South African History

Discover the defiant pulse of African music history, where cultural resilience transforms oppression into global triumph. Perfect for an educational daily commute or an immersive weekend listening session, this uplifting narrative sweeps from rural villages and crowded townships to the pulsing...

The story of the intelligence war in South Africa during the Second World War is one of suspense, drama and dogged persistence. In 1939, when the Union of South Africa entered the war on Britain’s side, the German government secretly contacted the political opposition, and the leadership of the anti-war movement, the Ossewabrandwag. The Nazis’ aim was to spread sedition, undermine the Allied war effort, and - given the strategic importance of the Cape of Good Hope sea route - gain naval intelligence. Soon U-boat packs were sent to operate in South African waters, to deadly effect.

Bloomsbury presents South African Popular Music by Lior Phillips, read by Megan Gage. From the storied ache of mbube harmonies of the ‘40s to the electronic boom of kwaito and the amapiano and house explosion of the ‘00s, this book explores vignettes taken from across South Africa’s...

In this concluding volume, the South finally comes to grip with the modern world. It does so as a result of three events: World War I, The Great Depression, and World War II. At the end of each of these, change accelerates. By the end of World War II, the region is experiencing the kind of prosperity it has never known.

The autobiography of global human rights icon Nelson Mandela is "riveting . . . both a brilliant description of a diabolical system and a testament to the power of the spirit to transcend it" (Washington Post). Nelson Mandela was one of the great moral and political leaders of his time: an...

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ‘A fascinating exploration into the lives of three women ignored by history … Eye-opening, engrossing’ Brit Bennett, bestselling author of The Vanishing Half In her groundbreaking debut, Anna Malaika Tubbs tells the incredible storIES of three women who raised...

Bloomsbury presents Jungle Commandos: The Battle for Arakan, Burma 1945 by Lucy Betteridge-Dyson, read by Catrin Walker-Booth. Drawing on unpublished first-hand accounts, this is a gripping history of the experiences of the Commandos and their unsung allies in one of the bloodiest battles of the...

The classic history demonstrating that America's economic supremacy was built on the backs of enslaved people. "Gripping." —New York Times “A stinging indictment of slavery.” —NPR Books? Americans tend to cast slavery as a pre-modern institution—the nation's original sin, perhaps, but...

Step into the gripping military history of a brutal imperial conflict that forever changed modern warfare. Perfect for your morning commute, this intense historical deep dive transports you to a fractured late nineteenth-century landscape, where the discovery of gold ignites a fierce struggle...

This program is read by the author. Decades after this celebrated work of narrative nonfiction won the National Book Award and changed the American conversation about race, Slaves in the Family makes its audio debut, with a new preface by the author. The Ball family hails from South...

In this outstanding cultural biography, the author of the New York Times bestseller A Slave in the White House chronicles a critical yet overlooked chapter in American history: the inspiring rise and calculated fall of the black elite, from Emancipation through Reconstruction to the Jim Crow...

Trace the brutal history of systemic racism and the inspiring fight for democratic freedom in a deeply divided nation. Perfect for your daily commute or deep-focus study sessions, this reflective narrative delivers an empathetic look at ordinary people battling an engineered system of oppression...

PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’ TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR A sweeping history of one of the nation’s most important African American churches and a profound story of courage and grace amid the fight for racial justice—from Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist...

The long-awaited second volume of Nelson Mandela’s memoirs, left unfinished at his death and never before available, are here completed and expanded with notes and speeches written by Mandela during his historic presidency, making for a moving sequel to his worldwide bestseller Long Walk to...

Experience a gripping historical epic of colonization, apartheid, and the ultimate struggle for African democracy. Perfect for a thought-provoking commute, this immersive narrative transports you from the cradle of human origins to the frontiers of a deeply divided land. Feel the intense...

In this powerful book, an award-winning scholar of white supremacy tackles her toughest research assignment yet: the unsolved murder of a Black man in rural Mississippi while her grandfather was the local sheriff—a cold case that sheds new light on the hidden legacy of racial terror in America...

"A superb oral history." —The Washington Post Book World "So touching, so exhilarating...no book for a long time has left me so moved or so happy." —The New York Times Book Review The almost unfathomable courage and the undying faith that propelled the Civil Rights Movement are brilliantly...

“Narrator Dion Graham is a masterful and much-loved narrator whose voice will pull listeners into the story of one of the 20th century's most important people.” —Booklist "This gripping biography of a revolutionary leader flies by. Listeners interested in a new perspective of Martin Luther...

The past is not past. We may think something ancient history, or something that doesn’t affect our present day, but we would be wrong. Those Who Saw the Sun is a collection of oral histories told by Black people who grew up in the South during the time of Jim Crow. Jaha Nailah Avery is a lawyer, scholar, and reporter whose family has roots in North Carolina stretching back over 300 years. These interviews have been a personal passion project for years as she’s traveled across the South meeting with elders and hearing their stories.

Witness the tense, inspiring fight against apartheid in this immersive journey through modern African history. Perfect for a thoughtful morning commute, this narrative transforms complex political struggles into a gripping auditory experience. Step into the shoes of ordinary citizens—from...