Economics Politics & Current Affairs

21 LESSONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

by Yuval Noah Harari

read by Derek Perkins

running time 11hrs 30mins

Yuval Noah Harari takes us on a thrilling journey through today’s most urgent issues. How can we protect ourselves from nuclear war, ecological cataclysms and technological disruptions? What can we do about the epidemic of fake news or the threat of terrorism? What should we teach our children? Are we still capable of understanding the world we have created?

AFGHANISTAN, WHERE GOD ONLY COMES TO WEEP

by Siba Shakib

read by Derina Dinkin

running time 10hrs

The harrowing story of Shirin-Gol, an Afghan woman who fought against the poverty and fear she had known since childhood. War and life as a refugee increased her problems but she remained solid in her support for her husband and children.

BACK FROM THE BRINK: 1,000 DAYS AT NUMBER 11

by Alistair Darling

read by Bob Wildgust

running time 15hrs 42mins

This is the story of 1000 days of crisis. As Chancellor, Alistair Darling sanctioned the £37 billion bailouts of RBS and HBoS just minutes before their cash machines would have ceased to function. Here, Darling places the reader in the rooms where the destinies of millions weighed heavily on his shoulders.

CHOCOLATE WARS: FROM CADBURY TO KRAFT

by Deborah Cadbury

read by Finty Williams

running time 10hrs 50mins

Deborah Cadbury takes a journey into her own family history to uncover the rivalries that have driven 250 years of chocolate empire-building.

DANGEROUS TO KNOW: A LIFE

by Chapman Pincher

read by Richard Simpson

running time 17hrs 30mins

As an investigative reporter, he struck terror into those trying to hide the murky secrets of state. His first splash, a top-secret account of the development of the atomic bomb, sparked a furious transatlantic row. Colourful, indiscreet and compelling, this life of a true journalistic colossus also reveals the secret history of the century he bestrode.

THE ESTABLISHMENT

by Owen Jones

read by Jonathan Keeble

running time 15hrs

Behind our democracy lurks a powerful network of people who wield massive power and reap huge profits in the process. Exposing the revolving doors that link these worlds, Jones shows how the people at the top represent the biggest threat to our democracy today - and it is time they were challenged.

FASHIONOPOLIS: THE PRICE OF FAST FASHION & THE FUTURE OF CLOTHES

by Dana Thomas

read by Dana Thomas

running time 9hrs 15mins

Today, one out of six people on earth work in fashion, churning out 100 billion garments a year. Yet 98 percent of them do not earn a living wage, and 2.1 billion tonnes of clothing is thrown away annually. Veteran journalist Dana Thomas details the damage wrought by fashion's powerful organizations, and celebrates the visionaries – including activists, artisans, designers, and tech entrepreneurs – fighting for change.

THE GIRL FROM ALEPPO

by Nujeen Mustafa & Christina Lamb

read by Raghad Chaar

running time 6hrs 45mins

Nujeen Mustafa has cerebral palsy and cannot walk. This did not stop her braving inconceivable odds to travel in her wheelchair from Syria in search of a new life. Sharing her full story, Nujeen recounts the details of her childhood and disability, as well as the specifics of her harrowing journey across the Mediterranean to Greece and finally to Germany to seek an education and the medical treatment she needs.

THE HEADSCARF REVOLUTIONARIES

by Brian W Lavery

read by Kay Morrison

running time 9hrs 45mins

In the harsh seas of 1968, three trawlers from Hull sank in just three weeks and 58 men died. One fishwife, Lilian Bilocca started a petition and took her battle to Parliament. The actions of her team of women changed the Shipping Laws and the lives of thousands of seamen were made much safer.

I WILL TEACH YOU TO BE RICH

by Ramit Sethi

read by Ramit Sethi

running time 9hrs 15mins

Ramit Sethi explains how to earn while sleeping, why your new best friend should be the taxman and how to beat banks at the fee game. How do you negotiate a raise? How can you manage student loans? Sethi's 6-week plan shows you how.

LETTERS FROM LONDON

by Julian Barnes

read by Richard Ratcliffe

running time 13hrs 30mins

The essays in this collection were originally published in The New Yorker and span the four years of Barnes's tenure as that magazine's London correspondent. Barnes explores his topics with an innate curiosity and a merciless wit, using each event to explore the social and political landscape of the capital.

MADE IN BRITAIN

by Evan Davis

read by Evan Davis

running time 7hrs 45mins

This book is about the things that Britain produces in order to pay its way in the world. From manufacturing to technology, design and the services industries, Made in Britain provides a cutting edge analysis - via entertaining stories - about what we make and why it matters.

THE NEW CENTURY

by Eric Hobsbawm

read by Michael St. John

running time 6hrs 15mins

Looking back over the last decade of the twentieth century, the author tries to understand today's world. He questions current international relations and the impact of popular global culture on all aspects of life.

THE OPTICIAN OF LAMPEDUSA

by Emma-Jane Kirby

read by David Hobbs

running time 4hrs

BBC journalist Emma-Jane Kirby has reported extensively on the reality of mass migration today. This is the moving testimony of an ordinary man whose late summer boat trip off a Sicilian island unexpectedly turns into a tragic rescue mission. A harrowing and unforgettable true story.

PADDY'S LAMENT: IRELAND 1846 - 1847 PRELUDE TO HATRED

by Thomas Gallagher

read by Paul Connell

running time 14hrs

Ireland in the mid-1800s was primarily a population of peasants, forced to live on a single, moderately nutritious crop: potatoes. Suddenly, in 1846, an unknown and uncontrollable disease turned the potato crop to inedible slime, and all Ireland was threatened.

THE RISE & FALL OF MARKS & SPENCER

by Judi Bevan

read by Derina Dinkin

running time 15hrs 20mins

The Uk's leading high street chain lost its way in the late 1990s and suffered a dramatic reversal of fortune. The author traces the history of the company, its fall from grace, and the boardroom fights. In this new edition she also examines how the company has tackled its problems and is once again a high street giant.

SIEGE: TRUMP UNDER FIRE

by Michael Wolff

read by Holter Graham

running time 11hrs 45mins

Michael Wolff, author of the bombshell bestseller Fire and Fury,(12451) once again takes us inside the Trump presidency to reveal a White House under siege. As Trump's second year as president is getting underway and ending with the delivery of the Mueller report, Wolff reveals an administration that is perpetually beleaguered by investigations and a president who is increasingly volatile, erratic and exposed.

TWENTIETH-CENTURY SPIES

by Neil Root

read by Jonathan Keeble

running time 7hrs 45mins

Political idealism? Financial reward? The thrill of the chase? What drives a person to risk their life by entering the deadly world of high-level espionage?

THE VICAR OF BAGHDAD

by Andrew White

read by Bob Rollett

running time 5hrs 25mins

This is a fascinating insight into life in the Middle East through the eyes of a mediator. It is written by a man struggling against illness and, at the same time, trying to maintain the trust of opposing factions. The situation was volatile and danger was always close by.

WESTMINSTER BLUES

by Julian Critchley

read by Andrew Burt

running time 5hrs

Former Tory MP Critchley takes an objective and sardonic look at the rituals of the House and the mechanics of the Conservative Party. Part autobiography and part affectionate satire.