One year ago this weekend I completed one of the most difficult tasks I have ever undertaken. I am not talking about writing my book, The Jesus Dynasty, but rather reading it aloud for the Jesus Dynasty CD version.

CD Audio versions of books have become more and more popular, but only a small number of books are actually produced in this manner. By far the majority that do make it to CD contain an opening reading by the author but few authors agree to read aloud their entire book. When Simon & Schuster first approached me with the idea of reading my book they explained to me the extreme demand such a task put on the reader, the fatigue involved, the endless editing, and the dedicated commitment involved. I learned that CD versions are always abridged, but when the oral manuscript arrived, cut down by many thousands of words, I have to admit I was amazed at the skillful job of the abridgement. I made the decision to spend three to four days in NY in the recording studios at Simon & Schuster and to give it my best.

About three hours into the process that first day I began to feel I had made the worst mistake of my life. If you take any book, much less one you have written, and try to read one single page flawlessly you will immediately experience the problem that hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks. If you try another page, and another, then several dozen, for an hour or more, not only does ones voice tire (as we parents know who have read endless hours to our children!), but rather quickly one looses much of the normal ability to focus and concentrate. It also becomes almost impossible maintain proper inflection and expression.

The key to it all is a good production person. This is someone who has done this with hundreds of authors and is willing to play the role of an encouraging “slave driver” to keep one going. I was blessed with one of the best in the business. I will never forget collapsing after the first day, with maybe six or so hours of raw reading behind me, and thinking there was no way on earth I could make it back to the studio again the next morning as planned, to do it all over.

But somehow I did it. It took three days in all and the end product is six hours of recording on five CDs. And now one year later all that pain and fatigue and frustration are long forgotten and the CD version of The Jesus Dynasty is one of the things in my life of which I am most proud. The miracle of course is the producer and sound editor, who can turn all your stumbling, mispronunciations, stops and starts, and fatigue into this smooth and flawless production. When you put on the CDs you get the impression that Dr. James D. Tabor just dropped by a studio one day, sat down, and read his book aloud!

Anyway, I write this Blog mostly for my readers so I wanted to remember that time one year ago and also to recommend and commend to you the CD version of the book. It is a very different experience from reading the book itself. It is available on CDs, but also on iTunes as a download. Now a year later when I listen I have the strangest feeling about the voice and the content. I am able to listen as a listener and forget the words and voice are mine, being carried into the incredible unfolding story that I relate. I have listened to it twice now and each time I find myself so strangely moved. Not by my account per se, but by the way in which the incredible life of Jesus of Nazareth captures our hopes and dreams through the ages.

So you bought the book, now listen to the story! And yes, the film is still to come…

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