Overcoming Learning Barriers: History Through Listening
Why audiobooks have become one of my favorite research tools
One of the quiet discoveries I’ve made is while researching the world of my Ming-dynasty persona, Li Zhenyan. I found that listening can sometimes be the best way to learn history.
Like many people, I don’t always absorb information easily when it’s presented in dense blocks of text. Some of my readers have dyslexia. Others struggle with concentration. Many of us simply don’t have the time we once had to sit with heavy academic books.
But there’s good news. We live in a time when learning through listening is easier than it has ever been.
My Accidental Discovery
My recent explorations started while listening to Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See.
I didn’t begin that book as research. I simply wanted to hear a good story. But while listening, something interesting happened. The novel opened a doorway into Ming-dynasty daily life:
- family hierarchies
- women healers
- marriage customs
- medicine
- education
- tea houses and scholars
And every time I heard something intriguing, I did what I always do. I asked:
Wait… what is that?
And off I went exploring.
That’s how I ended up learning about things like the I Ching. It is the ancient Chinese Book of Changes. Scholars have studied it for thousands of years.
When information is delivered through a story, something magical happens. Listening helps the ideas come alive.
Instead of reading:
“Ming dynasty women physicians existed within a structured family hierarchy…”
You hear a character living it. You hear their conversations, their emotions, and their small daily details. For many of us, that’s much easier to absorb.
It’s almost like oral history, where someone is telling you about their life rather than presenting a lecture.
This Isn’t Cheating
For a long time, I believed that “serious research” meant dragging home stacks of books from a library. I thought it involved reading every page.
I did that years ago when I was deep into studying manuscript illumination. My dining table often looked like a small research library.
But these days I’ve discovered another method that works beautifully. I listen to a story, and when something catches my curiosity, I follow the trail, sometimes down a rabbit hole.
It’s a wonderful combination of storytelling and discovery.
Why This Matters for Readers with Dyslexia
Audiobooks and spoken storytelling can be especially helpful for readers with dyslexia. Listening allows the mind to focus on meaning and ideas rather than struggling with text on a page. Many people find they understand complex historical topics far more easily when they hear them explained.
And honestly, history began this way. For most of human history, knowledge was shared through storytelling and conversation, not silent reading.
A Few Friendly Doors to Explore
If you enjoy learning history through listening or approachable books, these are wonderful starting places:
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
A beautifully narrated audiobook that opens a vivid window into life in the Ming dynasty.
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
A charming introduction to Chinese philosophy. It is told through the characters of Winnie-the-Pooh.
The I Ching Workbook by R. L. Wing
One of the most approachable guides to the ancient I Ching, written in clear and simple language.
Curiosity Is the Real Teacher
What I’ve discovered is that curiosity is far more important than method.
Some people learn best by reading. Others by listening. And still others by conversatio. What matters is that moment when something sparks your interest, and you think:
“I want to know more about that.”
That’s how learning begins.
These days, it often begins with an audiobook playing for me. I listen while I’m doing a puzzle, walking around the mall, or relaxing with my cup of coffee waiting for the washing machine to do its thing.
Not exactly the research method I imagined years ago—but a pretty wonderful one, none the less.
