Why Taiwan Matters: A Short History of a Small Island That Will Dictate Our Future - Kerry Brown

Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City - Alexis Madrigal

Listen to this audiobook in full for free on https://esound.space/full [https://esound.space/full] Title: Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City Author: Alexis Madrigal Narrator: Unknown Format: Unabridged Length: 11:19:00 Language: English Release date: 03-18-2025 Publisher: Macmillan Audio Genres: Business & Economics, American Politics, Science & Technology, Business Development, Technology & Engineering Summary: The NPR host Alexis Madrigal reveals how the Port of Oakland explains the world. In The Pacific Circuit, the award-winning journalist Alexis Madrigal sculpts an intricate tableau of the city of Oakland that is at once a groundbreaking big-idea book, a deeply researched work of social and political history, and an intimate portrait of an essential American city that has been at the crossroads of the defining themes of the twenty-first century. Oakland’s stories encompass everything from Silicon Valley’s prominence and the ramifications of a compulsively digital future to the underestimated costs of technological innovation on local communities—all personified in this changing landscape for the city’s lifelong inhabitants. The Pacific Circuit holds a magnifying glass to the scars etched by generations of systemic segregation and the ceaseless march of technological advancement. These are not just abstract concepts; they are embedded in the very fabric of Oakland and its people, from dockworkers and community organizers to real estate developers and businesses chasing the highest possible profits. Madrigal delves into city hall politics, traces the intertwining arcs of venture capital and hedge funds, and offers unprecedented insight into Silicon Valley’s genesis and growth, all against the backdrop of Oakland—a city vibrating with untold stories and unexplored connections that can, when read carefully, reveal exactly how our markets and our world really function.

Why Taiwan Matters: A Short History of a Small Island That Will Dictate Our Future - Kerry Brown

Listen to this audiobook in full for free on https://esound.space/full [https://esound.space/full] Title: Why Taiwan Matters: A Short History of a Small Island That Will Dictate Our Future Author: Kerry Brown Narrator: TBD Format: Unabridged Length: 9:16:00 Language: English Release date: 01-28-2025 Publisher: Macmillan Audio Genres: History, Asia, Global Politics Summary: Taiwan expert Kerry Brown sums up the history of Taiwan and the danger of a Chinese takeover in this succinct and authoritative book. When the bloody Chinese Civil War concluded in 1949, two Chinas were born. Mao’s Communists won and took China’s mainland; Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to Taiwan island. Since then, China and Taiwan have drifted into being separate political and cultural entities. Taiwan is now a flourishing democracy and an economic success story: just one of its companies produces over 90 per cent of the semiconductors that power the world’s economy. It is a free and vibrant society. For the United States and the West, the island is a bastion of freedom against China’s assertive presence in the region. And yet China, increasingly bellicose under Xi Jinping, insists Taiwan is part of its territory and must be returned to it. Should China blockade the island and mount an invasion, it would set off a chain reaction that would pitch it against the US – escalating a regional war into a global one. Taiwan is thus a geopolitical powder keg. Why Taiwan Matters helps us understand how and why we’ve arrived at this dangerous moment in history. With unparalleled access to Taiwan’s political leaders and a deep understanding of the island’s history and culture, Professor Kerry Brown provides a new reading of Taiwan, its twenty-three million people, and how they navigate being caught in this frightening geopolitical standoff. Why Taiwan Matters is the essential book for understanding Taiwan’s unique story told in an accessible, expert and urgent way.

Robin's Worlds - Rainie Oet

Listen to this audiobook in full for free on https://esound.space/full [https://esound.space/full] Title: Robin's Worlds Author: Rainie Oet Narrator: TBD Format: Unabridged Length: 0:45:00 Language: English Release date: 12-03-2024 Publisher: Recorded Books Genres: Kids, Health & Family, Fairy Tales & Folklore Summary: A nonbinary child is whisked off on a spellbinding adventure for their birthday in this dazzling tale of friendship, community, and self-love. It’s Robin’s eighth birthday and it seems like everyone has forgotten. But things take a sudden turn when the Cat-Headed Wanderer shows up and sweeps Robin away to a magical party in a fantastical treehouse. It’s a 1 / 5 joyful celebration full of song, dance, and newfound friends, but Robin soon realizes there’s another reason they’ve been brought there. To uncover that reason, all Robin needs to do is walk through the half-open door in the back—but what lies beyond? Rainie Oet’s enchanting language and Mathias Ball’s stunning illustrations will sweep young readers off their feet, as they follow Robin on this fantastical and deeply moving adventure of discovering themself through the joy of new friends and the memory of loved ones lost along the way.

Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King - Rich Cohen

Listen to this audiobook in full for free on https://esound.space/full [https://esound.space/full] Title: Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King Author: Rich Cohen Narrator: Robertson Dean Format: Unabridged Length: 9:00:00 Language: English Release date: 10-22-2024 Publisher: Macmillan Audio Genres: History, Biography & Memoir, Business, World Summary: Named a Best Book of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle and The Times-Picayune The fascinating untold tale of Samuel Zemurray, the self-made banana mogul who went from penniless roadside banana peddler to kingmaker and capitalist revolutionary When Samuel Zemurray arrived in America in 1891, he was tall, gangly, and penniless. When he died in the grandest house in New Orleans sixty-nine years later, he was among the richest, most powerful men in the world. Working his way up from a roadside fruit peddler to conquering the United Fruit Company, Zemurray became a symbol of the best and worst of the United States: proof that America is the land of opportunity, but also a classic example of the corporate pirate who treats foreign nations as the backdrop for his adventures. Zemurray lived one of the great untold stories of the last hundred years. Starting with nothing but a cart of freckled bananas, he built a sprawling empire of banana cowboys, mercenary soldiers, Honduran peasants, CIA agents, and American statesmen. From hustling on the docks of New Orleans to overthrowing Central American governments and precipitating the bloody thirty-six-year Guatemalan civil war, the Banana Man lived a monumental and sometimes dastardly life. Rich Cohen's brilliant historical profile The Fish That Ate the Whale unveils Zemurray as a hidden power broker, driven by an indomitable will to succeed.

White House Clubhouse: White House on Fire! - Sean O'brien

Listen to this audiobook in full for free on https://esound.space/full [https://esound.space/full] Title: White House Clubhouse: White House on Fire! Author: Sean O'brien Narrator: TBD Format: Unabridged Length: 6:15:00 Language: English Release date: 10-08-2024 Publisher: Recorded Books Genres: Kids, Historical Summary: A swashbuckling, seafaring, time-traveling adventure takes First Daughters Marissa and Clara back to the birth of the nation in this new entry in the White House Clubhouse series. When the clubhouse fills with smoke, Marissa and Clara Suarez escape through one of its doors?and find themselves in James Madison’s presidency, with the White House and capital city set on fire by invading British troops! With an iconic portrait of George Washington in hand, they race through the countryside as the War of 1812 rages all around them. Over rough roads, on sailing ships, and on the ramparts of Baltimore's Fort McHenry, Marissa and Clara help save a young nation (and play a part in writing “The Star-Spangled Banner”) while confronting the contradictions that challenge what it means to be free. Funny, fast-paced, and filled with wholesome adventure, White House on Fire! continues Sean O’Brien’s exciting middle grade series that “masterfully weaves together history, adventure, and purpose” (Ruby Shamir).