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This week, The Atlantic published its list of the 136 most significant American novels of the past century. “Our goal was to single out those classics that stand the test of time, but also to make the case for the unexpected, the unfairly forgotten, and the recently published works that already feel indelible,” my colleagues wrote in their introduction. “We aimed for comprehensiveness, rigor, and open-mindedness. Serendipity, too: We hoped to replicate that particular joy of a friend pressing a book into your hand and saying, ‘You have to read this; you’ll love it.’”
That last line reminded me of the serendipity that’s always at play when we pick up a book. Happening upon the right words at the right moment, and in the right frame of mind, isn’t easy; when all those pieces fall into place, it can feel like a fragile victory, almost magic. Today’s reading list explores how our attention spans, attitudes, and education affect the way we read—and how to bring yourself closer to the reading experience you might want.
On Reading
Why Some People Become Lifelong Readers
By Joe Pinsker
A lot rides on how parents present the activity to their kids.
Read the article.
How to Show Kids the Joy of Reading
By Natalie Wexler
In her 28 years of teaching, Deloris Fowler had seen educational reforms come and go. Then one of them surprised her.
Read the article.
Seven Books That Will Make You Put Down Your Phone
By Bekah Waalkes
These titles self-consciously aim to grab their reader’s attention.
Read the article.
Still Curious?
Other Diversions
P.S.
In 2016, James Hamblin explored how black text written on a white background—in other words, the standard style of a book—may not actually be the best way for the human brain to take in information. That format “persists today out of tradition, not because of some innate tendency of the human brain to process information in this way,” he wrote.
— Isabel
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