Shepherd: A New Website for Readers and Writers

When I was four years old, my greatest desire was to learn to read. My mother read bedtime stories to my twin and I that unlocked a world of fantasy. I wanted to be able to do that for myself. 

One weekend morning at the kitchen table I announced to anyone listening, “I want to learn how to weed.” (I had problems pronouncing the letter ‘r’.) My father bolted from the kitchen table with a glint in his eye. He took my hand and escorted me out the side door. “You’ll teach me to weed?” I asked. 

“You bet,” he said. We stopped by a flower bed filled with crabgrass and dandelions. Dad bent over and pulled a few out. “Now you try it.” 

I shook my head. “I know how to weed. I want to learn how to weed. You know. Weed a book.” Tears of frustration filled my eyes.

My father chuckled and said, “I don’t know how to teach a child to read, but you’ll learn in school.” Eventually, I did learn and as an adult, I became a teacher and reading specialist that had no trouble teaching my daughters reading skills. 

Since childhood, books have been a magical experience taking me to new worlds, ideas, and insights. I could spend hours in a bookstore searching for the right novel. And when I couldn’t teach any longer due to a severe hearing loss, I turned to writing books to earn a living; thusly creating worlds of my own for my readers to enjoy. 

Recently, I discovered Shepherd, a website for readers and authors launched on April 19, 2021, by Ben Fox. He says, “I started Shepherd in celebration of reading, books, and the authors who make it all possible.”

Readers who visit Shepherd discover books they wouldn’t normally find, and can have fun following their curiosity about topics and concepts. Authors on Shepherd can meet more readers while Fox’s website makes it easier for writers to get their books in front of the right bookworms.

Fox believes readers get frustrated in their search for books on the Internet. He says, “Goodreads does almost nothing to help readers find amazing books or to help authors to meet readers.” And don’t get him started on Amazon. He accuses this company of selling books like they sell toothpaste. 

How does Shepherd work? When I showed my interest in Shepherd as an author, they had me fill out a template on their website. First, I listed one of my books: The Lip Reader. Then I chose a topic: The best books on the effect of deafness and understanding deaf people. To compliment that topic, I chose five of my favorite books on the subject that included a book about a Deaf man and Jackie Robinson (Dad, Jackie, and Me by Myron Uhlberg), a memoir about a hearing girl growing up at the Lexington School for the Deaf (Train Go Sorry: Inside a Deaf World by Leah Cohen), and a novel about a deaf girl helping a whale unable to communicate with his pod (Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly).

Visit my page and you’ll get first-hand experience with the site. Once you’ve looked over my books, you can choose related book lists and explore lists about medicine or illness or books about grief. Distantly related book lists include best books that depict young people oppressed by dystopian societies or the best books on girls who don’t need to be saved. 

Go ahead. Explore Shepherd by browsing books by Wikipedia Topic or by favorite book or author. I’m sure you’ll find the right book in record time. Enjoy.