Random Memoirs Podcasts

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on a Maryland plantation. He faced hardship as a child, but later encountered owners who were relatively liberal and allowed him to learn to read, write and be in contact with freed slaves. At the age of 20, he escaped from the plantation and made his way to New York. Though he remained a fugitive, he married and changed his name to avoid being caught. He continued his education and became involved in the Abolitionist Movement. He began touring the country, speaking passionately about the unjust, cruel and inhuman practice of slavery. However, he began to face opposition from quarters that he least expected. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass traces the turbulent, tragic and shameful period in the history of the United States. Douglass was also a gifted and committed public speaker, outspoken in his criticism of this inhuman practice. The book, published in 1845, originally entitled Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written By Himself, was met with disbelief when it initially came out. Few could believe that an African American slave could write so eloquently and have such perfect use of the English language. However, Douglass had used real names, events and places in his story, which could be easily verified and this silenced his critics. Yet, his troubles were not over. His former masters were still entitled to track him down, and fearing capture, he departed for the UK where he was received with great warmth and respect. He stayed for two years till two of his British friends contributed to purchase his freedom. He then returned to America where he arrived at the dawn of the American Civil War. He started a newspaper and campaigned tirelessly for Lincoln and the abolition of slavery. He was also the first African American to be nominated for the post of Vice President of the USA. Narrative… was the first of several autobiographies, in which Douglass documented his eventful life. The book is divided into 11 chapters, tracing Douglass’ childhood on the Maryland plantation, the daily cruelties practiced by slave owners, his move to Baltimore and the consequent experiences there. It is in Baltimore that he encounters more humane white people. However, even after being acclaimed as a speaker, he faced the condescending and patronizing attitude of white people. It was to counter this that he began to write his autobiography. As a slice of history, Narrative… is indeed an interesting and gripping read, and a great addition to your collection.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, Frederick Douglass, free audio books, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoirs, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Non-fiction, Teen/Young adult

Born in slavery, but being fortunate enough to be owned by a benevolent mistress, her life takes a tragic turn when her parents and her benefactor die. The new heir to the property (and slaves) is a cruel and lewd man who begins to make inappropriate advances to the lovely young slave-girl. In a bid to escape, she becomes entangled in a relationship with a neighboring landowner who promises a better life, and she even has two children. However, things become worse for her when her cruel owner decides to punish her by sending her and her children to a distant cotton plantation to be “broken in.” She plans a devious method of escape and ends up spending seven terrible years locked up in a tiny cramped garret. Relentlessly pursued by her wicked owner, she lives in fear and desperation. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself is one of the many slave narratives that emerged out of the terrible and inhuman atrocities committed in the nineteenth century by white Americans. Modern-day readers would find it difficult to believe that such practices existed in the “Land of the Free.” Assisted by abominable laws like the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 endorsed by Congress, slave-owners were allowed to pursue their “property” across the length and breadth of the country. Though there have been doubts about the authenticity of Incidents in the Life… by scholars who feel the style and content do not seem to synchronize with the attributes that a woman-slave of the period could have, there is no denying the fact that this is a powerful and thought-provoking story. There are many similarities to the more famous Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the book that is supposed to have launched the American Civil War. A very stirring and poignant read for all those who value their freedom today.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, free audio books, Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoirs, Non-fiction, Written by Herself

Mark Twain’s work on Joan of Arc is titled in full “Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by the Sieur Louis de Conte.” De Conte is identified as Joan’s page and secretary. For those who’ve always wanted to “get behind” the Joan of Arc story and to better understand just what happened, Twain’s narrative makes the story personal and very accessible. The work is fictionally presented as a translation from the manuscript by Jean Francois Alden, or, in the words of the published book, “Freely Translated out of the Ancient French into Modern English from the Original Unpublished Manuscript in the National Archives of France.”It was originally published as a serialization in Harper’s Magazine beginning in 1895 and later published in book form in 1896. However the Harper’s editors decided to cut 12 chapters that describe much of Joan’s Great Trial, saying the chapters were not suitable for serialization since, “They will not bear mutilation or interruption, but must be read as a whole, as one reads a drama.” This recording contains the complete text! De Conte is a fictionalized version of Joan of Arc’s page Louis de Contes, and provides narrative unity to the story. He is presented as an individual who was with Joan during the three major phases of her life – as a youth in Domremy, as the commander of Charles’ army on military campaign, and as a defendant at the trial in Rouen. The book is presented as a translation by Alden of de Conte’s memoirs, written in his later years for the benefit of his descendants. Twain based his descriptions of Joan of Arc on his daughter, Susy Clemens, as he remembered her at the age of seventeen. Twain said, “I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others needed no preparation and got none.” More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, fiction, free audio books, Historical Fiction, History, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mark Twain, Memoirs, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, religion, Volumes 1 & 2, War stories

This is the first of five volumes. – Giacomo Casanova (1725 in Venice – 1798 in Dux, Bohemia, now Duchcov, Czech Republic) was a famous Venetian adventurer, writer, and womanizer. He used charm, guile, threats, intimidation, and aggression, when necessary, to conquer women, sometimes leaving behind children or debt. In his autobiography Histoire de ma vie (Story of My Life), regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century, he mentions 122 women with whom he had sex. Although he is often associated with Don Juan because both seduced many women, Casanova is in fact very different from his fictitious counterpart. While Don Juan is a legend, Casanova is a historical character.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, Erotica, fiction, free audio books, Giacomo Casanova, Historical Fiction, History, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoirs, Non-fiction, The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova

A show that reminds everyone that we are all in this thing together. Jacklyn, the host of Oh By Golly, talks to a variety of people and in the process of listening, she reflects upon her own life story.

Categories: Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

Tags: Comedy, conversations, Culture, interviews, lore, Memoirs, perspective, storytelling

Is there a book living in your head that you have always wanted to put to paper but never started? Or do you have a draft of a never-finished book that you set aside and haven’t picked back up? If you are a business owner, entrepreneur, or speaker burning to tell your story and share your expertise with the world, then this podcast is for you. Writing a book can be a slow, arduous process. It can be a struggle to know where you should even start, to figure out what impact you want to have on your readers and what your ultimate purpose is in writing this book. It can be hard to overcome imposter syndrome and recognize that you are an expert in your field and that readers deserve to learn from you. Getting your book out there and having your voice heard can have a positive impact not only on your business but also on your life. In this show, you’ll hear inspiring interviews with published authors who are striving to make a difference in the world. You’ll learn how they overcame self-doubt and roadblocks to speak their truth… and how their book opened the doors to a wider audience, making a bigger impact than they ever thought was possible. The world deserves to hear your story – and you deserve the chance to tell it.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: aspiringauthors, author, Authors, book, Books, business, invisiblestories, lgbtq, Memoirs, nonfiction, publisher, publishing, Stories, Writer, writers, writetobeseen, writing, writingabook

The semiautobiographical travel memoir records Twain’s, more or less, personal journey across the Wild West in search of adventure while exploring variable locations. Accompanying his brother on what becomes a trip of a lifetime, the young Samuel Clemens finds himself in many different vocational roles as he explores and observes the magnificence of the American West. Not refraining from the usual social commentary, Twain directs criticism on various social and moral issues which he approaches through his sly and witty style. Presented in a first person narration, Roughing It serves as an instrument allowing a momentary escape from modern society and the chance to experience the true nature of the Wild West, with images of mining, gold prospecting, and the grandeur of untouched wilderness. The novel begins with the young narrator travelling to Nevada to assist his brother Orion Clemens, who has been appointed to a government position, and is required to move west. Consequently, the narrator sets out on a stagecoach journey west, while depicting a time absent of modern luxuries and colorfully illustrates the rough course of travel in a frontier territory. Beginning in Missouri, the novel continues on through Salt Lake City, to Nevada, then San Francisco until finally reaching Hawaii. The vagrant and enthusiastic young man frequently jaunts off in search of adventure and excitement which bring about many mishaps. In addition, the narrator meets many diverse characters during his journey including miners, pioneers, Mormons, and Native Americans, of whom none are spared from his satirical depiction and classification. Structured in episodic stories, Twain brilliantly recounts stories from his daily travels with a generous supply of humor, anecdotes, tall tales and imagery. One of the highlights of the book is the evocative and vivid descriptive language Twain uses to animate the beauty of the American frontier in the 19th century. The travelogue not only provides entertainment with its humorous episodic adventures and exaggerated circumstances, but it also delivers an original historical insight with its use of allusions and first-hand experiences documented by the author. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: Adventure, audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, free audio books, History, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Mark Twain, Memoirs, Non-fiction, Roughing It, travel

Leander Stillwell was an 18-year-old Illinois farm boy, living with his family in a log cabin, when the U.S. Civil War broke out. Stillwell felt a duty “to help save the Nation;” but, as with many other young men, his Patriotism was tinged with bravura: “the idea of staying at home and turning over senseless clods on the farm with the cannon thundering so close at hand . . . was simply intolerable.” Stillwell volunteered for the 61st Illinois Infantry in January 1861. His youthful enthusiasm for the soldier’s life was soon tempered at Shiloh, where he first “saw a gun fired in anger,” and “saw a man die a violent death.” Stillwell’s recounting of events is always vivid, personal, and engrossing. “I distinctly remember my first shot at Shiloh . . . The fronts of both lines were . . . shrouded in smoke. I had my gun at a ready, and was trying to peer under the smoke in order to get a sight of our enemies. Suddenly I heard someone in a highly excited tone calling to me from just in my rear, –’Stillwell! Shoot! Shoot! Why don’t you shoot?’ I looked around and saw that this command was being given by . . . our second lieutenant, who was wild with excitement, jumping up and down like a hen on a hot griddle. ‘Why, lieutenant,’ I said, ‘I can’t see anything to shoot at.’ ‘Shoot, shoot, anyhow!’ ‘All right,’ I responded. . . And bringing my gun to my shoulder, I aimed low in the direction of the enemy, and blazed away through the smoke. But at the time the idea to me was ridiculous that one should blindly shoot into a cloud of smoke without having a bead on the object to be shot at.” The Story of a Common Soldier is a compelling coming of age tale that will appeal not only to Civil War buffs but to anyone who enjoys autobiographies. Written at the urging of his youngest son, when Stillwell was a mature man–a lawyer, judge, and member of the Kansas legislature, it combines graphic detail (provided by his war diary and letters written at the time to his family) with the insights of a thoughtful man looking back on those horrific times.

Categories: Arts, Society & Culture

Tags: 1861-1865, audio books, audiobook, Biography, ebooks, free audio books, History, Leander Stillwell, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Memoirs, Non-fiction, The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War, War stories