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Walden and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience Audiobook
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(3.82) - 33 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In the early spring of 1845, Henry David Thoreau built and lived in a cabin near the shore of Walden Pond in rural Massachusetts. For the next two years, he enacted his own Transcendentalist experiment, living a simple life based on self-reliance, individualism, and harmony with nature. The journal he kept at that time evolved into his masterwork,Walden, an eloquent expression of a uniquely American philosophy.
During the same period, Thoreau endured a one-day imprisonment for his refusal to pay a poll tax, an act of protest against the government for supporting the Mexican War, to which he was morally opposed. In his essay "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience," he defends the principles of such nonviolent protest, setting an example that has influenced such figures as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., and that endures to this day.
Henry David Thoreau is today considered one of the most influential figures in American thought and literature.
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"In between the pages of long-winded ice measurements and how much Thoreau likes his bean garden, this novel makes interesting and worthwhile points. If you can learn the skill of artfully skimming, this book is well worth the trouble. You'll never look at a tree quite the same way."
— Nicole (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Here, in [‘On the Duty of Civil Disobedience’] I made my first contact with the theory of nonviolent resistance…I was so deeply moved that I reread the work several times…No other person has been more eloquent and passionate in getting this idea across than Henry David Thoreau.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr. -
“[Thoreau’s] ideas influenced me greatly…I actually took the name of my movement from Thoreau’s essay ‘On the Duty of Civil Disobedience’…”
— Mahatma Gandhi -
“Walden is a major philosophical statement on the American character, the uses of a life of simple toil, and the values of rugged independence…a work that today…is as readable and perhaps even more timely than when it was written.”
— Masterpieces of World Literature -
“Narrator Robin Field’s expressiveness is excellent, his pacing fine, his understanding of the text clear. His reading of the famous, and still radical, essay on civil disobedience is direct and down-to-earth, keeping all Thoreau’s good qualities.”
— AudioFile
Walden and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience Listener Reviews
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" I liked his ponderings on economy & food. Great wit & sarcasm- things I've often thought @ the human race. His rambling bored me after a while though & although many would think he had a lot of great philosophical thought, I saw how self-centered & selfish he was too, just as he complained @ others being. "
— Erin, 2/20/2014 -
" if man does not keep pace with his companions... and all that jazz. plus, as the inspiration for Ghandi and Martin Luther King's movements re peaceful independence/equality, can anyone afford not to read it? "
— Shar, 2/14/2014 -
" Kinda boorish if you ask me, sorry. I'll see your Thoreau and raise you one Everett Ruess. "
— Chris, 2/10/2014 -
" Read this, hug a tree, and f*#k the American government! "
— Gabriela, 2/2/2014 -
" *yawn* ... sorry didn't like it ... and I've walked all the way around Walden Pond... kinda nice "
— Chris, 1/31/2014 -
" Thoreau doesn't seem like he was a very fun guy to hang around with. "
— James, 1/27/2014 -
" I learned alot from this book. I just also had to remind myself while I was reading it that we all have alot to learn...even the author. "
— Cory, 1/18/2014 -
" Should be required reading and paired with Silent Spring! "
— Cyndi, 12/30/2013 -
" DID YOU KNOW PUMPKINS ARE FAILURES?! Thoreau sure did. "
— Angie, 11/24/2013 -
" I mistook it is as a 'living off the land' story.. but it is more into literature than adventure.. "
— Sundeep, 11/19/2013 -
" I keep trying. I'm not getting any further. "
— Bryson, 11/5/2013 -
" Constantly referring to this book. A must read, a must have. "
— Jen, 9/15/2013 -
" Definitely not for everyone at any point in their lives, but almost every page is packed with content that will move you philosophically and reflect on your impact in the world. "
— Ken, 8/14/2013 -
" I loved Civil Disobedience, but had a really hard time enjoying Walden. I know its an amazing feat of literature, but the events themselves are just so boring! I can't deny how well written it is, but man, some of the things are just not that interesting. "
— Brendan, 8/10/2013 -
" While I admire Thoreau's ability to build a cabin and live in the woods, had the luxury of no responsibility for family. He also had a temperment that required little or no social interaction. Not all can live like that. "
— Roxane, 8/4/2013 -
" Look, I'm sure Thoreau had a lot to offer as a naturalist, poet, dinner party guest, whatever. As an essayist he is pompous, repetitive, and boring as hell. I get it: "Simplify." Take your own advice and don't use 10,000 words to say what could be said in 500. Sheesh. "
— Jennifer, 5/13/2013 -
" This book has changed my life and they way I look at things. It is truly a masterpiece. "No truer American existed than Thoreau" - Ralph Waldo Emerson. "
— Barbara, 4/3/2013 -
" it was this book, read for high school english class, that helped instill in me a love for nature as well as a desire to preserve it. it also gave me one of my life maxims: to live deliberately. "
— Kent, 11/10/2012 -
" Walden is my favorite book. "
— Amelia, 9/16/2012 -
" I could not finish this book. Not that it was a bad book but if bored me. I also could not help but think that Walden is hippocritical. He a man of means could afford to buy a large piece of land and live off of it for a year. "
— Daniel, 8/23/2012 -
" Just read Walden, not any of the additional material. "
— KC, 12/29/2011 -
" My grandmother gave me this book for my 13th birthday. The book transformed my life and my views on government. Pretty sure a small part of me has wanted to be a hermit ever since. "
— Erik, 6/20/2011 -
" Do not go another day of your life without reading this book if you haven't read it. If you have and it's been awhile, read it again! "
— Jolene, 5/7/2011 -
" This book is great for social studies plus I believe students need to be introduced to <br/>Thoreau at an early age. He talk about being " anti slavery" and about other important social issues great for 4th or 5th grade/ "
— Ayana, 4/10/2011 -
" I preferred Walden to CD. I was surprised that he knew of some Chinese writers.<br/><br/>Maybe some of his acts were somewhat anti-social, but he expressed his views well. "
— Ke, 4/8/2011 -
" This is one of those books I didn't get in high school when it was on the reading list. But I'm glad something made me pick it up now. "
— Karen, 3/20/2011 -
" The reason I became an Educator. "
— Tim, 3/9/2011 -
" Read "Civil Disobedience" for school, but I love Thoreau's writing and want to read more! "
— Sara, 2/26/2011 -
" Thoreau and Emerson have it all figured out. "
— Krisitn, 2/24/2011 -
" Yes, I'll say it: Thoreau is overrated, both as a stylist and a thinker. There's much of value in these essays, but also a lot of racial and economic myopia. "
— Steven, 2/24/2011 -
" I really liked Civil Disobedience, but try as I might, I could not get into Walden. I eventually gave up about a third of the way in. I'm surprised because the whole premise interested me. Maybe I'll try again in some other life. "
— Kelly, 2/14/2011 -
" Convoluted and heavy BUT, filled with gems. You should read it. "
— Anthony, 1/19/2011
About Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) was an American essayist, naturalist, philosopher, and poet. Born at Concord, Massachusetts, and educated at Harvard, he began his career as a teacher. Through his older friend and neighbor, Ralph Waldo Emerson, he became a part of the Transcendentalist circle and one of that group’s most eloquent spokespersons. He is best known for his book Walden and his essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.”
About Robin Field
Robin Field is the AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator of numerous audiobooks, as well as an award-winning actor, singer, writer, and lyricist whose career has spanned six decades. He has starred on and off Broadway, headlined at Carnegie Hall, authored numerous musical reviews, and hosted or performed on a number of television and radio programs over the years.