Reader, Come Home: Summary Review
This is a summary review of Reader, Come Home containing key details about the book.
What is Reader, Come Home About?
"Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World" by Maryanne Wolf is a book about the impact of digital technology on reading and learning.
Reader, Come Home is a roadmap that provides a cautionary but hopeful perspective on the impact of technology on our brains and our most essential intellectual capacities—and what this could mean for our future. The author draws on neuroscience, literature, education, and philosophy and blends historical, literary, and scientific facts with down-to-earth examples and warm anecdotes to illuminate complex ideas that culminate in a proposal for a biliterate reading brain.
Summary Points & Takeaways from Reader, Come Home
Some key summary points and takeaways from the book include:
* The way we read and process information has changed significantly with the advent of digital technology.
* The internet has made access to information easier, but it has also led to a decline in deep reading and critical thinking skills.
* The brain is a muscle that can be trained and developed, and deep reading helps to build cognitive skills such as empathy and understanding.
* Digital technology has created a “distracted” reading culture, with readers easily sidetracked by notifications, hyperlinks, and endless scrolling.
* The skills of deep reading and critical thinking are still essential in today's digital world and can be developed through practice and mindfulness.
* Maryanne Wolf argues that we must balance the benefits of digital technology with a focus on traditional forms of reading and critical thinking skills.
* The future of reading and education depends on our ability to find a balance between the digital and the analog, to foster the development of the reading brain and to ensure a more informed and empathetic society.
Who is the author of Reader, Come Home?
Maryanne Wolf, the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University, was the director of the Tufts Center for Reading and Language Research. She currently directs the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA, and is working with the Dyslexia Center at the UCSF School of Medicine and with Curious Learning: A Global Literacy Project, which she co-founded.
Book details
- Print length: 272 pages
- Genre: Nonfiction, Science, Psychology
What are the chapters in Reader, Come Home?
Chapter 1. Reading, the canary in the mind
Chapter 2. Under the big top: an unusual view of the reading brain
Chapter 3. Deep reading: is it endangered?
Chapter 4. "What will become of the readers we have been?"
Chapter 5. The raising of children in a digital age
Chapter 6. From laps to laptops in the first five years: don't move too fast
Chapter 7. The science and poetry in reading (and teaching) to read)
Chapter 8. Building a biliterate brain
Chapter 9. Reader, come home.
What do critics say?
Here's what one of the prominent reviewers had to say about the book: “Maryanne Wolf has done it again. She has written another seminal book destined to become a dog-eared, well-thumbed, often-referenced treasure on your bookshelf.... Reader Come Home conveys a cautionary message, but it also will rekindle your heart and help illuminate promising paths ahead." — International Dyslexia Association
* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you're interested in furthering your personal development, I invite you to check out my list of favorite personal development books page. On this page, you'll find a curated list of books that have personally impacted my life, each with a summary and key lessons.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
