In an age where digital is the way to go, it is hard for us literary lovers to maintain our identity. With libraries either reducing hours or losing funding the idea of the sacred library book is losing its fervor. There is certainly a bias here, if it wasn’t already evident, because as an English teacher I worry about the future of reading. Already the definition of reading is changing from reading short stories and novels to reading a Facebook status or Twitter update.
I am certainly not averse to the benefits of online reading, in whatever form it takes place, but what has happened to cracking open a book and reading? I pondered this question back in August when I realized at the start of my student teaching internship my reading time was going to be limited. How was I going to continue to read for fun while also reading for classroom curriculum purposes? It took me a while to arrive at the answer, but by the time Labor Day rolled around I realized I had been largely ignoring another form of reading that involved an entirely different type of skill: listening.
For 40 minutes every morning and every afternoon I had to drive to and from my placement school down country roads with little to nothing to keep one occupied. That’s when I decided to open my ears to audiobooks. With a trusty aux chord and a library card I was able to download the Overdrive App and begin listening to any book available through my library.
From August to April I listened to a staggering 18 audiobooks! Through this experience I learned something truly valuable. Even though I am an avid tangible book lover there is something even more beneficial about listening to audiobooks. I was able to understand characters in a more in depth manner because of the intonation or dialect produced by the narrator. The story came more alive to me because even in my little car traveling along those country roads I was being transported to Paris or southern Indiana or any other setting I was listening to in a book.
Now having experienced a wide range of audiobooks I am eager to implement this type of reading in my future English classrooms. But beyond my interest area I really believe that anyone can benefit from experiencing audiobooks. Whether you are an avid book reader like myself or struggle to find the time to read this is a perfect medium.
For a list of audiobook websites other than Overdrive head HERE.