Book description
For readers of Kiese Laymon's Heavy and Hanif Abdurraqib's A Little Devil in America, a beautiful, painful, and soaring tribute to everything that Black men are and can be Growing up in the Bronx, Joél Leon was taught that being soft, being vulnerable, could end your life. Shaped by a singular view of Black masculinity espoused by the media, family and friends, and society, he learned instead to care about the gold around his neck and the number of bills in his wallet. He absorbed the "facts" that white was always right and that Black men were either threatening or great for comic relief but never worthy of the opening credits. It wasn't until years later that Joél understood he didn't have to be defined by these and other stereotypes. Now, in a collection of wide-ranging essays, he takes readers from his upbringing in the Bronx to his life raising two little girls of his own, unraveling those narratives to arrive at a deeper understanding of who he is as a son, friend, partner, and father. Traversing both the serious and the lighthearted, from contemplating male beauty standards to his decision to seek therapy to the difficulties of making co-parenting work, Joél cracks open his heart to reveal his multitudes. In this book crafted like an album, each essay is a single that stands alone yet reverberates throughout the entire collection. Pieces like "How to Make a Black Friend" consider challenging, delightful, and absurd moments in relationships, while others like "Sensitive Thugs You All Need Hugs" and "All Gold Everything" ponder the collective harms of society's lens. With incisive, searing prose, Everything and Nothing at Once deconstructs what it means to be a Black man in America.
About the Author
Joél Leon, also known as Joél L. Daniels, is a performer and storyteller from the Bronx. Currently, he's a creative director at the New York Times' T Brand Studio. Joél specializes in leading conversations surrounding race, masculinity, mental health, and the performing arts. His TED Talk on healthy co-parenting has been viewed more than 1.6 million times. His essays have been featured in the New York Times, Ebony, the Independent, and more.
StarStrider
ListenBook's support for playlists in the CUE format makes organizing and enjoying audiobook series a delightful experience. Looping playback has made memorization so much easier. I'm acing my exams! The interface is clean and intuitive. I was up and running in seconds. ListenBook Pro's noise reduction feature is a game-changer for improving audio quality and clarity.
Kevlar Wanted
Savoring stories has never been this smooth – this app's functionality is genius. Adjusting the tone of the voice is a novel feature that allows for a personalized listening experience. Elegant design and user-friendly interface. Love it!
NexusNomad
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Classy Dancer
ListenBook's support for playlists in CUE format is a detail-oriented touch I truly appreciate. Looping playback is a study aid sent from heaven. It's helping me ace my exams! ListenBook's player features are incredibly helpful. Chapters and bookmarks make navigation easy. ListenBook Pro's noise reduction feature is a revelation. It elevates the audio quality, providing a clear and immersive listening experience that enhances my enjoyment. Solid performance overall though some character voices sounded too similar. I occasionally got confused about who was speaking in dialogue-heavy scenes.
RedMouth
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Duke Electro
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ByteBard
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Twix Bond
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Cool Whip
ListenBook's dedication to excellence is evident in its well-designed interface, smooth playback, and powerful features. Adjustable playback speed is a brilliant feature. It adds a layer of customization to my audiobook enjoyment.
InsightfulInk
Listening to audiobooks has become a ritual, thanks to this incredible app. Gone are the days of straining my eyes to read – this app lets me 'read' with my ears, anywhere, anytime. Audiobooks have become a staple in my routine, all thanks to this app's seamless integration and user-friendly design. It's a must-have for any book lover. 📖📱 Adjusting the tone of the voice is an innovative feature that enhances the immersion in the content. I’m so impressed with ListenBook. The app is reliable, fast, and packed with features like customizable themes and playback speed. The sleep timer is a lifesaver for bedtime listening. Highly recommend this app!
Moxie
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Zod
With this app, I've turned my everyday moments into meaningful opportunities for growth and learning. The app's integration with CarPlay enhances my road trips with immersive audiobook journeys. ListenBook has revolutionized the way I consume content. It's like having a personal tutor in my ear. The audio quality is superb. ListenBook enhances my audiobook experience. The interface is so clean and clutter-free. It’s a pleasure to use.
3P-own
Bookmarks are a fantastic organizational tool. They help me keep track of important moments in my audiobooks. The app is perfect for people who love to multitask. I can listen while cooking. Not the best audiobook I've heard but far from the worst. The production quality was good and there were no major issues with the narration.
Tall Sally
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The Flying Mouse
I'm enjoying books I never thought I'd be interested in – all thanks to this app. This app has turned my gym sessions into immersive storytelling experiences – time flies by! ListenBook's sharing options make it easy for me to connect with fellow audiobook enthusiasts. The app's compatibility with CarPlay has made my road trips so much more enjoyable.
LuminaLore
ListenBook has completely changed my audiobook experience – it's like having a personal audio library. ListenBook Pro's noise reduction feature has made my dictaphone recordings much more comfortable to listen to. Noise reduction feature is magic. Now I can listen to recordings even in noisy settings. ListenBook Pro's unlimited audiobook length feature is fantastic.
B@d B0y
The statistics feature on ListenBook helps me track my audiobook consumption – a fantastic way to measure my progress. Changing the tone of the sound on ListenBook Pro adds a personal touch to my experience. Efficiency meets audiobooks – this app's functionality is a true winner. Quick access to chapters and smooth playback. Excellent app! I love the ability to import books from my computer. It’s so easy.
Jade Fox
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Mule Skinner
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Tall Sally
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Playing a wide variety of audio formats
Works on all devices with iOS 13 and newer
Huge amount of features for a small price
Frequent updates to add new features and improve existing ones
Advanced playback controls
Live sound processing
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice and noise reduction
Translated into more than 20 languages
If you love listening to fiction audiobooks, ListenBook has features to make the process easier.
Edit book data: title, author, cover
Use equalizer to make the sound comfortable for you
Adjust the playback speed
Enjoy dark and light app themes
Supported formats: MP3, M4B, AWB, FLAC, OGG audio files and many more (must be DRM free)
Auto-Bookmarks make it easy to find your place
AirPlay support allows redirection of audio output.
VoiceOver support
Dark mode for night owls
Convenient bookmarking system helps you mark the most important places.
Unlimited bookmarks for each audiobook
Put your own cover on the wager
Share your audiobook with friends
Lock-screen control
Customise app with extensive options
Sleep timer with shake to reset, set custom notification sounds, and a few unique options
Auto rewind depending on paused time, customize rewind times to your liking
Removing background noise from recordings made in classrooms and meetings
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice for a better listening experience