Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Summer of '85

By: Chris Morrow, Kevin Hart, Charlamagne Tha God, SBH Productions
Narrated by: Kevin Hart
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Welcome to the summer of 1985 in Philadelphia, when the city was rocked—in almost every sense of the word—by two unprecedented events: Mayor W. Wilson Goode’s May 13 decision to bomb the headquarters of MOVE, a controversial Philadelphia-based radical communal organization, and the July 13 Live Aid concert, where international rock royalty convened in Philly to raise money for victims of the Ethiopian famine.

Separated by just two months and eight miles, these events would showcase both the best and the worst of the so-called City of Brotherly Love: One would raise millions of dollars for famine victims in Africa, while the other would lead to the death of 11 members of MOVE, including five children, who had all taken the last name of their leader, John Africa. The bombing led to a fire that was allowed to burn for hours, resulting in the destruction of a middle-class African American neighborhood. Those wounds remain raw more than 35 years later.

Created by Chris Morrow, produced by Kevin Hart and Charlamagne tha God’s SBH Productions, and narrated by Hart, a Philadelphia native, Summer of '85 marks the first attempt to connect these two events and detail the incredible irony (and tragedy) of Philadelphia hosting a benefit for Africa the same summer it bombed a thriving African American neighborhood. Featuring candid interviews with participants such as Bob Geldof, Patti LaBelle, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Mike Africa Jr., the series explores the complex history that resulted in these outlier events paired by proximity and a combustible mix of ego, altruism, prejudice, utopian dreams, and human frailty.

©2022 SBH Productions, LLC (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC
  • Original Recording Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

1944 cover art
My Real Name Is Hanna cover art
My Vanishing Country cover art
The Man Who Sold America cover art
In the Shadow of Statues cover art
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World cover art
Alas, Babylon cover art
Israel cover art
This Is the Fire cover art
Season of the Witch cover art
Operation Nemesis cover art
Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize) cover art
Righteous Indignation cover art
First They Killed My Father cover art
People Love Dead Jews cover art
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You cover art

What listeners say about Summer of '85

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Dhá scéal chasta, inste go tomhaiste bríomhar

Faighimid léargas anseo ar ghrúpa suimiúil nach bhfuil eolas forleathan orthu abhus, agus ar an ainghníomh a d'imir na húdaráis orthu lena gcur faoi smacht. Caitheann sé seo solas eile ar eagrú Live Aid ná mar a fheictear go hiondúil. Cloistear réimse leathan tuairimí faoi na heachtraí ar fad. Ní leasc le lucht déanta an chláir seo an t-aon duine amháin a mholadh agus a cháineadh de réir mar a bheadh tuillte acu, rud a chuireann go mór lena shaibhreas.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A story that I hadn’t heard about

A compelling documentary about an abomination that was covered up by the authorities . Sadly little changes. A story that was told and presented brilliantly.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not what it purports to be

A couple of highlights from the summer of ‘85 but that is all, should have covered much more and stuck to ‘85
No mention of corruption around Band Aid money
On balance, I leave this disappointed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!