How Reading Changed My Life

Rating:
Summary: a friendly essay
Review: Anna Quindlen has always written in a friendly, accessible style, and in this essay she explores a topic dear to [our] hearts: reading. Furthermore, she articulates what many of us feel -- that reading is not just for literary critics and deconstructionists; that there is as much validity in reading for pleasure as in reading for improvement; that there is a delicious paradox in such a solitary activity leading to a sense of community.

Through her personal anecdotes, Quindlen relates shared experiences: of having a professor sneer at a book she loved (I had the same thing happen with Michener -- a wonderful author who has never been taken seriously by the literati); of the first book that made her look at the world in a new way (for me it was The Hobbit); of being the only kid in the neighborhood who'd rather be reading than playing kick-the-can (oh, yes!); of the joy of sharing good books with others.

The author includes 11 top-ten lists (e.g. Books That Will Help a Teenager Feel More Human, Books I Would Save in a Fire).

Quindlen's work in general, and 'How Reading Changed My Life' in particular, is the stuff at the soul of [...] a joyful community of readers. As she says, "Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion". There are so many gems; [...], you will probably enjoy this little book.

Rating:
Summary: a friendly essay
Review: Anna Quindlen has always written in a friendly, accessible style, and in this essay she explores a topic dear to [our] hearts: reading. Furthermore, she articulates what many of us feel -- that reading is not just for literary critics and deconstructionists; that there is as much validity in reading for pleasure as in reading for improvement; that there is a delicious paradox in such a solitary activity leading to a sense of community.

Through her personal anecdotes, Quindlen relates shared experiences: of having a professor sneer at a book she loved (I had the same thing happen with Michener -- a wonderful author who has never been taken seriously by the literati); of the first book that made her look at the world in a new way (for me it was The Hobbit); of being the only kid in the neighborhood who'd rather be reading than playing kick-the-can (oh, yes!); of the joy of sharing good books with others.

The author includes 11 top-ten lists (e.g. Books That Will Help a Teenager Feel More Human, Books I Would Save in a Fire).

Quindlen's work in general, and 'How Reading Changed My Life' in particular, is the stuff at the soul of [...] a joyful community of readers. As she says, "Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion". There are so many gems; [...], you will probably enjoy this little book.

Rating:
Summary: A love letter to readers from a sister reader
Review: Anna Quindlen's "How Reading Changed My Life" is a charming and inspiring blend of autobiography and informal cultural criticism. In the book Quindlen reflects on books, reading, and readers.

Quindlen notes, "While we pay lip service to the virtues of reading, the truth is that there is in our culture something that suspects those who read too much, whatever reading too much means, of being lazy, aimless dreamers [...]." These, and many other insights in this book, really resonated with me. Throughout the book, Quindlen celebrates what she calls a "lively subculture" of truly serious readers.

Quindlen reflects on differences in men's and women's reading practices, on book groups, on skirmishes over "The Canon" of great books, on banned books, and on other topics. She tells how reading helped her keep her sanity during the "year of disarray" after the birth of her second child, and recalls how she fell in love with John Galsworthy's "Forsyte Saga." Ultimately, she explains why she believes that new technologies will not make old-fashioned books (versus online books) obsolete.

HRCML is full of wonderful passages, such as a remembered epiphany over D.H. Lawrence. This short book concludes with a few reading lists: "10 Nonfiction Books That Help Us Understand the World," "The 10 Books I Would Save in a Fire (If I Could Save Only 10)," etc. If you are a serious reader, I predict that, like me, you will recognize a kindred spirit in these pages, and will rejoice.

Rating:
Summary: A love letter to readers from a sister reader
Review: Anna Quindlen's "How Reading Changed My Life" is a charming and inspiring blend of autobiography and informal cultural criticism. In the book Quindlen reflects on books, reading, and readers.

Quindlen notes, "While we pay lip service to the virtues of reading, the truth is that there is in our culture something that suspects those who read too much, whatever reading too much means, of being lazy, aimless dreamers [...]." These, and many other insights in this book, really resonated with me. Throughout the book, Quindlen celebrates what she calls a "lively subculture" of truly serious readers.

Quindlen reflects on differences in men's and women's reading practices, on book groups, on skirmishes over "The Canon" of great books, on banned books, and on other topics. She tells how reading helped her keep her sanity during the "year of disarray" after the birth of her second child, and recalls how she fell in love with John Galsworthy's "Forsyte Saga." Ultimately, she explains why she believes that new technologies will not make old-fashioned books (versus online books) obsolete.

HRCML is full of wonderful passages, such as a remembered epiphany over D.H. Lawrence. This short book concludes with a few reading lists: "10 Nonfiction Books That Help Us Understand the World," "The 10 Books I Would Save in a Fire (If I Could Save Only 10)," etc. If you are a serious reader, I predict that, like me, you will recognize a kindred spirit in these pages, and will rejoice.

Rating:
Summary: This book will remind you why you read, and you'll feel good
Review: Anna Quindlen's paean to reading will help you recall your early printed friends and how you felt when an unread title by a favorite author appeared at the library. If that isn't reason enough to inhale this 80-page celebration of words, you'll also get to take a tour through the history of printed communication and you'll be reminded that the enjoyment you feel when you read as an adult can be brought near the level of joy you felt while reading as a child. I'd never read any of Quindlen's work outside of the NY Times before, but I'll have one of her novels in hand shortly (sorry, Amazon -- this is what libraries are for).

Rating:
Summary: A READER'S PAEAN
Review: Author, Anna Quindlen shares with her audience her deep love for reading and its impact upon her life. She takes us on a nostalgic walk through her memories as a reader. You will see yourself as a reader through her eyes. Remember when parents and friends thought you strange when you preferred reading over going outside to play? All of us have been there with Quindlen as we were taken to different worlds and experienced different thoughts through the written word.

Quindlen further expands her commentary about reading that deals with a number of issues. She looks at the impact of the computer on the future of books, comments on Americans belief that reading is good only if it is functional, shares with us the never ending issue of book banning and the academic controversy surrounding the literary canon.

Reading holds a very important place in Quindlen's life but the greatest weakness of this work is that she doesn't tell us how reading itself changed her life. Certainly books opened a new world for her but how did this unveiling move her as a writer and a person? You never find out. She provides for us lists of her favorate ten books for various occasions. Reading lists are very personal but I find it strange that her canon is predominently white and male especially when she speaks out against literary lists that are monocultural. Apparently she doesn't practice what she preaches.

Overall her insights give you an appreciation of the written word and the delight books can give to its readers. People should not only take reading seriously but also enjoy the best and worst of what books have to offer. Quindlen does an excellent job in inspiring you to keep an open mind and to keep on reading.

Rating:
Summary: Otherwise enjoyable, marred by hypocritical left wing slant
Review: Could have been very enjoyable, but marred by hypocrisy. In one breath the author is excoriating the elites of literary-criticism for trying to dictate what tastes readers should or shouldn't pursue when in the prior paragraph she had herself criticized businessmen for reading the seven habits of highly effective people, rather than a text she would find more worthy, like Moby Dick. (The Seven Habits is likely suspect to Ms. Quindlen because its written by a religious white male, and read by businessmen -read: greedy caucasian republicans). Her discussion of censorship likewise ignores the dangers posed by the current political correctness movement on college campuses(of which she has only praise), in favor of taking to task right wing parents groups who are concerned about the content of literature being assigned to their youngsters. Then she blithely suggests that the political speeches in Ayn Rand's novels, with which she obviously disagrees, should have been omitted by a good editor. (Free speech for me but not for thee?) There's also a curious sense of anti-maleness to the book. No suggestions for young male readers are provided, only for young girls. And it is strongly hinted that only the female gender truly understands the joy of reading. Maybe the author got this idea because she consulted virtually only with women in writing the book, as shown in her acknowledgements, or maybe her politics are generally based in some sort of hostility to men. Despite all these problems, the stuff about the misunderstood joys of being a young reader, and the typical reaction of one's peers, was wonderful. Too bad the author thinks only young girls, and not any young men,have ever experienced this. She's wrong. I know. But as of yet there aren't any entries in the genre about a young man's experiences with "Lord of the Rings" and "Where the Red Fern Grows" etc., so this will have to do.

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars For Accessibility
Review: For this reader, who is currently wading through Henry Miller's dense, challenging THE BOOKS IN MY LIFE, the short HOW READING CHANGED MY LIFE is more the comfortable touchstone for a middle-class, baby boomer whom Miller would have quickly dismissed if he had met her. Quindlen validates our common habits.

Unlike many, including the nasty new breed known as aliterates, who struggle with the fear that reading might be a replacement for life and experience, she argues that reading IS experience. It amplifies life's other experiences, it helps make meaning of them. Thank you, Anna Quindlen, for settling that one once and for all. I agree wholeheartedly with her appreciation of middlebrow beginnings. As she points out, we get to the worthy stuff when we're ready and a young person struggling with MIDDLEMARCH will not easily turn into an adult who enjoys serious reading. Think of it this way: there are quite a few professional musicians out there who as eight-year-olds never played a sophisticated scherzo at their first piano recital, they played "The Old Mill Song".

Yes, Quindlen includes lists but they are not haughty absolutes. This is a slim book, an extended essay really, and it could be argued that she has only begun to scrape the surface. Look at it this way, though: she lets us out of class early so we can go out and enjoy reading on our own.

Rating:
Summary: a good book for all book lovers!!
Review: I have long been a devoted reader..but after reading this book, it just makes me love my books even more...!

Rating:
Summary: A nice reminder that it's OK to read instead of doing stuff
Review: I hesitated to shell out $8.95 plus tax for such a slim volume, but I am glad I did. I had recently skimmed an old copy of Mortimer Adler's How To Read A Book and found it utterly utilitarian. Ms. Quindlen's short but insightful book, on the other hand, succeeds in conveying the pleasure of reading for no particular reason other than the pleasure of reading. She gives a heart-warming account of her own history and experiences as a reader. This part of her book makes a wonderful story for young readers. (Her thoughts on technology are less convincing. Kids today are so much more at ease with computers than we are that it won't be hard for them to make the switch to electronic books-the size of which will shrink while their capacity expands within the next few years.) Definitely recommended by this reader.