\u201cHow to Read a Book\u201d was first published in 1940. After three decades of unexpected success and two years before I was born, Mortimer Adler published a new edition with the help of Charles Van Doren in order to approach the art of reading in a more holistic way. This approach resulted in a series of principles that lead the book to become a classic, gaining the subtitle \u201cthe classical guide to intelligent reading.\u201d<\/p>\n
The authors define the goal of reading as an active pursuit to gain increased understanding. This goal is better served when conceiving the art of reading as a journey into four increasing levels of reading skills: elementary, inspectional, analytical, and syntopical reading. Each one of these levels has its own subcategories and unique dynamics. When a reader is able to master these techniques and apply them differently depending on the types of books being read, the person will be able to get the most out of a book and gain the most understanding.<\/p>\n
I enjoyed reading the book, even though at times it seemed wordy.\u00a0\u00a0 Nonetheless, the practical insights into the art of reading, and the helpful systematic categorizations of all of these insights made the experience a rewarding one. The benefit was twofold. On the one hand, some of the principles described in the book served to confirm my own discoveries. For instance, when I started my journey in academic reading, I avoided writing anything in my books; I wanted to keep them like new. With time, I realized that it was more helpful to interact with the book by underlining, marking, and writing my comments on the pages. Also, at the beginning of my journey I used to start reading the book on the first page, with no attention to the big picture. With time, I realized that it was more helpful to examine the outline of the book and get a sense of the big picture before I started reading the book. Based on these experiences, I understand why Adler attributes some of his principles to \u201ccommon sense.\u201d Yet, on the other hand, some of the principles of this book were new insights that I find very helpful at this point of my academic journey.<\/p>\n
Among these insights, there are three principles that I find helpful as I start reading the long list of books during my doctoral studies. First, it is good to know that it is not cheating if I do not read the book word by word. Instead, in inspectional and analytical reading, I must be concerned with finding the structure of the book, and the main arguments. In a way, it is a relief to know that this form of reading is not only legitimate but also an important technique in advanced reading.\u00a0\u00a0 Secondly, it is important to remember that just because an author has published a book, it does not mean that everything the author says is true or accurate\u2014or even logical. Being published does not imply infallibility, nor does disagreeing with the author imply arrogance. I see a tendency in the media today where people hear a person\u2019s credentials and automatically lower their intellectual guard. So, I must remember that reading with an active mind means that I have the freedom to disagree with the author\u2019s views regardless of credentials. Finally, even though analytical reading gives freedom to disagree with the authors\u2019 ideas, I must make sure that I understand what the author says and means before I can disagree. I often find the lack of this principle in the media, where people tend to misquote or misrepresent a person\u2019s views just to win an argument.\u00a0\u00a0 Thus, in my own academic journey, I must ensure that I represent people\u2019s perspectives\u00a0accurately before disagreeing with their views.<\/p>\n
Adler challenges his readers at the end of his book to make the effort to read as they have probably never done it before. I believe this doctoral experience will indeed push me to that level. Thankfully, I now have some\u00a0tools\u00a0to help me survive that\u00a0journey.<\/p>\n
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