New nonfiction book on Audible

My newest recording just went on sale on Audible. Under the Skin: Tattoos, Scalps, and the Contested Language of Bodies in Early America was written by Mairin Odle. 

"Under the Skin investigates the role of cross-cultural body modification in seventeenth-century and eighteenth-century North America, revealing that the practices of tattooing and scalping were crucial to interactions between Natives and newcomers. These permanent and painful marks could act as signs of alliance or signs of conflict, producing a complex bodily archive of cross-cultural entanglement.

Indigenous body modification practices were adopted and transformed by colonial powers, making tattooing and scalping key forms of cultural and political contestation in early America. Although these bodily practices were quite distinct one a painful but generally voluntary sign of accomplishment and affiliation, the other a violent assault on life and identity they were linked by growing colonial perceptions that both were crucial elements of “Nativeness.” Tracing the transformation of concepts of bodily integrity, personal and collective identities, and the sources of human difference, Under the Skin investigates both the lived physical experience and the contested metaphorical power of early American bodies.

Struggling for power on battlefields, in diplomatic gatherings, and in intellectual exchanges, Native Americans and Anglo-Americans found their physical appearances dramatically altered by their interactions with one another. Contested ideas about the nature of human and societal difference translated into altered appearances for many early Americans. In turn, scars and symbols on skin prompted an outpouring of stories as people debated the meaning of such marks. By the late eighteenth century, ideas about the body, phenotype, and culture were increasingly articulated in concepts of race."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

New history book out on Audible

 

My latest recording just debuted on Audible today!  Black Walden: Slavery and Its Aftermath in Concord, Massachusetts is by Elise Lemire. 

"Concord, Massachusetts has long been heralded as the birthplace of American liberty and American letters. It was here that the first military engagement of the Revolutionary War was fought, and here that Thoreau came to "live deliberately" on the shores of Walden Pond. Between the Revolution and the settlement of the little cabin with the bean rows, however, Walden Woods was home to several generations of freed slaves and their children.

In Black Walden: Slavery and Its Aftermath in Concord, Massachusetts, Elise Lemire brings to life the former slaves of Walden Woods, and the men and women who held them in bondage during the 18th century. After charting the rise of Concord slaveholder John Cuming, Black Walden follows the struggles of Cuming's slave, Brister, as he attempts to build a life for himself after 35 years of enslavement. 

Brister Freeman, as he came to call himself, and some of the town's slaves were able to leverage the political tensions that fueled the American Revolution and force their owners into relinquishing them. Once emancipated, however, the former slaves were permitted to squat on only the most remote and infertile places. Walden Woods was one of them. Here, Freeman and his neighbors farmed, spun linen, made baskets, told fortunes, and otherwise tried to survive in spite of poverty and harassment."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

New nonfiction title on Audible

 

My latest recording on Audible was produced by Spoken Realms.  A treatise on free speech:  The Censorship in Boston by Zechariah Chafee, Jr.

'Censorship, entailing the banning of books works on the stage and film, and public speeches, is not new. During the late 1920s in Boston, Massachusetts, it reached a fever pitch. Book banning was prominent but officials in the city also managed to stifle free artistic expression in theatrical productions, and the right to express ideas in a public forum. The bans were often carried out under the law by religious groups, the serving Mayor of Boston, and even the local police. Zechariah Chafee, Jr. was a professor of law at Harvard University and a staunch advocate of the First Amendment. Here he discusses the policies of 1929 in layman's terms and the various methods censors used to 'protect' the public. In addition to literary and artistic ideas, speeches regarding topics such as politics and birth control were affected.

Chafee published this pamphlet with The Civil Liberties Committee of Massachusetts. Years later, Senator Joseph McCarthy denounced Chafee as 'dangerous' in his work to defend free speech. Today, Chafee is considered a scholar on the First Amendment.'

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the recording, head to Audible here.

New recording debuts on Audible!

 

My latest recording just hit Audible today.  Encounters in Avalanche Country by Diana L. Di Stefano is a nonfiction book published by University Press Audiobooks.

"Every winter, settlers of the US and Canadian Mountain West could expect to lose dozens of lives to deadly avalanches. This constant threat to trappers, miners, railway workers and their families forced individuals and communities to develop knowledge, share strategies, and band together as they tried to survive the extreme conditions of "avalanche country". The result of this convergence, author Diana Di Stefano argues, was a complex network of formal and informal cooperation that used disaster preparedness to engage legal action and instill a sense of regional identity among the many lives affected by these natural disasters.

Encounters in Avalanche Country tells the story of mountain communities' responses to disaster over a century of social change and rapid industrialization. As mining and railway companies triggered new kinds of disasters, ideas about environmental risk and responsibility were increasingly negotiated by mountain laborers, at the elite levels among corporations, and in socially charged civil suits.

Written in a lively and engaging narrative style, Encounters in Avalanche Country uncovers authentic stories of survival struggles, frightening avalanches, and how local knowledge challenged legal traditions that defined avalanches as acts of God. Combining disaster, mining, railroad, and ski histories with the theme of severe winter weather, it provides a new and fascinating perspective on the settlement of the Mountain West."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

New recording now on Audible

 

My latest recording just went live on Audible.  Isabella of Castile: Spain's Controversial Queen is by Nancy Rubin Stuart.  I previously recorded another of Nancy's books -- American Empress -- about the life of Marjorie Merriweather Post.  This new one is a great fairly short take on Isabella's life. 

"Originally published in 1991 as a Book of the Month Club Featured, dividend and awarded the Best Nonfiction Book by the American Society of Journalists and Authors, this authoritatively researched portrait of Queen Isabella brings to life one of the most controversial figures in European history -- a woman who was passionate lover to Ferdinand of Aragon, conquered the Moors (Muslims) of Spain, funded Columbus on his famous journey, brought the Renaissance to Spain, and was hated for introducing the Spanish Inquisition. Like many modern career women, Isabella was torn between her workaday obligations, her marriage, and child-rearing. Which was she -- a visionary, a saint, or a she-devil? Listen to Isabella of Castile and decide for yourself.

Who then, was the real Isabella?

Was she, as some people still believe, an unrecognized saint who deserved beatification because of her charitable acts to her subjects, her special concern for widows and orphans, and insistence upon cleansing the church of corruption?

Or was she a heartless bigot -- a religious fanatic who forced conversions of Spanish Moors and Jews to Christianity on pain of death through the instruments of the Spanish Inquisition?

Was she, as history suggests, a brilliant woman -- the only European monarch who understood the implications of a successful transatlantic crossing -- and consequently sponsored Christopher Columbus's famous journey across the ocean seas to the New World.

Who then, was the flesh-and-blood Isabella? As her dramatic biography reveals, the Queen was a very human blend of these three historical images.

Isabella of Castile describes the complex social and psychological forces that drove the queen to become one of history's most famous and quixotic monarchs, a monumental figure who is alternately revered and despised to this very day."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

New nonfiction book now on Audible

My latest recording was just published on Audible yesterday.  What do gangster Pretty Boy Floyd, boxer Sonny Liston, and MLK assassin James Earl Ray all have in common?  They were all prisoners at the Missouri State Penitentiary at some time.  The Missouri State Penitentiary: 170 Years inside The Walls by Jamie Pamela Rasmussen is a fascinating look at this prison. 

"Asked how the Missouri State Penitentiary compared to other famous prisons, a historian and former prison administrator replied, “It’s older and meaner.” For 168 years, it was everything other prisons were and more. 

In The Missouri State Penitentiary, Jamie Pamela Rasmussen recounts the long and fascinating history of the place, focusing on the stories of inmates and the struggles by prison officials to provide opportunities for reform while keeping costs down. Tales of prominent prisoners, including Pretty Boy Floyd, Sonny Liston, and James Earl Ray, provide intrigue and insight into the institution’s infamous reputation.

A highlight in the chapter on the Civil War years is the story of George Thompson, who was imprisoned for attempting to help a number of slaves to freedom. The narrative enters the 20th century with the controversy surrounding the various systems of inmate labor; the effort to make the prison self-supporting eventually caused punishment to be driven by factory needs. The example of Firebug Johnson demonstrates how inmates reacted to the prison labor system, while Kate Richards O’Hare’s struggles and efforts to improve conditions in the penitentiary illuminate the role of women in the system at the time. 

A full chapter is devoted to the riot of 1954, and another concentrates on the reforms made in the wake of that catastrophe. Rasmussen also considers the effect inmate lawsuits during the 1980s and 1990s had on prison life before telling the story of the decision to close the prison.

The Missouri State Penitentiary provides a fitting account of an institution that was part of Missouri’s history for well over a century."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

A solo true crime book and a full-cast history recording!

Two of my latest recordings hit Audible recently.  First up is Cold Blooded: A True Crime Story of a Murderous Teenage Vampire Cult by Frank Stanfied. This one's from WildBlue Press.

"Investigators and Central Florida residents were horrified when 16-year-old vampire cult leader Rod Ferrell was arrested and charged with bludgeoning a cult member's parents. When they realized the slain couple's 15-year-old daughter was missing, they feared she was a victim, too. 

Detectives and journalists swarming over three states soon uncovered a web of blood-drinking occult rituals, illicit sex, wildly dysfunctional families, and spiritual warfare. Then, when police officers captured the teens, they discovered that the murdered couple's daughter was among them. But was she a victim or a participant? 

Ferrell faced the death penalty, sparking Constitutional battles over the ultimate punishment, juveniles in the court system, free press versus a defendant's right to a fair trial, and psychologists who worked to save him and prosecutors who wanted him dead. 

More than 20 years later, the battles continue with new court rulings. Is he a changed man deserving freedom? Or is he still gaming the system, as prosecutors and his victims' family members believe? 

Decide for yourself after listening to Cold Blooded by veteran newspaper reporter Frank Stanfield, who has covered the case from the beginning in November 1996 and sheds new light on one of the darkest killers in modern history."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

 

The second recording is a full-cast production from Voices of Today.  Debate on Prohibition: Clarence Darrow vs John Haynes Holmes by Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, Clarence Darrow, and John Haynes Holmes. It's always a pleasure to be a part of these.

Held at New York, on 14th December, 1924

Under the auspices of the League for Political Discussion, in a meeting held at the Manhattan Opera House, Rev. John Haynes Holmes of the Community Church, taking the positive, and Clarence Darrow, taking the negative, debated the following proposition: "A Resolution that the United States should continue the policy of prohibition as defined in the 18th Amendment." The meeting was chaired by Senator Royal S. Copeland and introduced by Benjamin Javits.

Cast

Narrator: Lee Ann Howlett

Benjamin Javits - Temporary Chairman - Marty Krz

Royal S. Copeland - Chairman - John Burlinson

Rev. John Haynes Holmes - Debater (affirmative) - Ben Stevens

Clarence Darrow - Debater (negative) - Ron Altman

You can listen to the sample and/or purchase the book from Audible here.

A New True-Crime Book and a Full-Cast Radio Play

Just had two new books published on Audible.

First up is a true crime story that occurred just after the beginning of the 1900s in New York City.  The Belle of Bedford Avenue: The Sensational Brooks-Burns Murder in Turn-of-the-Century New York is by Virginia A. McConnell.

"At the turn of the 20th century, many affluent Brooklyn teens and young adults were bucking the constraints of their immigrant parents and behaving badly: drinking, having sex, staying out all night, stealing, scamming local businesses, and engaging in other more serious activities.

When 20-year-old Walter Brooks was murdered in a seedy Manhattan hotel in 1902, the ensuing court case was front-page news throughout the country. The hearings featured testimonies about these young people’s secret lives that shocked parents and inspired much editorial commentary in the newspapers. From start to finish, the case was viewed as a cautionary tale for parents, for boys who could be led astray, and for girls who risked their reputations to be popular.

Set against the colorful backdrop of Coney Island, roadhouses, forbidden dance halls, and vaudeville, The Belle of Bedford Avenue follows the young woman at the heart of the case from her trial for the murder of Walter Brooks to her adulthood.

The crime itself, interestingly, occurred in the location of Ground Zero and today’s September 11 Memorial. The trial was conducted by William Travers Jerome, who went on to become a legendary New York City prosecutor."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here.

The second book is a full-cast radio play that I participated in as a member of Voices of Today.  Down With My Demons is by Josh Bourne.  I play the character of Jael.


"Ten years after a tragic incident on the lake, an AA meeting in a small, religious town in the deep south of the USA descends into bitterness and chaos when a flood hits. Trapped within the local church, tempers escalate and well-buried secrets begin to emerge. Personalities clash, reputations are dissected and questioned, and everybody's demons are laid bare.  Cast:
Vincent - Andy Harrington
Pastor Talbot - Jeff Moon
Samuel - John Burlinson
Delilah - Amanda Friday
Jael - Lee Ann Howlett
Audio edited by Leanne Yau."

To listen to the sample and/or purchase this one, you can find it on Audible here.

My latest audiobook now for sale on Audible!

My latest audiobook just went on sale on Audible.  Very proud of this work since it covers a part of Florida's history that should be remembered.  Black Cloud: The Deadly Hurricane of 1928 was written by journalist and author Eliot Kleinberg.

"The deadly hurricane of 1928 claimed 2500 lives, and the long-forgotten story of the casualties, as told in Black Cloud, continues to stir passion. Among the dead were 700 black Floridian men, women, and children who were buried in an unmarked West Palm Beach ditch during a racist recovery and rebuilding effort that conscripted the labor of blacks much like latter-day slaves. Palm Beach Post reporter Eliot Kleinberg has penned this gripping tale from dozens of interviews with survivors, diary entries, accounts from newspapers, government documents, and reports from the National Weather Service and the Red Cross. Immortalized in Zora Neale Hurston's classic Their Eyes Were Watching God, thousands of poor blacks had nowhere to run when the waters of Lake Okeechobee rose. No one spoke for them, no one stood up for them, and no one could save them. With heroic tales of survival and loss, this book finally gives the dead the dignity they deserve. The new, updated edition of this important book is published by the Florida Historical Society Press."

To listen to a sample and/or purchase the book, head to Audible here. 

My latest recording now on sale at Audible!

An American history book that I recorded went on sale at Audible over the weekend.  Spectacular Wickedness: Sex, Race and Memory in Storyville, New Orleans by Emily Epstein Landau covers the history of the infamous red-light district -- Storyville.  Here's the blurb from Audible:

"From 1897 to 1917 the red-light district of Storyville commercialized and even thrived on New Orleans' longstanding reputation for sin and sexual excess. This notorious neighborhood, located just outside of the French Quarter, hosted a diverse cast of characters who reflected the cultural milieu and complex social structure of turn-of-the-century New Orleans, a city infamous for both prostitution and interracial intimacy. In particular, Lulu White, a mixed-race prostitute and madam, created an image of herself and marketed it profitably to sell sex with light-skinned women to white men of means.

In Spectacular Wickedness, Emily Epstein Landau examines the social history of this famed district within the cultural context of developing racial, sexual, and gender ideologies and practices. In 1890, the Louisiana legislature passed the Separate Car Act, which, when challenged by New Orleans' Creoles of color, led to the landmark Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896, constitutionally sanctioning the enactment of separate but equal laws. Landau reveals how Storyville's salacious and eccentric subculture played a significant role in the way New Orleans constructed itself during the New South era."

If you're into history, check this one out at Audible here.