Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Rivals #1

¡Rivales! Amienemigos que cambiaron el mundo

Rate this book
Sabías que la mayoría de nuestros fósiles de dinosaurios fueron descubiertos porque dos hombres adultos se odiaban? ¡Es verdad!

¡Rivales! Amienemigos que cambiaron al mundo es una exclusiva de audio, como si Monty Python enseñara dar clase de historia. Cada volumen de cuatro historias de 30 minutos profundizará en los mezquinos insultos y los rencores que llevaron a muchos de los mayores avances del mundo, llevados al audio con un descarado sentido del humor.

Elige bandos: Cope o Marsh, los idiotas que descubrieron tantos dinosaurios; Hamilton o Burr, cuya rivalidad alimentó la política estadounidense; La Reina Isabel o María Reina de Escocia, que luchó por gobernar Inglaterra; Adidas o Puma, cuya rivalidad cambió el mundo del deporte y la moda.

Secuestros, peleas de rock, duelos y explosiones, ¡rivales! muestra a los líderes mundiales en su mejor y peor momento, a menudo al mismo tiempo.

Please note: This audiobook is in Latin American Spanish.

4 pages, Audible Audio

First published March 12, 2019

52 people are currently reading
1103 people want to read

About the author

Scott McCormick

329 books117 followers
Scott McCormick is the author of more Scott McCormick bios than any other Scott McCormick who ever Scott McCormicked. Look it up if you don’t believe me. He also writes the Mr. Pants graphic novels and the hilarious Audible Originals The Dragon Squisher, Spies! Sneak, Snoops, and Saboteurs Who Shaped the World, Mutually Assured Detention, and the number-one bestseller Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World. But who are we kidding? The real money is in writing bios. You take that advice to the bank. Tell ‘em Scott McCormick sent you. And if they ask you which Scott McCormick, you tell ‘em the Scott-McCormick-bio-writing Scott McCormick of the North Carolina Scott McCormicks. They’ll know who you mean.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,522 (25%)
4 stars
2,402 (40%)
3 stars
1,619 (27%)
2 stars
298 (5%)
1 star
86 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 782 reviews
Profile Image for Eliza.
611 reviews1,499 followers
August 14, 2019
Funny and informative! I could've done less with all the audio effects, but other than that, I learned some things I didn't know. I mean, who knew Hamilton was kind of a jerk?
Profile Image for Merry.
900 reviews283 followers
April 29, 2025
I got this ages ago and am just now listening to it. The book contains four short stories that are really interesting. Some of the humor and sound effects hit the mark and others are a miss. This book references several books that it used for background and I have added Burr to my tbr list. I rate the book 3.5* and round up.
Profile Image for Cori.
976 reviews186 followers
March 13, 2022
Second listen; still equally funny and interesting. I've decided any time I need to feel like a well-adjusted, successful adult, this is my go-to.
--‐-------------‐-----------------------------------------------------------

Hands-down one of the best Audible Originals I've listened to yet.

Four hilarious and mind-boggling stories about two petty paleontologists, Adidas vs. Puma, ridiculous royalty, and of course the long-standing dual between Burr and Hamilton. So glad I grabbed this one from July's picks! It manages to rivet adult listeners while also executing age-appropriate humor and story-telling techniques for kids.

I'd rate this a PG.
Profile Image for Maria.
138 reviews9 followers
October 14, 2024
Fun trivia! I didn't know Adidas and Puma were started by two brothers!
Profile Image for Steph's Romance Book Talk.
2,876 reviews1,399 followers
July 28, 2019
4 Stars / 0 Steam Fans

This was a super fun history lesson that is perfect for the young reader but also relatable and humorous for the adult listener/reader.

This specific video review will be included in the July 2019 wrap-up.

For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
Profile Image for Erin.
3,944 reviews464 followers
July 29, 2019
Audiobook narrated by several actors 2h 55mins 24

My second Audible selection for July was entertaining and informative and reminded me that I need a Monty Python marathon real soon. If you're not a historical buff, this would still keep you riveted especially chapters 3(Elizabeth I versus Mary, Queen of Scots)and 4(Alexander Hamilton versus Aaron Burr).


Goodreads review 29/07/19
Profile Image for Lorena.
754 reviews
November 29, 2018
The kids and I listened to this together. It was a super fun and funny look at a few historical rivals. However, one star is deducted for unnecessary and sometimes shocking profanity. One time everyone in the car gasped! Boo for a children’s book!
979 reviews75 followers
July 25, 2019
What a fun little audiobook! My most important takeaways from this book are: 1. I have been pronouncing Adidas “AH-dee-dahs”, the right way all along, 2. I am still Team Mary, Queen of Scots, and 3. Who knew Alexander Hamilton was such a jerk? I sure didn’t.
Profile Image for Queen Cronut.
183 reviews37 followers
July 23, 2019
What a fun way to learn history. If Horrible Histories and Mental Floss had a baby, this audiobook would be the result. I really enjoyed the full cast narration and the epic sound effects.

What to expect from this audiobook:
- JERSEY!
- Mary to marry a merry prince
- the proper way to pronounce "Adidas"
- an interesting perspective on Aaron Burr (especially after hearing so much about the Hamilton musical)

Although it's brief, it manages to cover a lot of information chockful of humor with nuggets of little known trivia. Very entertaining and interesting.
Profile Image for Faith.
2,250 reviews683 followers
August 11, 2019
The audio was juvenile, embarrassing and unbearable. I think listening to it will actually lower your IQ.
Profile Image for Tena Edlin.
937 reviews
July 22, 2019
I learned a lot from this audio book. The stories were pretty short and interesting; they left me wanting to know more. I appreciated the list of resources at the end so I can read more someday about these topics and people. Honestly, though, I don’t think the attempts at humor were needed. They just made me roll my eyes. 🙄
Profile Image for Jason Parent.
Author 50 books690 followers
March 26, 2021
This was a very well-narrated and engaging way to teach history. I had learned about 3 of the 4 rivals in school at one grade level or another, but the asides were very interesting and the entire production presented in a way that made someone burnt out by the idea of more education thrilled to be learning again. I would definitely be interested in reading others like this.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Edwards.
5,552 reviews9 followers
November 17, 2018
i love humor. historical info. 2. great listen, listened on Audible, i really appreciate that they took a lighter side to history and made it fun. i love the sound effects!! so fun. great cover ... i want more from this man ... these narrators ... AWESOME!!
Profile Image for Morgan Pace.
20 reviews3 followers
July 16, 2019
Good choice for a car ride with middle and high schoolers.
Profile Image for Samantha.
Author 20 books424 followers
October 23, 2019
A humorous telling of four of history's greatest rivalries, including Elizabeth I & Mary Queen of Scots and Hamilton & Burr. Those both already being familiar, my favorite was the origin story of Adidas & Puma. Some of it was a little more lighthearted than I prefer for nonfiction, but an interesting, quick listen.
Profile Image for Tracy.
699 reviews55 followers
September 3, 2019
I enjoyed this! You learn of real-life rivalries and how they affected the world. Includes rivalries I never knew about between paleontologists, Alexander Hamilton vs Aaron Burr, Addidas vs Puma and Elizabeth vs Mary, Queen of Scots. Fun and light the way it's presented....
Profile Image for Thomas.
Author 1 book36 followers
August 2, 2019
A fun production aimed at getting kids interested in history.

Often played for laughs, there is some solid reporting here. I just hope all the listeners understand that the joke quotes are just that, paraphrasing in modern language to make them funnier and more relatable.

Not a bad little listen.
Profile Image for Judi Easley.
1,496 reviews48 followers
August 26, 2019
Rivals!
Frenemies Who Changed the World
Scott McCormick
Narrators: Prentice Onayemi, Samantha Turret, Christine Hvam, Gabriel Vaughan, Josh Hurley
Audible Original, May 2018
2 hours, 55 minutes
Historical Humor/Humorous History
Purchased from Audible
⭐⭐⭐⭐

I found the cover of this book to be totally amusing and extremely eye-catching as well as appropriate for the book. Everything on the cover relates to one of the “stories” in the book. Yes, dinosaurs and Queen Elizabeth in the same book!

This book is not available in print form. The Audible version of this book was totally enjoyable with its information and hijinks throughout. Mr. McCormick has taken opponents in history, such as Queen Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scotts, and told their stories to relate how the world was changed after each exchange. The big change from the well-detailed exchange(s) between Liz and Mary was the religion of England. Mary was Catholic. If she had won the day (and the kingdom) England would have been a Catholic country and its history would read very differently. But Liz won the day, Mary lost her head, and England remained Protestant under Elizbeth and to this day. My version of the story is rather cut-and-dried, but the one written by Scott McCormick and performed by the five narrators is anything but that. The wit and humor entertain, while the actual history educates painlessly. It’s not that the author is laughing at history, well, not too much, but more like presenting it in a humorous light.

I recommend this highly entertaining and educational Audible book for humorous historians!
Profile Image for Jen Brodehl.
554 reviews61 followers
June 8, 2020
4.5 Stars- This was a short history Audible Original. It was easy to listen to with my son Lucas who is 10. He loved it! And it made me extra happy to learn more about Hamilton and Burr’s rivalry. Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Kathryn.
251 reviews51 followers
August 10, 2019
I really enjoyed this! It was an amusing but generally historically accurate look at four instances of rivalries that affected the world in both negative and positive ways. There were rivalries I didn't even know about along with ones I did. I adored the narrators voice and his way of presenting the book.

The content was very amusing and engaging, and I was glad that it called itself out on the unfair way it presented Mary Queen of Scots, admitting it was done so with humorous intent but listed her accolades. I appreciated that we were given nuanced portrayals of each side in all four instances. No one was presented as being the "good" one or the "bad" one. They were all just flawed people who lived their lives, sometimes for good and sometimes for ill.
Profile Image for Ivonne Rovira.
2,566 reviews255 followers
October 22, 2019
Scott McCormick has penned the history book that would make anyone love history. Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World is the rare book that lives up to the publisher’s description: The book really does read as “if Monty Python taught your history class”! The four rivalries — one between paleontological experts; one between two sneaker-making brothers; one between Queen Elizabeth and her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots; and the last between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton — make for riveting reading — or should I say, listening, since I was lucky enough to hear an entire cast perform the book?

I’ll make two points: McCormick makes Hamilton a lot less likable than did Lin-Manuel Miranda did, and you’ll love every single minute of the book.
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,265 reviews2,351 followers
December 17, 2020
Rivals! Frenemies Who Changed the World by Scott McCormick and narrated by a variety of performers teaches history in a most satisfying way! It's informative and hilarious! If you listen just to have fun or to learn something new, it's definitely worth your time! Kids and adults will love this!
Narration is brilliant!
Profile Image for Charlene.
875 reviews717 followers
November 8, 2019
I loved this take on rivalry, so refreshing and new. I highly recommend seeing Hamilton the musical and then reading McCormick's take on the Burr - Hamilton feud.
Profile Image for SheriC.
716 reviews35 followers
July 3, 2020
I think this must be intended for children, because the language is very simple and straightforward. Regardless, it was not interesting enough to keep my interest.

Displaying 1 - 30 of 782 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.