The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction

For one who has been drawn to lists of great books, various reading plans, and Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren's How To Read a Book in the past, Alan Jacobs' new book is a fun and challenging read. As a sort of rejoinder to How to Read a Book, Jacobs extols reading by Whim and serendipity, while at the same time offering some practical approaches to the practice of reading. If you enjoy books or books about books you'll probably enjoy The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction.

The reason most books about reading tend to be weak is that they are simply preaching to the choir. I think what makes me like this book more than the typical book of the type is that Prof. Jacobs knows that he is preaching to the choir. He doesn’t have any illusions about turning non-readers into reader. He recognizes that people are either readers or they are not. What he seems to be doing is encouraging fallen-away, distracted, and self-limiting readers to maximize their reading.

The recurring theme here is reading at Whim. Prof. Jacobs advises against reading the right books or the important books because others claim they are right or important. Instead, he encourages the readers who want to keep reading to follow where their own interests take them. That is not to say that we should not challenge ourselves; however, slogging through books we don’t like only because we feel we should read them is the path to discouragement.

In the end, as a reader, I found a lot to encourage my own peripatetic reading choices. I do feel there is some value to knowing what others consider important literature and to keep some of those books before us. And yet, it’s nice to feel supported in the fact that I do not feel guilty about never having read Joyce’s Ulysses. I will get to it when I’m ready, if that day ever comes. Until then, I’ll read where my Whim takes me. I’m glad it took me to this book.

With this short, enjoyable book, Alan Jacobs is eloquently preaching to the choir—those who are already readers, who understand the joy, the diversion, the absorption, even the obsession that can come from reading. His extended essay, divided into pithily-named sections rather than chapters, ranges across literary genres and experiences of reading, but several crystalline points emerge from the amusing anecdotes, erudite discussion, and apt quotations. One is that far too many people “want not to read but to have read” (p. 72). For them, reading is a matter of ticking boxes on a “to read” list, rather than savoring what they are reading, letting it work its way into their consciousness and their emotions, taking as long as they want, reading slowly rather than rushing to get to the end. This is connected to the twin tendencies to either look to authorities for advice on what to read, or to see reading as primarily a means for self-improvement, a form of what C. S. Lewis (quoted by Jacobs) called “social and ethical hygiene.” This would be along the lines of “eat your vegetables because they’re good for you,” as opposed to “try these vegetables, they’re delicious.” Connected to this tendency, of course, is a particularly bookish form of that pervasive modern American phobia: FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). What If there is something I’m “supposed to” read, but I haven’t read it—or, worse, haven’t even heard of it? Does that make me a Philistine? This anxious tendency is on the rise, it seems, thanks to a cottage industry in books giving advice on reading that ranges from the breathless to the learned, and to “must read” lists of which any number can be found instantly with a simple internet search. A certain amount of humility and "memento mori" is also required. None of us (or at least no one who is likely to read this book) is likely to read every book he or she would like to before dying. There will always be things left on the shelf, on the pile, on the nightstand. Well, maybe not for critic Harold Bloom, he of the reputed 1000-pages-per-hour reading speed. But as part of his general dismissal of what might be called the Prescriptivists (or what Lewis called “the Vigilant school”), Jacobs puts paid to the right of Bloom or anyone else to tell you or me which authors we should read.

What about the sheer joy of reading? Jacobs points out that this doesn’t necessarily come with speed. It requires openness to whatever the book has to offer, and to the possibility (which one should hope for) of a completely unexpected experience, probably unique to each individual. Regrettably, students too often have the joy of reading taught right out of them in school, and this can easily taint their appreciation of reading for life. Reading, Jacobs argues, must be “extricate[d] . . . from academic expectations” (p. 115). Note that this is being said by a literature professor (formerly at Wheaton College, now at Baylor University). And lest anyone think that Jacobs shuns technology in favor of the traditional sensual comforts of bound books, he notes that it was actually the purchase of a Kindle that to some degree rescued sustained, deep-concentration reading for him. I remain dedicated to the bound versions of books myself, but this is really a matter of personal preference rather than Ludditism. I am inextricably linked to technology in other ways. To those who complain that information technology and electronic entertainment have created a generation (multiple generations, really, not just the “digital natives”) unable to concentrate for more than a minute at a time, flitting from one stimulus (including bound books) to the next like a hummingbird seeking nectar, Jacobs quotes with approval Clay Shirky, who said that the problem is not information overload, but “filter failure,” an inability to be disciplined and selective. That sounds right to me.

One of the primary purposes of the book is to debunk not the idea of literary canons as such, but the notion that the individual reader must follow a plan, a program, a road map, a syllabus, or a sense of obligation in choosing what to read. When it comes to the best principle of selection, Jacobs summarizes his advice in a single word: Whim. Read what you want!

This book is a pleasure to read. It contains so much information that one can learn something from any page. The book itself is written like a novel, that one can go from cover to cover. There is a stark absence of a Table of Contents. One can literally read this book at whim. This book while is about reading in an age of distraction is multidisciplinary as well. It touches on cognitive learning, on technology, psychology, social sciences, literature, spirituality, inspiration, and many others. It encourages one to read hyperactively as well as concentrate, in solitude as well as in good company, in silence as well as reading aloud. Ultimately, it aims to take the stress and tensions of conquering the book, and substitute it with the joy and delight of simply enjoying the book.

Jacobs does not overestimate the virtues of concentrated reading. Neither does he undermine the benefits of scattered reading. He does a good job in keeping all of these reading tendencies as nice reading bedfellows. This book is a useful corrective to those of us overly critical of the technological distractions around us. Perhaps, we can be encouraged to read another book soon, regardless of medium. It is a lot of fun to read Jacobs's confession of his reading struggles amid the many distractions. He demonstrates once again, that once we can overcome the fear of reading, it is not only good for reading per se, reading at whim can help us read well.

Perhaps, another title for this book is: "The Joy of Reading in the 21st Century."

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

Alan Jacobs has given the readers (and so-called "non-readers") of the world a wonderful gift. This book is filled with practical wisdom and hidden philosophic gems that are useful in all aspects of one's life, not just those that involve print. Reading this book was a delightful journey and one I can see myself enjoying again and again in the future. Thank you, Professor!

This brief book is going to get a brief review since it's getting late.  But to be honest, I don't need to say much to the people who would enjoy it.  If you're a reader, you think about the things Jacobs discusses.  You think about big issues such as how to read a book to get the most out of it -- Jacobs spends a good deal of time with Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren, though he is not wholly in Adler's camp -- and small like margin notes, underlining and dog-earing.  You may even think a good deal about the e-book v. hard copy argument, one which Jacobs, like me, finds ludicrous.  A book is what's on those pages, not the pages themselves.

If you're a reader, you probably enjoy books about reading.  This year it's been the primary theme of my reading.  And I don't think you can do better than to read Alan Jacobs' wonderful, immensely readable ruminations on the nature of books and the pleasures of reading.  If you're a reader, you should read Alan Jacobs.

Recent research have shown that reading is at a decline now. People are not only reading less, they are also less inclined to read. What Alan Jacobs wish to do in this book is to show the readers how they can take pleasure at reading at the current age. Jacobs does this by allowing his readers take pleasure in reading this book. I rarely find reading non-fiction a pleasure, but this book is certainly an exception.

There is no doubt that this book is written primarily for readers. This book is not meant to encourage non-readers to pick up reading or to convince non-readers on what reading can provide for them. Rather this book is meant for readers who not only wants to read, but enjoy what they read.

Jacobs does not provide any must-read lists as many do. Instead he questions the intentions of who enquire about such lists. For Jacobs, the “must-read” lists have almost certainly already been decided. A quick search would certainly turn up these recommendation. However, I do have a sneaky suspicion that although Jacobs does not provide a list explicitly, he does so covertly. In this book Jacobs raises books and authors whom he has read and benefitted from much which he brings to the readers allowing them to have a preview of what they can find within these books.

Instead, Jacobs tackles the issues where we are not willing to put in the time and effort to understand a certain topic yet we want to remain informed about it. Jacobs tells readers that instead of searching for shortcuts, readers should enjoy the long journey within the book, interact with the authors, ask them questions and thereby read actively.

As Jonathan Edwards is oft quoted for saying, there are two ways to know that honey is sweet. One is to know by understanding the taste of honey, the other is by actually tasting it. This essentially is what Jacobs hopes to do through this book, by actually allow you to take pleasure in reading, you are led by hand as it is to take pleasure in reading other books.

If you read and want a short book that talks about how pleasurable reading can be, then this is a book for you. Jacobs writes excellently and you will find yourself turning page after page until you finish the book itself.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

What a fun book to read, and I learned a lot of things as well. always a pleasure to find a well written book.

This book gives readers and reluctant readers a reason for reading and not be concerned about reading from a list.

Anyone who reads this book is a reader. Guaranteed. We may read different genres and at different levels, but we love the written word. Professor Jacobs has managed to write an eminently readable and entertaining book about reading that considers our tastes, trends, and technology. As a johnny-come-lately to ebooks (and I work in a library). I appreciate his acceptance of this format and acknowledgement of where this format can be advantageous. For myself, I find I enjoy my fiction reading just as much on my kindle as I do in hardcover, but prefer my nonfiction in print form because of how I like to annotate.

I judge a book by my desire to reread it, and having finished "Pleasures" and thought about it, am ready to start again and pick up the things I missed. Plus, this weight has been lifted off me that it is okay to read not so great literature for the simple reason I enjoy some so-so writing every now and then.