The acclaimed nonfiction book "Dead Air: The Night Orson Welles Terrified America" by William Elliott Hazelgrove is now available as an audiobook, bringing listeners inside one of the most extraordinary nights in American broadcasting history. The audiobook edition brings a new dimension to a story that is fundamentally about the power of the spoken word.
On October 30, 1938, a 23-year-old Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air presented an adaptation of H.G. Wells's "The War of the Worlds." The program was structured to sound like an ordinary radio broadcast interrupted by increasingly alarming news bulletins reporting that something had landed in rural New Jersey. The invaders were Martians. What followed became an enduring piece of American history.
In "Dead Air," Hazelgrove reconstructs the people, personalities, media environment, and events surrounding the broadcast, separating the mythology from what actually happened while capturing an era when radio possessed an immediacy and authority difficult to imagine today. The audiobook gives the story a particularly appropriate new life. "Dead Air" is, after all, a book about the extraordinary power of the spoken word—and about what can happen when millions of people hear something they believe might be real.
"Radio was the internet of 1938," Hazelgrove says. "It was immediate, intimate, and trusted. Orson Welles understood the power of the medium, and on that October night he demonstrated just how powerful it could be." The audiobook format allows listeners to hear the story in a way that echoes the original broadcast's impact.
"Dead Air" has received national attention, with coverage including The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, Air Mail, and WYSO's The Book Nook. This widespread recognition underscores the book's significance in revisiting a pivotal moment in media history.
The release of the audiobook is particularly relevant today, as it invites reflection on the power of media to shape public perception and the consequences of misinformation. In an era of digital media and fake news, the story of the 1938 broadcast serves as a cautionary tale about the potential for mass hysteria when information is not properly verified. Hazelgrove's detailed narrative provides historical context that helps listeners understand the parallel between the radio age and the internet age.
William Elliott Hazelgrove is a national bestselling author of over 25 books of fiction and narrative nonfiction whose books explore dramatic and often misunderstood moments in American history. His work has been covered by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, NPR, C-SPAN, and other national media outlets. His books have been optioned for the movies.
The audiobook edition of "Dead Air: The Night Orson Welles Terrified America" is available now, offering both new audiences and longtime readers a fresh way to engage with this fascinating chapter in American history.
