“Listening to an audiobook is not reading.”
That’s what the unpopular opinion in r/unpopularopinion reads. The comment section of that post is a hoot, def go check it out!
This is an age-old argument that the book purists constantly want to push onto the rest of us, who just want to escape reality.
The argument is that listening to someone reading a book for you is not reading it yourself. That reading requires an active involvement on your part – listening is something passive that can be done while doing other things.
The purists argue that there should be a perfect communion of reader and writer with no intermediaries.
What about the books read by the authors themselves? That’s an even more complete experience than reading the book yourself.
Like The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, I’d argue that’s a book you should never read yourself because you’re not gonna hear it the way he tells it himself.
Then the purists say that if there’s something you don’t understand in a (physical) book, you can go back and read it.
Clearly, these are the same Luddites who’ve never heard of rewind.
Before we ever wrote books, we told stories around the campfire.
And no matter how many people tell me audiobooks isn’t really reading, I’m not gonna listen.
In some ways, having the story read to you perfects it because, as I said, in the case of The Blacktongue Thief, I would have enjoyed it a whole lot less if I’d been reading it rather than listening to it.
In fact, I saw in the reviews that many people DNF’d it specifically for the challenging language!
Audiobooks contain the same content as physical books.
They convey the same plot, characters, themes, and ideas, allowing the listener to fully engage with the story.
Audiobooks are recorded by professional narrators who bring the characters to life through their voice acting.
These narrators often have extensive training and experience in acting, which allows them to fully capture the tone and mood of the book.
And many listeners argue that audiobooks enhance their reading experience, as the narration can add a new dimension to the story that may not have been present in a physical book.
Are there problems with audiobooks?
I didn’t say they were perfect, but that they count as reading.
More than one audiobook has been ruined by poor narration. Scarlett Johansson reading Alice in Wonderland is one such example, but that’s a conversation for another time.
But many more have been uplifted by the amazing work of the voice actors performing them for our listening pleasure!
Audiobooks are also accessible to a wider audience.
Particularly those who may struggle with traditional reading methods.
People with visual impairments, dyslexia, or other learning difficulties benefit greatly from audiobooks.
Audiobooks also allow you to multitask.
Vacuuming, doing the dishes or the laundry, all those chores become awesome when they’re also reading time when you can enjoy literature in a meaningful way.
In this sense, audiobooks provide a valuable and inclusive way for people to experience literature.
Audiobooks require a different set of skills than physical books, but they still require a level of focus and attention.
When listening to an audiobook, the listener must be fully present and attentive in order to follow the plot and understand the nuances of the story.
This focus and attention is similar to the level of engagement required when reading a physical book.
And let’s not forget that the rise of audiobooks has been acknowledged by the publishing industry, with many authors releasing their audiobooks before their physical books, or simultaneously at the very least.
This indicates that the industry sees audiobooks as a legitimate and valuable format, worthy of recognition and respect.
And they make money because people love audiobooks. The global audiobook market is worth over $5.3 billion and is projected to reach $35 billion in 2030.
Whether you prefer to read physical books or listen to audiobooks, the most important thing is that we continue to engage with literature in meaningful ways.
Because reading is important.
