Every year, editors at AudioFile magazine put together their best-of-the-year list of recommended audiobooks, picking out titles they view as “can’t miss listens.” Books are chosen in a variety of genres—from novels to nonfiction, and from single voice to full-cast productions. These are their choices for the best ‘history and nonfiction’ audiobooks of 2025, starting with the second volume of historian Rick Atkinson’s Revolution Trilogy.
The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson, narrated by Grover Gardner and Rick Atkinson
Author and narrator are both at their best here. Few accounts of the great struggle for independence are so fully and vividly recounted, or so penetrating. Washington is the dominating figure, always admirable, but on a human scale, with his share of shortcomings and pretensions. Lafayette, Arnold, even John Hancock—the dusty names step out of the shadows and down from their pedestals. Golden Voice Gardner’s flawless delivery marks this as one of the year’s hallmark listening experiences.
(32.5 hours)
We the People written and narrated by Jill Lepore
The U.S. Constitution is under threat, but it has a self-contained aspect that can right the ship of state if only we will let it: the amendment process. Harvard historian Jill Lepore contends the country’s guiding document was not born fully developed and shouldn’t be treated as a static entity. It’s like the best of college lectures—clear and well structured. Lepore’s pace makes it easy for listeners to absorb her main points and to appreciate the bits of humor and colorful historical tidbits that enliven her text.
(24 hours)
Dark Renaissance by Stephen Greenblatt, narrated by Edoardo Ballerini
Author Greenblatt and Golden Voice Edoardo Ballerini match well in this insightful biography of Shakespeare’s predecessor and early model, playwright Christopher Marlowe. Little is known for certain about Marlowe’s life, or more mysteriously, his murder at age 29. His sparse biography is fleshed out and enriched by a marvelous evocation of Elizabethan theater before and during his brief career—and his impact on a string of his contemporaries, particularly Shakespeare.
(9.75 hours)
Mother Emanuel by Kevin Sack, narrated by William DeMeritt
William DeMeritt’s commanding performance is the perfect complement to Kevin Sack’s tenth anniversary tribute to the 9 slaughtered members of Charleston’s Mother Emanuel AME Church. This work is also a tribute to the rich and inspiring story of the Black church in America—a story laden with hope and hardship. This masterful history of endurance is brought forth by DeMeritt with somber resonance and emotional intensity.
(15 horus)
Original Sins by Eve L. Ewing, narrated by Robin Miles and Eve L. Ewing
Kudos to the author, publisher, and narrator of this audiobook. Author Ewing delivers her introduction, which sets up the arguments. She then turns the body of the text over to Golden Voice narrator Robin Miles. Miles is a gifted performer whose tone, tempo, and cadence enhance the dark truths of this provocative work. Ewing, who is a scholar and poet, indicts American schools as historically rigged against Black and Native American students.
(12.25 hours)
Food for Thought written and narrated by Alton Brown
Add ‘outstanding audiobook narrator’ to Brown’s impressive resumé. He performs his ‘essays and ruminations’ smoothly and wittily. His range of interests is expansive: blue crab (eat the soft shell variety), martinis (be wary of ice), Japanese cuisine (seek it out), and more. But it’s his funny and quirky opinions that stay with the listener. A master of the bon mot, he tells stories creatively with an excellent pace and tone.
(7 hours)
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