What Men Live By (With Audio‪)‬

English Word-by-word read aloud eBook.


Every Sinkronigo read-aloud eBook is both an eBook and an audiobook. While the story is narrated, the text is highlighted Word-by-word, allowing the reader to have a multi-sensorial experience.

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About the book:

"What Men Live By" is a short story written by Russian author Leo Tolstoy in 1885. It is one of the short stories included in his collection What Men Live By, and Other Tales, published in 1885. The compilation also included the written pieces "The Three Questions", "The Coffee-House of Surat", and "How Much Land Does a Man Need?".


Simon is a shoemaker. Whatever he earns, he spends on food. They own one winter coat for his and his wife to share, and he wants to buy new sheep skins. Simon has money saved, though he needs a little bit more, and heads off to collect money from people who owe him. As he doesn’t get enough money, Simon tries to buy the skins on credit, but the dealer would not let him. With the money, Simon buy vodka, and becomes warm from the alcohol. On his way home, he sees a naked, white man. Afraid, Simon ignores the man at first, but then goes back and gives him his coat. Simon invites him to his home, and the strange man tells him that God is punishing him. When they arrive at the hut, Simon's wife, Matryona, if mad at her husband, for she thought he spent the money on alcohol instead of skins and for taking the man back to their house. Matryona calms down, and reluctantly gives them food. The man smiles for the first time, and tells them that God will reward you. We learn that the man's name is Michael, and he wants to learn how to work. Michael is great at what he does, and becomes well-known in the town. Everyone goes to Simon to repair and make their shoes, and Simon's family becomes rich. A big and burly man comes to Simon, ordering him to make boots. The leather the man gives Simon is expensive, and orders him not to mess it up. Michael takes on the job, as he is the best at making the boots. Michael smiles when the man is at their house, and no one knows why. Michael ends up making slippers, instead of boots, but it turns out that the man died on the way home, and needed slippers anyway for his funeral.

A lady comes to the house with two little, one whom is crippled. The lady asks Simon to make boots for the little girls. The crippled girl's mother crushed her leg, making her the way she is. The lady adopted the two girls, she raised them as her own, and loves them as if she gave birth to them. When hearing this story, Michael smiles. After that Michael says it is time for him to leave too. Michael admits that he was punished, but now, God forgives him. God sent him to earth to learn three truths… (summary by Sinkronigo, inspired by wikipedia and english8project.wikispaces.com)


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