I’m requesting more audiobooks, and possibly offering to contribute my own narrations.

Since the start of COVID, I’ve had the privilege to listen to a copious amount of leftist audiobooks and podcasts. Due to the nature of my occupation; I can kind of tune out and focus on the contents of the audiobook without it impacting my work. After 2+ years of listening, I’m close to exhausting most of the readily available supply on YouTube. Some of the channels I’ve “finished”:

There is probably more, but I regrettably never bothered to keep track of all the audiobooks I’ve listened to that are strewn across YouTube.

What has become obvious though is that there is a severe lack of Marxist-Leninist literature from the global South. While the language barrier is partly to blame, it’s still a miserable affair.

Personally, I’m invested in Socialism with Chinese Characteristics (SWCC). Having amassed quite a few shelves of books on the topic, I was wondering; would you guys be interested in having them be narrated? While “the Governance of China by Xi Jinping” has already been narrated by C. Ozmun, I find its contents rather lacking. While it does provide the reader/listener with the ideological angle behind SWCC, it doesn’t delve that much deeper as it’s merely a collection of speeches and writings.

There are (English) books on SWCC that dive a bit deeper and stick to a topic, such as this series by the China Renmin University Press, that might prove more interesting for the average Marxist Leninist. I also have book on topics about how the CPC (the party) governs/disciplines itself. And other books on Poverty Alleviation, the Belt & Road Initiatve, on Global Governance (in a multi-polar world), the Party School (how the CPC educates its cadres), developments in Rural China, and more.

If there is enough interest I’d be willing to burn the midnight oil and spend my evenings recording its contents. But I do have to know some of your preferences in how they’re recorded. Like do you have pet peeves on certain pronunciations, on the organization of the recordings (rather be divided by chapter than one continuous recording), do you have different places you’d like to see the narrations hosted (apart from YouTube), etc. etc. etc.

  • WeylandOP
    3·
    2 years ago

    I wish I could listen to theory and work simultaneously…

    You might be able to. If your employer says that you can’t listen to music and they’re technologically illiterate you can buy bone conduction headphones (e.g. AfterShokz) which don’t plug the ears. If they ask you can pretend that they “help you hear better”.

    audio quality and a widely understandable accent

    Luckily, I have the equipment. Which I need for my (Chinese) pronunciation lessons that are required for a broadcasting degree/exam. Spent 5 hours yesterday recording myself as I read PRC white papers. I must admit: Barely socializing for the last couple of years, and almost no socializing in English, really did a number on my “not tripping over my own words when I speak”. So, might spend the upcoming week(s) recording the white papers instead and then start cranking out those books.

    EDIT:

    distinguishing between X and Y

    Will keep a pronunciation dictionary open while I record. At least I can assure everyone that I’ll be able to pronounce the names of Chinese places and people correctly. The amount of people that mispronounce Xinjiang, Huawei, or any Chinese name for that matter, really grinds my gears as a Chinese speaker.

    • ☭ 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗘𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 ☭A
      4·
      2 years ago

      I’m able to work from home, so I can listen to music, but I can’t mentally focus on both work and theory :|

      W.r.t. recording, it might help to speak slowly. Listeners can easily speed up the audio if it’s too slow for them, and in my experience it still sounds fine.

      • WeylandOP
        3·
        2 years ago

        I should’ve probably come prepared. I guess I’ll spend another week recording myself and record a dozen or so white papers that I’ll upload to YouTube for people to listen to and comment on.

        Already made two thumbnails for recordings which I have finished, but which I’ll probably re-record later on. As I did, like you might have guessed, rush a bit in my speech in my first recording.