the price? And who suffers for... Read more

Survival of the Thickest

By: Michelle Buteau

Narrated by: Michelle Buteau

Length: 6 hours 34 minutes

Abridged: No

*Now a comedy series on Netflix!*
From the stand-up comedian, actress, and host beloved for her cheeky swagger, unique voice, and unapologetic frankness comes a book of “zesty and hilarious” (Publishers Weekly) essays for fans of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling and We’re Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union.

If you’ve... Read more

Dancing in the Mosque

By: Homeira Qaderi

Narrated by: Ariana Delawari

Length: 6 hours 22 minutes

Abridged: No

An exquisite and inspiring memoir about one mother’s unimaginable choice in the face of oppression and abuse in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

In the days before Homeira Qaderi gave birth to her son, Siawash, the road to the hospital in Kabul would often be barricaded because of the frequent suicide explosions. With the city and the military on... Read more

The Steal Like an Artist Audio Trilogy

By: Austin Kleon

Narrated by: Austin Kleon

Length: 4 hours 32 minutes

Abridged: No

An audio compilation ofSteal Like an Artist, Show Your Workand Keep Going.  Read by the author, it’s the bestselling and transformative series on how to unlock your creativity, find community and an audience in the digital age, and stay focused, creative and true to yourself—for life.  Includes full text from:Steal Like an Artist: The New York... Read more

Oak Flat

By: Lauren Redniss

Narrated by: Lauren Redniss, Darrell Dennis, Kyla Garcia, Ki...

Length: 4 hours 15 minutes

Abridged: No

A powerful work of visual nonfiction about three generations of an Apache family struggling to protect sacred land from a multinational mining corporation, by MacArthur “Genius” and National Book Award finalist Lauren Redniss, the acclaimed author of Thunder & Lightning.

Oak Flat is a serene high-elevation mesa that sits above the... Read more

This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing

By: Jacqueline Winspear

Narrated by: Jacqueline Winspear

Length: 10 hours 7 minutes

Abridged: No

The New York Times bestselling author of the Maisie Dobbs series offers a deeply personal memoir of her Kentish childhood and her family’s resilience in the face of war and privation.After sixteen novels, Jacqueline Winspear has taken the bold step of turning to memoir, revealing the hardships and joys of her family history. Both shockingly... Read more

The Patriots

By: Winston Groom

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 10 hours 21 minutes

Abridged: No

In this masterful narrative, historian Winston Groom transports readers to the world of the American Revolution, where bold ideas, improbable events, and three extraordinary characters led to theremarkable birth of the country we know today. When the Revolutionary War ended in victory, there remained a stupendous problem: establishing a workable... Read more

Having and Being Had

By: Eula Biss

Narrated by: Alex McKenna

Length: 7 hours 14 minutes

Abridged: No

A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY TIME , NPR, INSTYLE, AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

“A sensational new book [that] tries to figure out whether it’s possible to live an ethical life in a capitalist society. . . . The results are enthralling.” —Associated Press 

A timely and arresting new look at affluence by the New York... Read more