HOW TO READ

A trio of English-language educators offer college students a modern guide to the art of reading.

While working on their seventh edition of The Broadview Guide to Writing (2022), authors LePan, Frost, and Okun considered adding a new chapter on reading at the college level; as English-language educators, they have experienced firsthand the declining reading skills of incoming students. Unable to condense the topic into a single chapter, they wrote this book-length guide to help post-secondary students develop the reading, comprehension, and critical thinking skills necessary for a successful academic journey. The work begins at the most fundamental level as the authors urge readers to evaluate their “Reading Environment” before delving into extended passages. This environment includes physical considerations, like lighting and scheduling brief interludes for stretching, in addition to a discussion about the ways in which our brains read printed material differently than text on a digital screen (per the authors, while screens subliminally encourage multitasking, “reading printed material is associated with fuller comprehension and seems to facilitate extended concentration”). Other chapters proffer practical advice on reading antiquated language in pre-20th-century literature, navigating academic jargon and complex sentence structures, and strategically and effectively using the skills of scanning and skimming when appropriate. One chapter provides examples of common words and phrases to pay close attention to when reading college-level nonfiction—the authors note the scholarly tendency to use literary cues (“a pattern with a purpose”). Recognizing the unique demands of 21st-century learning, the authors discuss the responsible use of AI to aid in the reading of complex passages, critically listening to audiobooks, and reading visual materials (this chapter is offered on a companion website linked via QR code). This profoundly relevant and accessible volume for college freshmen concludes with “Following Up” questions posed by the authors’ students and includes reproductions of long passages for practice as readers apply the book’s advice.

An insightful, valuable resource for mastering higher-education texts.