Contemporary storytelling provides a welcome refuge for those seeking the antidote to the increasingly impersonal experiences of the technology age. Bare data and facts don't always have the ability to inspire or teach, but storytelling, if effective, will always touch its audience. Spaulding has compiled and provided written analysis for a series of talks covering subjects all relating to the importance of storytelling here and now in the 'Age of Information'. She campaigns for the 'Virtual Reality of the Mind', and discusses the Story as Social Glue, driving home the point that the word is mightier than the word processor.
"...meticulously researched and documented...among the most valuable purchases of the year for librarians, teachers, and media specialists, primarily because the documentation could be priceless for budget, program, and services planning at all age levels." - VOYA
"While her theme is a constant - that information is valuable, but wisdom invaluable, and wisdom springs from story - each talk examines and illuminates this idea from a different perspective so there is little repetition or redundancy....The argument is well constructed, logically organizing history and current research in a dynamic writing style that frequently includes those all-important stories. In an age when technology is pervasive and can seem overwhelming, Spaulding's passionate and persuasive case for the importance of story is important reading." - School Library Journal
"...presents written versions of nine talks meant to remind listeners of the importance of storytelling. They were developed for different audiences — academic, professional, parents, teachers — and so approach storytelling from a number of perspectives." - Reference and Research Book News