History Corner: Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed

  Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge from harper CollinsPublishing via Edelweissplus, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own.

A hilarious and incisive exploration of the joys of reading from a teacher, bibliophile 

and Thurber Prize finalist

Synopsis:

We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human.

Shannon Reed, a long-time teacher, lifelong reader and The New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes (Gone Girl, Their Eyes Were Watching God) to the ones she didn’t (Tess of the D’Ubervilles), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them and the surprising ways in which literature can transform us for the better.

Review:

For most bookaholics, especially females of Gen X age, Shannon's essays on the different types of reading she did at different ages, will truly resonate and ring true. You may quibble over 1 or 2 (Dante- the bane of my college class!), but that the adult stuff- where we each take our own path of reading! But the rest? We've been there racing through the Nancy Drew series, and finding the allure of a murder mystery and strong heroine. Of being precocious and reading Stephen King books WAY too young, and having long seeded emotions from it still as an adult (hands up- Cujo or Pet Sematary- which one got YOU?). She helps us understand why we picked certain books, or why the school book list made sense on one hand, and not on the other. Why as high schoolers we may not have had the life experience to understand the books fully, but when re re-read them as adults we do. I have found with homeschooling Grace, this is very true, as we discuss books that she is reading, and relating them to modern events is the key for her understanding as a high schooler. This is the perfect book for giving to bookaholics for birthday presents, that 'I just want to say thanks" or as a hostess present. Just make sure you get a copy for yourself- it will leave you smiling and laughing!

About the Author:

Shannon Reed is a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh and a contributor to The New Yorker's “Shouts & Murmurs” pieces. Her work has also appeared in Real Simple, The Paris Review, Slate, LitHub, Longreads, The Guardian, AFAR, The Washington Post, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and most notably, McSweeney's. She holds an MA in Educational Theatre and Teaching Secondary English and an MFA in Creative Writing.