Listening plays a vital role in communication and it’s an essential skill that students need to function effectively in the workplace; and life in general.

Check out these authors’ all-time favorites, very first reading memories, books that made them cry and changed them forever and more—and all because they discovered them at the local library.

On the evening before the National Book Awards ceremony, The New School hosts a reading with the finalists. Don’t miss this exquisite reading by the audio narrator of the 2016 winner.

Garrard Conley, a survivor of the controversial “ex-gay” therapy movement, describes his traumatic experience as a gay man growing up in the South. In the years following his escape from extreme prejudice, he has learned one important lesson: compassion has the power to heal wounds, but it’s also one of the messiest human emotions.

Did you know that more than 85% of learning derives from listening? Chelsea Clinton, author and narrator of IT’S YOUR WORLD, shares some fascinating literacy facts that support why audiobooks are an important addition to any classroom or library.