Audiobooks Narrated by JD Jackson

Rising Above: How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in Their Youth to Become Stars

Team USA goalkeeper Tim Howard was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome in sixth grade. He went on to become a national treasure after single-handedly keeping America competitive in the 2014 World Cup. Stephen Curry was told he was too small, too weak, and too slow to even receive a scholarship to play college basketball. He outworked everyone and went on to become MVP of the National Basketball Association. Jim Abbott was born without his right hand, yet he refused to be defined by what he lacked. He went on to pitch a no-hitter in the Major Leagues. Athlete after athlete in this book found discipline, hope, and inspiration on the playing field, rising above their circumstances. Filled with first-hand accounts from stars who exemplify the idea of enduring at all costs, this collection of sports biographies will serve as a must-listen source of inspiration for kids and sports fans of all ages.

Gregory Zuckerman (Author), JD Jackson (Narrator)

Audiobook

42 is Not Just a Number

Baseball, basketball, football, tennis, track and field — no matter the game or competition, Jackie Robinson hit it out of the park. His exceptional talents should have easily landed him a career in pro sports. But in the United States in the 1930s and ’40s, opportunities like those were closed to athletes like Jackie: his skin was the wrong color. Jackie settled for playing baseball in the Negro Leagues but chafed at being unable to prove himself in the majors. Then in 1946, Branch Rickey, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, decided that he was going to break segregation in the Major Leagues and recruited Jackie. Jackie accepted the offer, knowing that it would be rough going. Again and again, he exhibited courage, restraint, and phenomenal talent, despite being the target of cruel and sometimes violent hatred. In this compelling biography, award-winning author Doreen Rappaport chronicles the extraordinary courage and dignity of Jackie Robinson, who not only broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball but also changed white Americans’ perceptions of black Americans. His impact reached beyond the world of sports: he won over the hearts of all Americans and became an American hero.

Doreen Rappaport (Author), Doreen Rappaport, JD Jackson (Narrator)

Audiobook

In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives

Did you know that many of America’s Founding Fathers―who fought for liberty and justice for all―were slave owners? Through the powerful stories of five enslaved people who were “owned” by four of our greatest presidents, this book helps set the record straight about the role slavery played in the founding of America. From Billy Lee, valet to George Washington, to Alfred Jackson, faithful servant of Andrew Jackson, these dramatic narratives explore our country’s great tragedy―that a nation “conceived in liberty” was also born in shackles. These stories help us know the real people who were essential to the birth of this nation but traditionally have been left out of the history books. Their stories are true―and they should be heard. Read by Ken Davis, with Frankie Faison, Keith David, JD Jackson, Adenrele Ojo, Adam Lazarre-White, Dion Graham, and Mark Bramhall

Kenneth C. Davis (Author), Adam Lazarre-White, Adenrele Ojo, Dion Graham, Frankie Faison, JD Jackson, Keith David, Ken Davis, Mark Bramhall, Various (Narrator)

Audiobook