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.

CAN'T WE JUST PRINT MORE MONEY?

by Jack Meaning & Rupal Patel

read by Jack Meaning

running time 8hrs

Whether you're buying lunch, looking for a job, or applying for a mortgage, the thing we call 'the economy' is going to set the terms. A pity, then, that many of us have no idea how the economy actually works. That's where this book comes in. The Bank of England is Britain's most important financial institution, responsible for printing money, regulating banks and keeping the economy running smoothly. Now, the Bank's team take you inside their hallowed halls to explain what economics can - and can't - teach us about the world. Along the way, they offer intriguing examples of econ in action: in financial crises and Freddo prices, growth stages and workers' wages. Accessible, authoritative and surprisingly witty, this is a crash course in economics and why it matters.

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 Christina Lamb & Nujeen Mustafa

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.

INVISIBLE WOMEN

by Caroline Criado Perez

read by Caroline Criado Perez

running time 9hrs 25mins

From government policy and medical research, to technology, workplaces, and the media. Invisible Women reveals how in a world built for and by men we are systematically ignoring half of the population, often with disastrous consequences. Caroline Criado Perez brings together for the first time an impressive range of case studies, stories and new research from across the world that illustrate the hidden ways in which women are forgotten, and the profound impact this has on us all.

THE LAZARUS HEIST

by Geoff White

read by Geoff White

running time 8hrs 30mins

Meet the Lazarus Group, a shadowy cabal of hackers accused of working on behalf of the North Korean state. It's claimed that they form one of the most dangerous criminal enterprises on the planet, having stolen more than $1bn in an international crime spree. Their targets allegedly include central banks, Hollywood film studios and even the British National Health Service. North Korea denies the allegations, saying the accusations are American attempts to tarnish its image. In this staggering, global investigation, award-winning journalist Geoff White examines how the hackers have harnessed cutting-edge technology to launch a decade-long campaign of brazen and merciless raids on its richer, more powerful adversaries. It's not just money they're after. The Lazarus Group's tactics have been used to threaten democracies, gag North Korea's critics and destabilize global peace

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.

ON TYRANNY AND ON UKRAINE

by Timothy Snyder

read by Timothy Snyder

running time 10hrs

In this exclusive audiobook edition, which includes eight hours of new content, Timothy Snyder combines the original On Tyranny (2017) - twenty lessons on how history can instruct our response to the rise of tyranny around the world today - with twenty new lessons that answer the questions everyone is asking about Russia's war on Ukraine. With forays into history, he clarifies the causes of the Russian invasion and the meaning of Ukrainian resistance, and explains the war's connections to threats to democracy around the world. Linking past and present, and speaking only from notes, Snyder delivers an important call to arms and roadmap for resistance, providing invaluable ideas for how we can preserve our freedoms in the uncertain years to come. This is the long view we all need, given to us right now by a leading expert.

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.

TRACTION: HOW ANY STARTUP CAN ACHIEVE EXPLOSIVE CUSTOMER GROWTH

by Justin Mares & Gabriel Weinberg

read by Gabriel Weinberg

running time 7hrs 30mins

Building a successful company is hard. Smart entrepreneurs know that the key to success isn't the originality of your offering, the brilliance of your team or how much money you raise. It's how consistently you can grow and acquire new customers. Traction will teach you the 19 channels you can use to build a customer base and offers a three-step framework to figure out which ones will work best for your business. No matter how you apply them, the lessons and examples in Traction will help you create and sustain the growth your business desperately needs.

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.

WEAPONS OF MATH DESTRUCTION

by Cathy O'Neil

read by Cathy O'Neil

running time 6hrs 30mins

We live in the age of the algorithm. Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives—where we go to school, whether we get a loan, how much we pay for insurance—are being made not by humans, but by mathematical models. In theory, this should lead to greater fairness: everyone is judged according to the same rules and bias is eliminated. And yet, as Cathy O'Neil reveals in this urgent and necessary book, the opposite is true. The models being used today are opaque, unregulated and incontestable, even when they're wrong. Most troubling, they reinforce discrimination. O'Neil calls on modellers to take more responsibility for their algorithms and on policy makers to regulate their use. But in the end, it's up to us to become more savvy about the models that govern our lives. This important book empowers us to ask the tough questions, uncover the truth and demand change.