The best history books transport you to another time and place. The only problem? Sometimes those tomes are difficult to transport. That’s why we rounded up the best history audiobooks you can download now from Apple Books.
Apple Books is Apple’s new and improved version of iBooks. It boasts a massive library of engrossing titles—many of which are available in audiobook format. From a vivid account of the Battle for Berlin to a powerful memoir of what life was like behind the barbed wire fence of a Japanese internment camp, we know you’ll love these captivating listens. Grab your earbuds and get ready to journey into the past.
The Last Battle: The Classic History of the Battle for Berlin
This compelling account of the last offensive against Hitler's Third Reich tells a vivid story of triumph, defeat, and the devastation of one of Europe's greatest cities. Ryan's narrative goes beyond the clash of military and political might to explore the lives of ordinary soldiers and citizens all caught in a desperate battle for survival.
Related: 9 Outstanding Audiobooks for Every Kind of History Buff
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution
The New York Times bestselling author delivers a gripping account of the war that gave birth to the United States and the fraught relationship between the rising leader of the Continental Army George Washington and one of his most trusted generals Benedict Arnold.
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
As World War I raged across Europe, American women took to the factories as part of the war effort, painting military dials and clockfaces with a glowing paint made with radium. Years later, these same women—who once glowed from the paint dust that covered them at work—developed strange and debilitating illnesses. It was radium poisoning. Employers refused to accept responsibility. Yet in the face of certain death, the women battled on, determined to find justice.
The Statues That Walked: Unraveling the Mystery of Easter Island
The grand and mysterious statues of Easter Island: Who fashioned such monumental works? And what happened to those who constructed them? The prevailing theory speaks of an island civilization destroyed from within. Yet as Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo began their own archeological investigation on Easter Island, they unearthed a far different explanation.
The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America's Greatest Female Spy
As Hitler's control spreads through Europe, Virginia Hall, an American living abroad, volunteers for Britain's covert espionage organization. She's sent deep into Nazi-occupied France, where despite constant threat of capture, she helps lead escaped POWs and Allied forces to safety and secures safe houses for other agents. This is merely the beginning of Virginia Hall's journey to becoming one of the greatest spies of WWII.
On Desperate Ground: The Marines at the Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle
October 1950: General Douglas MacArthur leads UN troops through Korea in the battle against Communist forces. He's convinced that they'll defeat the opposition by Thanksgiving—and that the Chinese will remain on the sidelines. Unbeknownst to MacArthur, some 300,000 Chinese soldiers have crossed the Manchurian border and are marching towards his soldiers through the snowy northern mountains to the frozen shores of the Chosin Reservoir.
Related: The Korean War Told From Both Sides
Farewell to Manzanar
Jeanne Wakatsuki, an American of Japanese descent, was just seven years old when the U.S. government sent her family and 10,000 other Japanese Americans to live at the Manzanar internment camp in California's Owens Valley. Told through the eyes of a child, Wakatsuki's powerful account details what life was like in the detention camp, as she and her fellow detainees attempt to survive their forced detention.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
In August 1914, famed British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set sail with his crew on the British ship Endurance. Their destination? Antarctica. Yet by October of 1915, the ship was hopelessly locked in ice, still half a continent away from its intended target. The adventure that followed remains one of the most astonishing feats of exploration and endurance ever recorded.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
In May of 1943 an American bomber plummets into the Pacific Ocean. Three soldiers survive the crash: among them, is a young lieutenant named Louis Zamperini. Surrounding Louis and his fellow survivors are thousands of miles of open ocean; from above comes the gunfire of enemy aircraft, and beyond is a trial of brutality beyond their darkest imaginings. The inspiration for the 2014 film of the same name, Unbroken is a testament to the human spirit, and its capacity to persevere against all odds.
Related: 10 Best War Podcasts for Every Military History Buff
