Audiobook: My Little Boy part III

Since graduating from college, I have sometimes wondered how and if I will better understand the books that had been assigned to me.  For years, young adult literature has been my favorite genre to read, often perusing the words happily (I am not by nature a fast reader) and finding something cathartic in the process; however, I am now older than the age on which most of young adult literature focuses.

A question I am pondering right now is, what experiences and/or responsibilities must you understand to get the motives of a character of a certain age?  Furthermore: do you need to be an adult to understand adults?  Do you have to travel to Europe to understand European literature or customs?  Do you need to be a parent to understand people who are parents?

Part of the reason I am enjoying recording My Little Boy is that I don't know what it is like to be a father, so getting to voice one is pretty interesting.  In part three, I think the Dad is trying so hard to guide to his son, but his own motives are taking control; I don't completely understand why the Dad is so set against going to the zoo at the time, but I do think he is a little worn out.  He mentions that he is at his "wits' end" after his son's curiosity is so incessantly piqued; I think that is a state to which most readers can relate.  He keeps trying to encourage his son to think about the natural state of the animals, and yet the natural state for the boy is to be playful and imperfectly human.

Here's a link to the audio of my recording for Part 3:

It is a little longer than the previous two parts, and I am thinking some future parts will be just as long.

Audiobook: My Little Boy part II

One thing I like about stories is that they can bring thoughts and experiences to each reader.  In so doing, a reading of a story can be unique to each person.  As an adult reader, stories about a character's childhood can delve up memories long-stored from my own childhood.  Part II of My Little Boy mentions The Little Mermaid.  Funnily enough, today I watched the very same Disney movie and decided to pull up the story to read sometime in-between "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl."  I read Part II to myself and became curious about the original story of The Little Mermaid.

Another thing I like about stories is that they can coalesce pieces of media or other things you might have read.  I found one such article just before I decided to record this piece.  Here is a link to an HuffPost article entitled The REAL Stories Behind These Disney Movies Will Ruin Your Childhood: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/4239730/  I haven't seen the new Maleficent film but have on mind a couple articles I read about the backstory of Sleeping Beauty and noticed this article from last November touched on that story as well.

Look back in my previous post for a link to the public domain story, if you would like to follow along with the text, and click on the sound cloud audio file for this next installment of My Little Boy.  If you are so fortunate, a few memories will pop into your head or a few articles could align.

Audiobook: My Little Boy

I discovered a story that I really enjoyed last night during a winter storm and read it while listening to the wind; I decided I wanted to start recording it today. My Little Boy by Carl Ewald was published in 1906 and revolves around a father who raises his young son. I find it to be a very earnest novella about growing up and all the tough experiences one might encounter. I'll delve into this more as I record more of it, and hope you enjoy the exposition about these characters.

If you want to follow along: Here's a link to a written copy of what I've recorded. Click on "read this book online (HTML)" for the option to have it in your browser and the other options to click on will enable you to download the material. In today's post I have only recorded part one. 
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org 
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35543?msg=welcome_stranger

A note: anything I record on this blog will be material available on public domain so as to avoid any copyright infringement.