Books VS Audio Books

Books or E-books?

There’s a never-ending heated debate about which one is better? To each their own! You can choose to feel a book and carry with you the ancient method reading or

adapt to the advance in technology and accept an e-book to be the next stage in the evolution of reading. Or you can choose a midway. But the fire has blinded us towards a type of book that has tagged along for a while now, that type is an audio book. The question arises which one is better?

While the followers keep fighting, I thought let’s get the leaders in the hot seat and have a debate to resolve the issue.

Audio Book: Hello Grandpa! Long time no see!

Book: Are you even a book? You are not a part of our family!

Audio Book: You should just retire.

Book: Talk to my cover.

Me: Uh….

Book: He is adopted.

Audio Book: Why aren’t you in the museum already?

Me: Uh, let’s keep it civil. We’ll try and cover all questions that the readers keep arguing about. The first one being, are audio books even books?

Book: No! Just having a surname, “Book” doesn’t make you book. You have to earn it! You are more for entertainment than the world of intellect.

Audio Book: Well, we are auditory versions of the book which is printed or on the internet. So indirectly we are books. And ever heard of Erotica grandpa?

Book turns away in embarrassment.

Book: Oh yeah! I’d wear a chicken dress and become a chicken.

Audio book: Understand the technicality Grandpa. Wait, that word is not in your dictionary.

Me: NEXT QUESTION. Is listening matter the same as reading it?

Book: Ah, the lady has asked the right question! It certainly is not. The reader’s attention span, eyes are left to wander, and the interest evaporates. You feel a book, you can gulp whole sentences at once but with listening, you have to pay attention to every word. It’s a scientific fact! We are here since ages, these new so-called advancements can’t replace our true essence.

Audio Book: That’s not true. In fact audio books are much more convenient for people with disabilities or readers who are struggling with reading. Agree to it, in the world of YouTube, readers have ceased to exist. We have audio books as an alternative to straining yourself with the book. Also if recited correctly it works better than reading. After all how can you take the title of traditional when earlier knowledge was passed on orally? In fact you are the adopted version of the auditory means.

Me: *Thinks* Finally we have them talking logically.

Book: But then why didn’t you last long, why did we come into existence? If you were oh-so effective. You are nothing but an adaption of us now.

Audio Book: History repeats itself and we are soon going to take over.

E-book: Oh my god. Can you guys just chill? Mariyam if you’d let me, I have scientific facts that could stop this.

Me: Please go ahead.

Ebook: A study in 1985 suggested that those who read books well would listen to them as well. In fact, a study in 1977, college students who heard a story to auditory means had been able to summarize with accuracy just like the readers. The Psychology Professor, Dan Willingham, concludes, there isn’t much difference in learning styles. People prefer one medium over the other simply because they like the feel of the physical book or the spoken kind-

Book: Don’t you interfere! You are nothing but waves; you can never be one of us.

And the debate goes on and on. There’s no end to it.

 

 

 

Image Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]