The Century

Unabridged
Author: Peter Jennings , Todd Brewster
Narrator: Peter Jennings
Genres: History
Publisher: Random House (Audio)
Date: November 1998
Length: 15 hours
Ratings:
Formats:
  • CD

Other Options

Also Available for Rent Also Available for Purchase

Suggested Titles

Overview

"We have sought," write Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster, "to distinguish our story from other histories by holding each chapter up to a litmus test: Have we looked at this time from the perspective of someone who lived through it? And in doing so, have we captured a sense not only of the events of a particular era, but of the mood, the prevailing attitudes?" Thus, the experiences of ordinary men and women come to life in sidebars that appear throughout The Century. Sharpe James, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, recalls the sense of excitement and possibility he felt when Jackie Robinson became the first black ballplayer in the major leagues. Gilles Ryan remembers what it was like to be a high-school student in Dayton, Tennessee, during the Scopes Trial. Connie Chang talks about emigrating to the United States from Korea and establishing a liquor store in Los Angeles, only to have it destroyed in the civil unrest.

The book's sweeping narrative, shaped by Jennings and Brewster's comprehensive text, also flows a bit more smoothly than Evans's telegraphic prose; one can almost imagine Jennings reciting from these pages as he hosts the ABC/History Channel documentaries to which this book is a companion piece.

Selected Reviews

The Century

by Anonymous
  • Book Rating: 4/5

Wow

by Anonymous
  • Book Rating: 5/5

More...

Read All 8

Reviews (8)

The Century

Written by Anonymous on August 14th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 4/5

Wow, what a great review of history. It's not real specific on dates, but very interesting to listen to. I'm not a history buff, but wanted to know more about the past.

Wow

Written by Anonymous on July 19th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Wow! This was a great verbal history. Loved all the extras of real people giving their viewpoints. The background music was a great added touch as well.

Well Done

Written by Anonymous on April 21st, 2007

  • Book Rating: 5/5

This should be manatory for everybody - a very good overview of history from the past century. Good insights from highlighted contributors & flows at a good pace so that you don't lose interest due to many details.

The Century

Written by Paul Sorrentino from South Deerfield, MA on June 28th, 2005

  • Book Rating: 2/5

This is a lengthy overview of the 20th century. It suffers from a lack of continuity. Jennings has a large number of commentators (actors, historians, people in the street) for each section but very little to bring them together. Jennings essentially announces the name of the person and they make their comments. Jennings make a few, short comments along the way. The result is a highly disjointed and selective telling of the major events of the 20th century with the concentration on America. The numerous and unconnected voices became annoying to me as I wished for some common and overarching themes rather than mere micro-level reporting.

Nice history

Written by Anonymous from Mississauga, ON on June 9th, 2005

  • Book Rating: 4/5

I enjoyed the series, and it kept me looking forward to driving my car for quite a while (many CDs). Only complaint is that too much detail was spent on certain elements and not enough on others. A lot of this is just personal preference, but I would've preferred more time on cultural trends and world history that impacted the US, rather than chapter after chapter on civil rights and the holocaust. Both VERY important, but not all that interesting after the first 40 minutes of listening.

Oral anecdotes you've probably already heard, if you're over 50

Written by Jeffrey Roughgarden from Redwood City, CA on May 7th, 2005

  • Book Rating: 1/5

IMHO, this is pretty lightweight stuff. If you're over fifty, you've probably heard anecdotes like those here while you were growing up. OTOH, if you're younger or not too well read in history, you may like this.

What a waste of effort this is

Written by Pat Fish on February 23rd, 2005

  • Book Rating: 2/5

I can ONLY imagine how much money went into the production of this series, how many hard-working interviewers out in the field collected the first-person narratives. Then whoever spliced it together paid no attention to sound levels. I was a hazard on the freeway, constantly turning the volume up to hear some aged person's mumbled memories then slamming the dial down when Peter Jennings shouted again.... pathetic. The material is grand, sure, but the production is very poorly edited together.

Very Well Done

Written by Meyer on September 13th, 2004

  • Book Rating: 4/5

The Century is more like a radio broadcast than an audio book. The best part is hearing the people tell their stories. The people who actually experienced the events are there to share their thoughts and feelings. Many become quite emotional. You hear about toilets in the kitchen, the enthusiasm for going to war, and even a Japanese soldier talking about how he burned women and children alive. It wasn’t all a rosy century but it was interesting. Being 31, I was only alive during the latter 1/3 of the century. Listening to those bits took me right back to those moments. I was especially touched by hearing Reagan’s speech after the Challenger exploded. The whole program is 15 CDs – not bad for 100 years but a bit time consuming. It seems like it can be experienced in parts and not lose it’s effect. I recommend this.

Selected Reviews

The Century

by Anonymous
  • Book Rating: 4/5

Wow

by Anonymous
  • Book Rating: 5/5

More...

Read All 8

Author Details

Author Details

Jennings, Peter

"Peter Jennings is Anchor and Senior Editor of ABC News' World News Tonight. In more than thirty-five years as a broadcast journalist, he has covered many of the pivotal events of the century. "