Showing results by narrator "Bruce Davis" in All Categories

The most powerful memories of my life were the teenage years that I spent with my brother Bruce. He was my mother's favorite son, born with multiple sclerosis (MS). I used to take him swimming almost everyday, being weightless in the water made him feel powerful and normal. He fought his disease and other than tiring easily he was no different than any other teen. Since we were both excellent swimmers and always at the pool, we were offered a chance to fill in as lifeguards at the beach. It was a great summer with a large crowd and plenty of sunshine.

Bart was a poor college graduate without a job and buried in debt. Things changed when he inherited his uncle's property. It came with a strange farmhand named Alan. The farm didn't provide typical vegetables or animals. Instead, it produced marijuana, and wolf-dogs bred for professional dogfights. One dog gave him winnings of 80,000 dollars in a single match. The dogs were a mix of great dane and wolf. They were fed live animals and shot with steroids to increase their size and anger. They were the ultimate fighting dogs - supersized wolves.

The satirical novel, Babbitt (1922), by Sinclair Lewis, is a critique of the social pressure toward conformity and what Lewis regarded as the emptiness of middle-class life. The setting is the city of Zenith in the Midwest. The book’s first seven chapters describe a day in the life of a realtor, George F. Babbitt, starting with his morning routine.

This audiobook of true-life tales was first published in 1883. The accounts are related by a Ranger who experienced most of the history first-hand. It deals with, among others, the War of Independence from Mexico including the Alamo, and scouting expeditions into the Wichita Mountains.

In May 1874, Dan W. Roberts was given his commission as second lieutenant of Company "D" of the Ranger Battalion; he would remain with them for the next eight years. During his time with the Texas Rangers, Roberts was active in protecting settlers, quelling unrest, arresting stage coach robbers, and assisting the army in building roads. His account of his time with the Rangers was published in 1914.

In a time where patriotism can sometimes be perceived as a rather negative trait, it can be refreshing to listen to the accounts of those who were filled with boundless love for their country. Samuel Williams’ 1774 discourse reads as an ode to America. He draws continuous parallels between his native country and Jerusalem, both whom he believed to possess the qualities to reach a stage of ultimate perfection.

A large party was given to me and Tony for our release from prison. We were also celebrating our promotions to Capo. Our new business venture was to run drugs and counterfeit money in phony taxis. They were perfect replicas of cabs that traveled thru the city. We operated right under the cop's noses --- making the mob millions. Don Mancini was pleased until I had an accident. I actually had two --- one with the taxi and the other with my girlfriend, both were life changers. Don Carmine Mancini was a brilliant and he turned my negatives into positives.

Sonny's wife Paulina tells him she wants another child. He agrees to expand the family. Tony's wife Roberta hears the good news and she also wants a child. She confides in Sonny that Tony is too stubborn to find out why he can't get her pregnant. She had been examined and the problem is not with her. Both mobsters are trying to deal with this delicate situation when all of a sudden someone slits the throat of Robert Rizzo, crime boss of the Damato family, and his bodyguard Jesse.

Being a young Mafia boss was an enormous boost to a man's ego. Some men couldn't take the pressure and responsibilities. They were simply eliminated. Tony and I had our challenges. A man is born weak and has to be taught to be strong. He needs to ignore things that would make a normal man emotional. That was the Mafia thinking. The Mafia way. We were exposed to the dirtiest, unethical situations. Laws and conscience didn't steer our lives. The problem was that people got hurt. The people that counted. The very people that meant the most got trampled.