I love recording the audio version of my own books. If you’re like me, you like to hear the author’s work in their own voice.
Let me tell you, though, it is WORK.
I literally have to remain silent for most of the day to preserve my voice (I’m sure my friends and family are grateful for this!). I drink endless cups of hot water with lemon. I have to remember to exercise leading up to the recording because speaking for 3-4 hours a day in your “speaking voice” is physically exhausting as well. Not to mention trying to get the pacing and intonation right and the re-cords, and on and on…
It’s all fun and games until you have to read 60,000+ words slowly and clearly in a 3-day span.
But this isn’t about me—I just thought you might be interested in the process—it’s about you and your young ones.
Maybe your child, like mine, isn’t big reader yet. Perhaps they have some challenges that make reading especially difficult. For some children, if you hand them a book it can be a demoralizing and frustrating experience.
But all kids (and adults!) love stories, and listening to a book is a great way to access all kinds of stories.
Would you consider listening to this chapter from How to Fight Racism, Young Readers Edition the young people in your life?
It’s about 15 minutes long, so it’s great for a commute to school, or to the store, or maybe just before bedtime.
I’ve packed the young readers version with all kinds of stories from my middle grade years. You’ll hear never-before-revealed information about my terrible days riding the bench on the 5th grade basketball team. You’ll learn how a video arcade taught me about race and policing. You’ll hear about the ARC of Racial Justice and why kids need to be involved in the fight against racism, too.
Please listen and let me know your reflections.. Also, be sure to share this post with whoever—kids, adults, teachers, etc.—you think might be interested. This is the ONLY place online where you can find this free preview. But you can always buy the audiobook version.
Thanks so much for tuning in, and I hope it’s helpful!
FIRST LISTEN: How to Fight Racism, Young Readers Edition, Chapter 1 Audio