Listen free for 30 days
-
Prequel
- An American Fight Against Fascism
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $29.14
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
You may also enjoy...
-
Oath and Honor
- A Memoir and a Warning
- Written by: Liz Cheney
- Narrated by: Liz Cheney
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump and many around him, including certain other elected Republican officials, intentionally breached their oath to the Constitution: they ignored the rulings of dozens of courts, plotted to overturn a lawful election, and provoked a violent attack on our Capitol.
-
-
Common Sense
- By Laura Jackson on 2023-12-08
Written by: Liz Cheney
-
Tired of Winning
- Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party
- Written by: Jonathan Karl
- Narrated by: Jonathan Karl
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Packed with new reporting, Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party tracks Trump’s improbable journey from disgraced and defeated former president to the dominant force, yet again, in the Republican Party. From his exile in Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump has become more extreme, vengeful, and divorced from reality than he was on January 6, 2021. His meddling damaged the GOP’s electoral prospects for third consecutive election in 2022. His legal troubles are mounting. Yet he re-emerged as the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
-
-
Intimate details
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-02-12
Written by: Jonathan Karl
-
Enough
- Written by: Cassidy Hutchinson
- Narrated by: Cassidy Hutchinson
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since a childhood visit to Washington, DC, Cassidy Hutchinson aspired to serve her country in government. Raised in a working-class family with a military background, she was the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. Despite having no ties to Washington, Hutchinson landed a vital position at the center of the Trump White House.
-
-
Wow! A must read
- By D. Belec on 2023-09-27
Written by: Cassidy Hutchinson
-
Blowout
- Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth
- Written by: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2010, the words “earthquake swarm” entered the lexicon in Oklahoma. That same year, a trove of Michael Jackson memorabilia—including his iconic crystal-encrusted white glove—was sold at auction for over $1 million to a guy who was, officially, just the lowly forestry minister of the tiny nation of Equatorial Guinea. And in 2014, Ukrainian revolutionaries raided the palace of their ousted president and found a zoo of peacocks, gilded toilets, and a floating restaurant modeled after a Spanish galleon.
-
-
As always...
- By Barbara M. on 2019-10-07
Written by: Rachel Maddow
-
Attack from Within
- How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America
- Written by: Barbara McQuade
- Narrated by: Barbara McQuade
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Disinformation is designed to evoke a strong emotional response to push us toward more extreme views, unable to find common ground with others. The false claims that led to the breathtaking attack on our Capitol in 2020 may have been only a dress rehearsal. Attack from Within shows us how to prevent it from happening again, thus preserving our country's hard-won democracy.
Written by: Barbara McQuade
-
Drift
- The Unmooring of American Military Power
- Written by: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written with bracing wit and intelligence, Rachel Maddow's Drift argues that we've drifted away from America's original ideals and become a nation weirdly at peace with perpetual war, with all the financial and human costs that entails. To understand how we've arrived at such a dangerous place, Maddow takes us from the Vietnam War to today's war in Afghanistan.
-
-
I wish more books were like this.
- By 🇨🇦Jordan 🇨🇦 on 2020-02-03
Written by: Rachel Maddow
-
Oath and Honor
- A Memoir and a Warning
- Written by: Liz Cheney
- Narrated by: Liz Cheney
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump and many around him, including certain other elected Republican officials, intentionally breached their oath to the Constitution: they ignored the rulings of dozens of courts, plotted to overturn a lawful election, and provoked a violent attack on our Capitol.
-
-
Common Sense
- By Laura Jackson on 2023-12-08
Written by: Liz Cheney
-
Tired of Winning
- Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party
- Written by: Jonathan Karl
- Narrated by: Jonathan Karl
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Packed with new reporting, Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party tracks Trump’s improbable journey from disgraced and defeated former president to the dominant force, yet again, in the Republican Party. From his exile in Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump has become more extreme, vengeful, and divorced from reality than he was on January 6, 2021. His meddling damaged the GOP’s electoral prospects for third consecutive election in 2022. His legal troubles are mounting. Yet he re-emerged as the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
-
-
Intimate details
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-02-12
Written by: Jonathan Karl
-
Enough
- Written by: Cassidy Hutchinson
- Narrated by: Cassidy Hutchinson
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since a childhood visit to Washington, DC, Cassidy Hutchinson aspired to serve her country in government. Raised in a working-class family with a military background, she was the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. Despite having no ties to Washington, Hutchinson landed a vital position at the center of the Trump White House.
-
-
Wow! A must read
- By D. Belec on 2023-09-27
Written by: Cassidy Hutchinson
-
Blowout
- Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth
- Written by: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2010, the words “earthquake swarm” entered the lexicon in Oklahoma. That same year, a trove of Michael Jackson memorabilia—including his iconic crystal-encrusted white glove—was sold at auction for over $1 million to a guy who was, officially, just the lowly forestry minister of the tiny nation of Equatorial Guinea. And in 2014, Ukrainian revolutionaries raided the palace of their ousted president and found a zoo of peacocks, gilded toilets, and a floating restaurant modeled after a Spanish galleon.
-
-
As always...
- By Barbara M. on 2019-10-07
Written by: Rachel Maddow
-
Attack from Within
- How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America
- Written by: Barbara McQuade
- Narrated by: Barbara McQuade
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Disinformation is designed to evoke a strong emotional response to push us toward more extreme views, unable to find common ground with others. The false claims that led to the breathtaking attack on our Capitol in 2020 may have been only a dress rehearsal. Attack from Within shows us how to prevent it from happening again, thus preserving our country's hard-won democracy.
Written by: Barbara McQuade
-
Drift
- The Unmooring of American Military Power
- Written by: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Written with bracing wit and intelligence, Rachel Maddow's Drift argues that we've drifted away from America's original ideals and become a nation weirdly at peace with perpetual war, with all the financial and human costs that entails. To understand how we've arrived at such a dangerous place, Maddow takes us from the Vietnam War to today's war in Afghanistan.
-
-
I wish more books were like this.
- By 🇨🇦Jordan 🇨🇦 on 2020-02-03
Written by: Rachel Maddow
-
Renegade
- Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country
- Written by: Adam Kinzinger, Michael D'Antonio - contributor
- Narrated by: Adam Kinzinger
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump incited a violent mob to storm the US Capitol in attempts to overturn the presidential election. It was a betrayal of our Constitution, and one of the darkest days in recent history. Yet to former congressman Adam Kinzinger it was also the culmination of a cultural and political rupture he’d long seen coming. Constructive criticism from within the Republican Party was no longer enough. It was time to stand up, even if it meant betraying his own party.
-
-
A heartfelt retelling of much we already knew
- By Brad on 2023-12-09
Written by: Adam Kinzinger, and others
-
Age of Revolutions
- Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present
- Written by: Fareed Zakaria
- Narrated by: Fareed Zakaria
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Populist rage, ideological fracture, economic and technological shocks, geopolitical dangers, and an international system studded with catastrophic risk—the early decades of the 21st century may be one of the most revolutionary periods in modern history. But they are not the first. Humans have lived, and thrived, through more than one great realignment. What makes an age a revolutionary one? And how do they end?
-
-
How we got where we are today..
- By mama M. on 2024-04-14
Written by: Fareed Zakaria
-
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory
- American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism
- Written by: Tim Alberta
- Narrated by: Tim Alberta
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Evangelical Christians are perhaps the most polarizing—and least understood—people living in America today. In his seminal new book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, journalist Tim Alberta, himself a practicing Christian and the son of an evangelical pastor, paints an expansive and profoundly troubling portrait of the American evangelical movement.
-
-
A deep dive into Evangelical Psychosis
- By Brad on 2024-03-27
Written by: Tim Alberta
-
New Cold Wars
- China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West
- Written by: David E. Sanger, Mary K. Brooks
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean, David E. Sanger
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New Cold Wars—the latest from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of The Perfect Weapon David E. Sanger—is a fast-paced account of America’s plunge into simultaneous confrontations with two very different adversaries. For years, the United States was confident that the newly democratic Russia and increasingly wealthy China could be lured into a Western-led order that promised prosperity and relative peace—so long as they agreed to Washington’s terms. By the time America emerged from the age of terrorism, it was clear that this had been a fantasy.
Written by: David E. Sanger, and others
-
Find Me the Votes
- A Hard-Charging Georgia Prosecutor, a Rogue President, and the Plot to Steal an American Election
- Written by: Michael Isikoff, Daniel Klaidman
- Narrated by: Fleet Cooper
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Find Me the Votes, two years of immersive reporting by Isikoff and Klaidman has produced the most authoritative and dramatic account yet of a defeated president’s conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and how a local Georgia prosecutor—a daughter of the civil rights movement—decided to indict him and his allies for his desperate attempt to hold on to power. From the beginning, Fani Willis saw Donald Trump’s crimes as a voting rights case, and an attempt by the former president to deprive the citizens of Georgia of the franchise, a right for which her forebears had bled.
-
-
TDS at its finest!
- By Norm Lihaven on 2024-03-14
Written by: Michael Isikoff, and others
-
Network of Lies
- The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for American Democracy
- Written by: Brian Stelter
- Narrated by: Brian Stelter
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The ongoing criminal trials of Donald Trump are also a trial for the nation he once led. Can we achieve accountability for premeditated assaults on democracy and what forms should accountability take? In Network of Lies, New York Times bestselling author Brian Stelter answers these questions by weaving together private texts, unpublished emails, depositions, and other primary sources to tell the chilling story of Trump’s alleged conspiracy to steal the 2020 election, and the right-wing media’s mission to put him back in office in 2024.
-
-
Excellent book
- By Louise Novis on 2024-02-06
Written by: Brian Stelter
-
The Return of Great Powers
- Russia, China, and the Next World War
- Written by: Jim Sciutto
- Narrated by: Jim Sciutto
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 dawned what Francis Fukuyama called “The End of History.” Three decades later, Jim Sciutto said on CNN’s air as the Ukraine war began, that we are living in a “1939 moment.” History never ended—it barely paused—and the global order as we have known it is now gone. Great powers are reinvigorated and determined to assert dominance on the world stage. And as it escalates, this new order will affect everyone across the globe.
Written by: Jim Sciutto
-
Blowback
- A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump
- Written by: Miles Taylor
- Narrated by: Miles Taylor
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Donald Trump will be president again, whether he is on the ballot or not. That is because Trumpism is overtaking the Republican Party and will mount a vigorous comeback, potentially in the hands of a savvier successor—The Next Trump. This prophecy will come true, according to Miles Taylor, if we do not learn the lessons of the recent past.
-
-
Trump administration anti democracy exposed
- By Wilf Medweth on 2023-10-30
Written by: Miles Taylor
-
Romney
- A Reckoning
- Written by: McKay Coppins
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, McKay Coppins
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few figures in American politics have seen more and said less than Mitt Romney. An outspoken dissident in Donald Trump’s GOP, he has made headlines in recent years for standing alone against the forces he believes are poisoning the party he once led. Romney was the first senator in history to vote to remove from office a president of his own party. When that president’s supporters went on to storm the US Capitol, Romney delivered a thundering speech from the Senate floor accusing his fellow Republicans of stoking insurrection.
Written by: McKay Coppins
-
Strongmen
- Mussolini to the Present
- Written by: Ruth Ben-Ghiat
- Narrated by: Chloe Cannon
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ruth Ben-Ghiat is the expert on the "strongman" playbook employed by authoritarian demagogues from Mussolini to Putin. In Strongmen, she lays bare the blueprint these leaders have followed over the past 100 years, and empowers us to recognize, resist, and prevent their disastrous rule in the future.
-
-
My attention was captured by this fascinating book
- By Anonymous User on 2020-12-19
Written by: Ruth Ben-Ghiat
-
The Trump Indictments
- The 91 Criminal Counts Against the Former President of the United States
- Written by: Ali Velshi - editor
- Narrated by: Ali Velshi, Joe Knezevich
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edited and introduced by MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, The Trump Indictments collects the complete charging documents brought by the Department of Justice and the Fulton County (GA) and Manhattan (NY) district attorneys—a riveting and shocking narrative of the former president’s alleged crimes and conspiracies.
Written by: Ali Velshi - editor
-
The Conspiracy to End America
- Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy
- Written by: Stuart Stevens
- Narrated by: Jeff Bottoms
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today’s Republican party is not a “normal” political party in the American tradition. It has become an autocratic movement masquerading as a political party. As Stuart Stevens argues in The Conspiracy to End America, if we look away from that truth, we greatly increase the likelihood that the America we love will slip away, never to return.
-
-
Nice
- By Matthew Toffolo on 2024-01-03
Written by: Stuart Stevens
Publisher's Summary
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Rachel Maddow traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis.
“A ripping read—well rendered, fast-paced and delivered with the same punch and assurance that she brings to a broadcast. . . . The parallels to the present day are strong, even startling.”—The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)
Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it. It was a sophisticated and shockingly well-funded campaign to undermine democratic institutions, promote antisemitism, and destroy citizens’ confidence in their elected leaders, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the U.S. government and installing authoritarian rule.
That effort worked—tongue and groove—alongside an ultra-right paramilitary movement that stockpiled bombs and weapons and trained for mass murder and violent insurrection.
At the same time, a handful of extraordinary activists and journalists were tracking the scheme, exposing it even as it was unfolding. In 1941 the U.S. Department of Justice finally made a frontal attack, identifying the key plotters, finding their backers, and prosecuting dozens in federal court.
None of it went as planned.
While the scheme has been remembered in history—if at all—as the work of fringe players, in reality it involved a large number of some of the country’s most influential elected officials. Their interference in law enforcement efforts against the plot is a dark story of the rule of law bending and then breaking under the weight of political intimidation.
That failure of the legal system had consequences. The tentacles of that unslain beast have reached forward into our history for decades. But the heroic efforts of the activists, journalists, prosecutors, and regular citizens who sought to expose the insurrectionists also make for a deeply resonant, deeply relevant tale in our own disquieting times.
What the critics say
"TV host and political commentator Rachel Maddow shines at framing the backstory of current American politics in her latest audiobook, narrated in her signature forthright style.... As Maddow employs her customary earnest tone and unhurried cadence, her wry storytelling ability is on full display. The result is a terrifyingly familiar look at America's earlier, and continuing, dance with fascism." (AudioFile)
“Maddow’s sublime research into the precursors of current existential threats is astonishingly deep. She finds rabbit holes even rabbits are unaware of.” —Booklist, starred review
“America beat fascism once. Maddow’s timely study of enemies on the homefront urges that we can do so again.” —Kirkus, starred reviews
“Maddow’s book is a ripping read—well rendered, fast-paced and delivered with the same punch and assurance that she brings to a broadcast. . . . Prequel is a valuable window into the authoritarian mind-set—and the process by which self-professed patriots turn against democracy . . . the parallels to the present day are strong, even startling . . .” —The New York Times
What listeners say about Prequel
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2024-03-06
I'm Glad I Listened to It
I'm glad I listened to this book and feel that I am certainly more informed than I was before. The troubling thing for me was that about half way through the book, I was "troubled" or "confused" with the thought, "Wow, this really happened.... and the knowledge of it nowadays for myself and basically everyone that I know was, basically non-existent or not aware...?"
I really like Rachel Maddow and what she usually has to say but I couldn't help but feel that the way the book was narrated (the passion and intonation in her voice) left me wonder about biases and selectivness in story telling. Afterwards, it left me to think or consider, are the stories that I see on her MSNBC show, much different than what might be played on FOX? And, am I really being given the "whole" story... or just enough of a story to fit an agenda?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Judy Lillace
- 2023-11-21
Compelling!
I couldn't "put it down". Absolutely compelling look into the history of fascism in the USA during the 20th Century. Thanks, Rachel Maddow.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TRich
- 2023-11-27
A tale essential to our times!
In-depth and insightful history that is a must read for those who seek to learn from the sad lessons of our recent past. Brilliant and so very timely.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Red Amazone
- 2024-04-16
Rachel Maddow amazing
Rachel Maddow is simply amazing the narration keeps you going and her mastery of the subject is indéniable.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- PDubya
- 2023-11-11
Those Who Forget the Past…
What an amazing tale Ms Maddow tells- to think that it happened then and is happening again now is truly terrifying. The same story, different players. Of all the books that I have heard by this author this is definitely the one that stands above the others and that’s saying something because they have all been amazing. Take the time and do your country (and democracy in 2023) a favour and read this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brant Hinkey
- 2023-11-14
A history lesson I hope we can learn from
A well-told acknowledgement of the extensive propagation of anti-semitism in the US leading up to and during WWII. A reminder that this hate was not excised from its population, not even its government post-war. A stark yet deeply needed telling, giving us an opportunity to be more informed and less naive as we try to understand and live within the world’s current political landscape. The recording/editing of the audiobook did not match the level of excellence expected when associated with an author like Rachel Maddow.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jan
- 2023-11-26
History seems to repeat itself
This book was similar to a podcast Rachel put together. The podcast called Deja News but an extended edition of one of the episodes. I really learn a lot from Rachel’s story telling, as she can point out relevant history to today . I was happy when I saw that she was the narrator of the audiobook. Great job!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chillyfinger
- 2023-10-26
Nazis in America
After World War II, Americans became preoccupied with stamping out communism in every closet. The real danger before, during and after World War II was actually the Nazis. Among Truman's many failures was his coverup of Nazi sympathisers in Congress.
There is something eternally attractive in the Fascist mythology. These people will always be with us. People impatient with democracy will always yearn for a "strong" leader who will substitute the ballot box with the billy club. Fascism still has appeal with a large block of American voters.
I read this just after "American Prometheus." I strongly recommend this as an introduction to politics in early 20th-century America. Anti-communist craziness ran rampant while the American public was unaware of the influence that kept America out of World War II until Germany declared war on America. If it were not for Pearl Harbour, it's likely that America would have staid out and Hitler would have won.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wayne B
- 2023-10-21
A cautionary tale
Rachel once again makes it abundantly clear why we should understand history. It’s my hope that this should be taught in schools
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stephen Powell
- 2023-11-28
What goes around comes around and that the same things are happening
A brilliant written book by a brilliant author, your are taken on a journey and I hope that the same things do not happen this time around but with all the corruption in US politics it might and she should tell that story as well as the US population and a film made for the people that do not read. Great book thanks.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!