LeVar Burton Reads (to me)
It’s been only my Kindle and me for a few weeks now. Because my books were beyond my reach for various reasons. That’s how I discovered LeVar Burton Reads.
I am a little slow when it comes to catching up with the latest trends, technological or otherwise. So, I didn’t discover podcasts until quite recently. There is a wealth of information to be had through the medium of podcasts. I like The Seen and The Unseen because it is India-centric and deals with current issues. I haven’t made much headway with Unscrewed, but I enjoy Jaclyn Friedman’s energy. I am hoping to devote some listening time soon to Chuski Pop, for an Indian feminist viewpoint. Myths and Legends is brilliant if you like mythology from all over the world delivered to you in modern conversational style, where respect for the tale and its origins is interspersed with a healthy reality check and delightful humor.
But my favorite has to be LeVar Burton Reads. For many people in America, LeVar Burton might be synonymous with Reading Rainbow, one of the longest running children’s shows on the PBS network. Burton was both host and producer of the show which aired for 23 years. The show focused on getting children to read. I Googled to see if I could find an old episode since the program ended in 2006. And sure enough, I found one! It might seem simple to us today, but I can imagine being a kid and waiting to see what theme Burton would be discussing next week and which books he’d be talking about. It’s easy to believe children falling in love with reading after watching a show that had a theme song about riding a reading rainbow and being anywhere you wanted to be and anyone you wanted to be just by opening a book.
Now, LeVar Burton seems to be reading for the kids that grew up on Reading Rainbow. His podcast, which is available free (!), features him reading a short story, with music and effects. His voice has aged beautifully and it is wonderful to listen to. Burton’s podcast is also well-produced and extremely enjoyable, probably like an Audible audio book. He picks the stories he reads based on what he likes. His taste veers towards fantasy and science fiction. The latter is a genre I have not explored in depth because it hasn’t appealed to me much. But now, thanks to Burton, I am listening to science fiction short stories that I would otherwise never have bothered with.
And this journey into uncharted territory is not limited to genres. I love my old Hindi films and their sometimes far-fetched tropes. But some I cannot stand. The ichhadhari nagin or the vishkanya, for instance, are ideas that don't get me excited. I would never have given Roshani Choksi’s ‘The Vishkanya’s Choice’ a chance if I hadn’t been intrigued on seeing it in Burton’s list. And when I let Burton read the tale to me (yes, that’s how I shamelessly think of it!) in his rich voice, even though he stumbled through 'Hastinapur' a couple of times, I loved the tale. It was so unlike what I expected it to be and so thought provoking. I am now a convert and am willing to sample all of Burton’s choices.
LeVar Burton reading to me (free of cost!) as I take care of mundane but necessary chores in a house overrun by frenetic and noisy activity in the past few weeks has been a blessing, a divine distraction I would recommend happily to anyone.
I am a little slow when it comes to catching up with the latest trends, technological or otherwise. So, I didn’t discover podcasts until quite recently. There is a wealth of information to be had through the medium of podcasts. I like The Seen and The Unseen because it is India-centric and deals with current issues. I haven’t made much headway with Unscrewed, but I enjoy Jaclyn Friedman’s energy. I am hoping to devote some listening time soon to Chuski Pop, for an Indian feminist viewpoint. Myths and Legends is brilliant if you like mythology from all over the world delivered to you in modern conversational style, where respect for the tale and its origins is interspersed with a healthy reality check and delightful humor.
But my favorite has to be LeVar Burton Reads. For many people in America, LeVar Burton might be synonymous with Reading Rainbow, one of the longest running children’s shows on the PBS network. Burton was both host and producer of the show which aired for 23 years. The show focused on getting children to read. I Googled to see if I could find an old episode since the program ended in 2006. And sure enough, I found one! It might seem simple to us today, but I can imagine being a kid and waiting to see what theme Burton would be discussing next week and which books he’d be talking about. It’s easy to believe children falling in love with reading after watching a show that had a theme song about riding a reading rainbow and being anywhere you wanted to be and anyone you wanted to be just by opening a book.
Now, LeVar Burton seems to be reading for the kids that grew up on Reading Rainbow. His podcast, which is available free (!), features him reading a short story, with music and effects. His voice has aged beautifully and it is wonderful to listen to. Burton’s podcast is also well-produced and extremely enjoyable, probably like an Audible audio book. He picks the stories he reads based on what he likes. His taste veers towards fantasy and science fiction. The latter is a genre I have not explored in depth because it hasn’t appealed to me much. But now, thanks to Burton, I am listening to science fiction short stories that I would otherwise never have bothered with.
And this journey into uncharted territory is not limited to genres. I love my old Hindi films and their sometimes far-fetched tropes. But some I cannot stand. The ichhadhari nagin or the vishkanya, for instance, are ideas that don't get me excited. I would never have given Roshani Choksi’s ‘The Vishkanya’s Choice’ a chance if I hadn’t been intrigued on seeing it in Burton’s list. And when I let Burton read the tale to me (yes, that’s how I shamelessly think of it!) in his rich voice, even though he stumbled through 'Hastinapur' a couple of times, I loved the tale. It was so unlike what I expected it to be and so thought provoking. I am now a convert and am willing to sample all of Burton’s choices.
LeVar Burton reading to me (free of cost!) as I take care of mundane but necessary chores in a house overrun by frenetic and noisy activity in the past few weeks has been a blessing, a divine distraction I would recommend happily to anyone.
Comments
Post a Comment