Audiobook Sample
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- Title: Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
- Author: David D. Burns
- Narrator: George Newbern
- Length: 13:21:00
- Version: Abridged
- Release Date: 21/03/2017
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Genre: Self Development, Health & Wellness, Disorders & Diseases
- ISBN13: 9.78E+12
As I settled into my favorite reading nook – the one by the bay window where I’ve annotated countless texts – I pressed play on David D. Burns’ seminal work Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, narrated with remarkable nuance by George Newbern. What unfolded was not just an audiobook experience, but what I can only describe as a literary therapy session, where the boundaries between self-help manual and narrative art fascinatingly blurred.
Through my cultural lens as a scholar who has spent decades examining how language shapes human experience, I was immediately struck by how Burns’ cognitive behavioral techniques parallel the close reading strategies I teach my literature students. Just as we analyze texts to uncover deeper meanings, Burns teaches us to analyze our thoughts to uncover cognitive distortions. This reminded me vividly of my time in Tokyo, where I discovered how Murakami’s prose could alter one’s perception – similarly, Burns’ words, especially in audio form, have the power to fundamentally shift how we perceive our emotional landscapes.
George Newbern’s narration deserves particular scholarly attention. His performance achieves what I can only term ‘vocal chiaroscuro’ – the careful balancing of light and shadow in his tone that mirrors the book’s emotional journey. When explaining complex concepts like ‘all-or-nothing thinking,’ his voice maintains an academic clarity reminiscent of the best lecture hall experiences, while during more personal exercises, he adopts an intimate timbre that feels like a trusted conversation. This duality creates an audio experience that’s both intellectually rigorous and deeply personal.
The audiobook’s structure particularly resonated with my academic interest in narrative forms. Each chapter builds like a carefully constructed argument, with Newbern’s pacing allowing space for reflection – crucial when absorbing such transformative content. I found myself pausing frequently, much as I would when encountering a particularly dense passage in Derrida or Woolf, to sit with the implications. The section on ‘Disarming Technique’ for handling criticism struck me with its literary quality – it’s essentially a framework for close reading human interactions.
Comparing this to other works in the genre, like Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, reveals Burns’ unique scholarly approach. Where Manson employs provocative rhetoric, Burns builds his case with scientific precision and clinical examples that unfold like case studies in a literature seminar. The audiobook format enhances this quality, making complex psychological concepts accessible in a way that reminds me of my most successful classroom moments.
However, I must note some limitations. The audio format occasionally makes the cognitive exercises challenging to implement without visual reference. I found myself rewinding certain sections, much like I would revisit a complex theoretical text. Additionally, while Newbern’s narration is generally excellent, some listeners might prefer a more varied vocal range for the different ‘voices’ in Burns’ case studies.
For potential listeners, I’d recommend approaching this as both a self-help tool and a literary experience. Keep a notebook handy, as you would when studying a great novel, to jot down insights. The audiobook’s true brilliance lies in how it transforms abstract psychological concepts into a narrative about your own mind – making you both reader and protagonist in your cognitive journey.
In scholarly solidarity and shared love for transformative narratives,
Prof. Emily Chen
