The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction Audiobook

A Wall Street Journal writer’s conversation-changing look at how reading aloud makes adults and children smarter, happier, healthier, more successful and more closely attached, even as technology pulls in the other direction.

A miraculous alchemy occurs when one person reads to another, transforming the simple stuff of a book, a voice, and a bit of time into complex and powerful fuel for the heart, brain, and imagination. Grounded in the latest neuroscience and behavioral research, and drawing widely from literature, The Enchanted Hour explains the dazzling cognitive and social-emotional benefits that await children, whatever their class, nationality or family background. But it’s not just about bedtime stories for little kids: Reading aloud consoles, uplifts and invigorates at every age, deepening the intellectual lives and emotional well-being of teenagers and adults, too.

Meghan Cox Gurdon argues that this ancient practice is a fast-working antidote to the fractured attention spans, atomized families and unfulfilling ephemera of the tech era, helping to replenish what our devices are leaching away. For everyone, reading aloud engages the mind in complex narratives; for children, it’s an irreplaceable gift that builds vocabulary, fosters imagination, and kindles a lifelong appreciation of language, stories and pictures.

Bringing together the latest scientific research, practical tips, and reading recommendations, The Enchanted Hour will both charm and galvanize, inspiring readers to share this invaluable, life-altering tradition with the people they love most.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

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“This wonderful audiobook is a fully enjoyable listen. Meghan Cox Gurdon…sprinkles her delivery with appropriate accents and enthusiasm. Furthermore, her pacing is excellent, and her ability to maintain listener attention is impressive. Half the fun of listening is recalling the children’s books from our own pasts and recollecting the joy of reading to little ones. Add in Gurdon’s research on the benefits of reading aloud, along with a dollop of screen weariness, and you have an important and engaging audiobook.”

— AudioFile