Book excerpt: In the blink of an eye, Ali's life changed. He was now living in a silent world. And what kind of world is that for a musician? The Modern Standard Arabic Readers series aims to provide learners with much-needed exposure to authentic language. The fifteen books in the series are at a similar level (B1-B2) and can be read in any order. The stories are a fun and flexible tool for building vocabulary, improving language skills, and developing overall fluency. The main text is presented on left-facing pages with tashkeel (diacritics) to aid in reading, while parallel English translations on right-facing pages are there to help you better understand new words and idioms. A second version of the text is given at the back of the book, without the distraction of tashkeel and translations, for those who are up to the challenge. On the Lingualism website, you can find: free accompanying audio to download or stream (at variable playback rates) a guide to the Lingualism orthographic (spelling and tashkeel) system a blog with tips on using our Arabic readers to learn effectively (Also available in Egyptian Arabic)