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Feeding the Dragon
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Sharon Washington's autobiographical one-woman play, Feeding the Dragon, delighted audiences off-Broadway and is now available exclusively on Audible. The one-act play invites listeners into Sharon's unorthodox childhood, growing up in an apartment on the top floor of the St. Agnes Branch of the New York Public Library, where her father served as the building's custodian.
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Part of the Audible original selection the month of September, this was an instant click when I read the subtitle The Story of the little girl who lived in the library. Hello! This is my #1 fantasy (a bit of a disappointment to all the boys I have loved) to live in a library, lock the doors, fellas!! Actress Sharon Washington takes us back to her childhood in NYC with her South Carolina father and born and bred New Yorker mother in the 1970's. My only wish is that it had been longer because I e
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Once upon a time a little black girl lived above a library... I don't know about you, but imagining that is all that I would ever need to be totally interested in a story. And the best part? It's a true story!
I listened to this engaging and beautifully told snapshot from Sharon Washington's childhood today and I was absolutely blown away! Feeding The Dragon is a perfect example of a short story told right. Washington manages to allow the listener to feel as if we get a full picture of her famil ...more
I listened to this engaging and beautifully told snapshot from Sharon Washington's childhood today and I was absolutely blown away! Feeding The Dragon is a perfect example of a short story told right. Washington manages to allow the listener to feel as if we get a full picture of her famil ...more
This is a memoir. The book is very short. I obtained it for free from Audible as part of their new Audible Originals’ program. Washington grew up in an apartment inside one of the New York Library branches. This was written as a one woman play and performed by Washington. Washington grew up in the library and her excitement and love of books feeds the story. Her father was the library custodian and every day he shoveled coal into the furnace. As a child Washington pretended this was a dragon. I
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I found Feeding the Dragon by Sharon Washington while browsing Audible yesterday. It was being offered for free as an Audible special and since I love the theater I immediately clicked on the offer.
Equipped with phone and earbuds I began my constitutional, hiking in Corona mandated permissible circles of 100 meters from my house (OK I cheat a little, but no one expects me to walk around with a ruler), while listening to Sharon Washington in a brilliant performance of autobiographical vignettes, ...more
Equipped with phone and earbuds I began my constitutional, hiking in Corona mandated permissible circles of 100 meters from my house (OK I cheat a little, but no one expects me to walk around with a ruler), while listening to Sharon Washington in a brilliant performance of autobiographical vignettes, ...more
I am reviewing the content and performance of the Audible Original Feeding the Dragon, performed and written by Sharon Washington. She is apparently both actress and author.
My expectations were high at the start, but I was disappointed at the end. Here we were to be told about the author’s life as a girl growing up in the 1970s, living in a library in the Upper West Side of New York City. I figured she had a story to tell, and maybe she does, bit it is not told here. Here is delivered merely a ...more
My expectations were high at the start, but I was disappointed at the end. Here we were to be told about the author’s life as a girl growing up in the 1970s, living in a library in the Upper West Side of New York City. I figured she had a story to tell, and maybe she does, bit it is not told here. Here is delivered merely a ...more
Sep 11, 2018
Ian
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
a-audiobook,
b-five-star
This isn't really a book.
It's a performance.
A powerful, brilliant, thought provoking performance by an African American woman.
5 Stars.
Everyone should listen to this. ...more
It's a performance.
A powerful, brilliant, thought provoking performance by an African American woman.
5 Stars.
Everyone should listen to this. ...more
Nov 08, 2018
Carole (Carole's Random Life in Books)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
2018,
audio-book
This was an Audible Original freebie and I thought it was pretty well done. It is only 1 hour 18 minutes long and takes the listener back in time to Sharon Washington's childhood when her family lived in the top floor of a library in New York City. She reflects on a variety of subject and paints a picture of what it must have been like. Sharon Washington did a great job with the narration and I liked that the theatrical quality of the original one-woman play was present in this production.
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A one-woman dramatic memoir about Sharon's time living with her family in an apartment above the New York Public Library. Sharon's father was a live-in custodian tasked with keeping the furnace going 24/7. As a result, the family had full-time access to the library. (This seems like a dream to me!) Sharon's story is whimsical and fun with a few dark places. The narration is the best part.
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This story tells the reader in a very creative way about how she grew up with her family in a library.
This specific video review will be included in the November 2018 wrap-up.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk. ...more
This specific video review will be included in the November 2018 wrap-up.
For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk. ...more
Thoughts over on my Sunday Shorts blog for the week.
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Another Audible Original.
I’ve got to say, I was torn on this one. What had attracted me was what I thought would be a story about a girl growing up in a library with a side of a fantasy added to it. Maybe she would have a pet dragon no one knew about?
Well, it was about a girl who grew up in a library, so that was a good start. The rest, I was completely wrong about.
I’m going to go ahead and admit to not knowing who Sharon Washington is. It appears she is a Broadway personality, or something li ...more
I’ve got to say, I was torn on this one. What had attracted me was what I thought would be a story about a girl growing up in a library with a side of a fantasy added to it. Maybe she would have a pet dragon no one knew about?
Well, it was about a girl who grew up in a library, so that was a good start. The rest, I was completely wrong about.
I’m going to go ahead and admit to not knowing who Sharon Washington is. It appears she is a Broadway personality, or something li ...more
Odd enough I enjoyed this story... MORE PLEASE!!!
Dec 10, 2018
Erica Clou
rated it
liked it
Shelves:
2010s,
2018,
writer-ad,
0-own-audible,
short-stories,
nonfiction,
read-female,
memoir,
short-book,
literary
I picked this as one of my "Audible Originals" free selections for September. It was a very short memoir (1 hour, 18 minutes). I picked it because I was excited to listen to the delights of living in a library, but it was more about her young life generally and only a little bit about the library. It was enjoyable though, Washington is a good writer and performer.
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Enjoyed the performance and the magic of living in a library.
Really enjoyed the production and performance of this short story! So much so that I listened at 1.25x instead of my usual 2-2.5x. Loved the sound fx and just how expressive Sharon’s reading was with the southern accent of her relatives and father as well as the New York accent of her mother.
This book had such a great premise, but the author took it in a different direction that was not as interesting to me.
I don't know what I was expecting, but that wasn't it. Feeding the Dragon is a short story at only 1 hour and 17 minutes. The audiobook is narrated by the author herself.
Listening to the author read was giving me anxiety. It wasn't for me. It was so up and down, all over the place, felt almost like the musings of a schizophrenic. To her credit, her wide range of voices, accents, and sounds were impressive, but the book itself over-dramatized. I gave up on it and didn't finish.
There are a bunch ...more
Listening to the author read was giving me anxiety. It wasn't for me. It was so up and down, all over the place, felt almost like the musings of a schizophrenic. To her credit, her wide range of voices, accents, and sounds were impressive, but the book itself over-dramatized. I gave up on it and didn't finish.
There are a bunch ...more
A basic introduction to a much longer book; this truly feels like it should be a much bigger, longer story. Pretty unsatisfying overall.
Just because you grow up in the library with a furnace that reminds you of a dragon, doesn't mean life is always magical. Sharon Washington is an actress and writer who shares her truth in this short audio production. Well told and well produced.
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Originally posted on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
" Sharon Washington's autobiographical one-woman play, Feeding the Dragon, delighted audiences off-Broadway and is now available exclusively on Audible. The one-act play invites listeners into Sharon's unorthodox childhood, growing up in an apartment on the top floor of the St. Agnes Branch of the New York Public Library, where her father served as the building's custodian. A love of literature and boundless imagination helped the ...more
" Sharon Washington's autobiographical one-woman play, Feeding the Dragon, delighted audiences off-Broadway and is now available exclusively on Audible. The one-act play invites listeners into Sharon's unorthodox childhood, growing up in an apartment on the top floor of the St. Agnes Branch of the New York Public Library, where her father served as the building's custodian. A love of literature and boundless imagination helped the ...more
A wonderful memoir written in a narrative style.
This is an Audible Original, I think it was only released on audio. I love the writing style, and her voices and characters throughout the story. In 1970s New York City, Washington's father tended the furnace in a New York library, and her family lived on the floor above the library.
She talks about her love affair with books, and the creepy old furnace her father fed in the basement, like a hungry dragon.
There is some heavier subject matter as w ...more
This is an Audible Original, I think it was only released on audio. I love the writing style, and her voices and characters throughout the story. In 1970s New York City, Washington's father tended the furnace in a New York library, and her family lived on the floor above the library.
She talks about her love affair with books, and the creepy old furnace her father fed in the basement, like a hungry dragon.
There is some heavier subject matter as w ...more
This is an audiobook from Audible and not listed here, but well worth the mention. I have always wanted to spend a night in a library and wondered what it would be like. The author/performer shared her memories of living above the New York Library and watching her father feed the "dragon." She shares her memories of growing up in New York in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Just a fantastic journey. Loved this book/performance.
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This was an interesting story to listen to as Sharon shares her early life with her mother and father, growing up in a fantastical place I would have loved to share with her. Unfortunately, not everything is golden as the harsh realities her parents face are revealed.
Excellent performance from Sharon Washington. This is a memoir covering Washington's early childhood while living in a library. The audiobook is rather short but the quality production makes the entire hour and 17 minutes so enjoyable.
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This felt like a short story that should have been a long novel. There was potential for back stories of both parents, and a long treatise on how childhood impacted the author's development as a person. Instead, we had to intuit all of those things. The story was nice, but I wanted more. It felt like a summary.
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Wasn't sure what to expect with this, Audible Original but it was enchanting. At the same time, there are some real life stories shared. Thank you Sharon Washington for telling your story, not just the fairy tale but the deep truths.
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This short theatrical story is a precious gem. I'm a South Carolinian who loves New York, AND books, of course. The story is heart-warming, well written and well-performed. Thanks for these, Audible!
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This was so good! Amazing story and amazing performance.
Such a beautiful story and I’m happy Audible started offering two free Audible Originals so that I could discover this story. I loved this so much.
Can you imagine growing up in a library?!?! Idyllic in so many ways, however the author shares challenges she and her family faced that made it a little less than idyllic.
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