Sunday, February 24, 2008

Nonfiction Monday: Hole in My Life

The best audiobooks offer an experience beyond the book, such as you will find in Hole in My Life, Jack Gantos’ autobiographical account of his unconventional late teen years, a drug smuggling plan gone wrong, and his time in federal prison. Hearing Gantos recount his desperation, pain, and eventual optimism in his own inimitable voice forms a deeply personal connection between the listener and author. Both teens and adults will find inspiration, hope, and humor in this Printz Honor title. Click here to hear a clip.

Gantos is one the few truly masterful author-narrators, whether voicing his Rotten Ralph or Joey Pigza series. I had the very great honor to moderate an American Library Association session titled “Celebrating Excellence in Audiobooks for Children and Young Adults” featuring Gantos and fellow authors Bruce Coville, Judy Blume, and John Greene. If you’d like to hear what the authors think about audiobooks, click the link above and prepare to learn – and laugh out loud!

2 comments:

Tricia said...

Mary,
I just spent the last hour preparing for class and listening to the podcast. Thanks so much for linking to it. I really learned a lot.

I'm so thrilled with the Odyssey award and can't wait to see what the list of winners and honor books will look like in the next few years. I hope it will begin to open up the world of audiobooks to those who don't think much about this form.

Mary Burkey said...

Thanks, Trica!

If you attend the ALA conference this June in Aneheim, please come to the Odyssey Award Celebration Friday night, June 27th!

Mary